Adjusting To Your New Hearing Aids

By Author: John Gutierrez
Total Articles: 11
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Getting new hearing aids can open up a whole new world for you that you may have been missing for years due to hearing loss. But the adjustment period that most people have to go through when they get new hearing aids can be a bit of a surprise. In most cases, someone with hearing loss can't immediately start wearing hearing aids all day long with any level of comfort. To be sure you're happy with your hearing aids and how they work, it's best to go slow. Gradually work up to wearing them all the time and in various environments in order to give your ears and your brain time to adjust.

When you come home with your new hearing aids, don't start wearing them all day long. The first few days, try wearing them for about an hour, and then slowly increase by about an hour each day until you are comfortable wearing them all day long. If an hour a day seems like too much, give yourself permission to reach a plateau and take a break. The key is to get used to wearing them without them feeling intrusive or uncomfortable while giving your brain plenty of time to relearn how to process all of the sounds it has been missing over the ...
... years.

It's important to make the first few days with your hearing aids comfortable. You should begin wearing them at home or another quiet environment. Take the time to listen to the many sounds that will seem to flood your hearing. Do you hear the refrigerator humming? The sound of traffic outside? The creaking of floorboards? The whirring of a fan or the sound of your furnace kicking on? At first you'll feel like you're being overwhelmed with unexpected sounds so let your ears rest each day.

Let yourself get used to the many quiet sounds of daily life that you've been missing. Give yourself the chance to learn to recognize these sounds without them being intrusive. This may take a while, as you haven't experienced this much background noise in years. Soon they will be such a part of your normal routine that you don't notice them although you will continue to hear them. If some sounds continue to seem too loud, try adjusting your hearing aid slightly.

Practice carrying on conversations with one or two people before wearing your hearing aids in a crowd. The best way to do this is to have friendly chats with family or friends with you sitting a comfortable distance from them (four to six feet is ideal). You may be surprised by the sound of your own voice, thinking it's too loud or abrasive. It's simply that you haven't heard your own voice in a while, combined with the amplification and slight distortion of the hearing aids. Get used to hearing your own voice by reading out loud or talking to yourself so that you don't get into the habit of trying to overcompensate by whispering.

When you're ready to conquer the next step, go outside with your hearing aids in. At first, some sounds might startle you. Don't worry, you'll soon become used to sounds like children shouting, car horns and slamming doors. Don't become discouraged; remember that you haven't heard these sounds in years and an adjustment period of several weeks may be all that is needed.

Find a place where you can simply relax and listen to the sounds around you. Each day, you'll discover that it's easier to differentiate between the various sounds you hear. You'll recognize the song of the birds, the rush of water in a fountain and the sound of feet on the pavement.

Each time you become acclimated to wearing your hearing aids in particular environments, take the opportunity to increase the situations in which you wear them. If you've been wearing your hearing aids for several weeks at home, in restaurants and while doing errands, it will be much easier to wear them when you go to your child's Open House at school or to a concert with friends.

Soon, you'll realize that you're wearing your hearing aids so often that you don't even notice you're wearing them. The new world of sounds surrounding you will now be a wonderful part of your everyday life.

If you are to buy a hearing aid, bear in mind that the effectiveness of such aids relies on the quality and the effectiveness of the hearing aids. Get help from our professionals on this issue.