4 Tips to Get Used to Hearing Aids

Hearing aids are your ticket back to communicating with the world around you. For anyone with hearing loss, this could be the only way you’ll ever be able to hear properly again.

After seeing your audiologist and being fitted with a hearing aid, you will experience a period where you have to get used to your new device. It can feel very strange and uncomfortable at first, but there are four tips to help you out:

Avoid loud and busy areas at first

The difference hearing aids make to your life can be very dramatic. You’ll be able to pick up the faintest of sounds again. It will feel like the volume has been turned up in your life and this can be uncomfortable in the first few moments after wearing one. The first thing you should do is avoid loud and busy areas immediately after your fitting. Try and stay somewhere without a great deal of noise, such as your house. Get used to hearing regular sounds again and slowly build up to visiting busier and louder places. This avoids the massive shock you get of hearing loads of sounds for the first time in a long time.

Don’t tamper with the settings too much

These days, hearing aids come with a whole host of settings and features. Your audiologist will talk you through all these during your hearing aid fitting. It can be very tempting to play around with different controls and settings when you get your new device. However, this could make things more uncomfortable for you. It’s best that you trust the programming from your audiologist and don’t tamper with any settings. Instead, if things bother you, make a note of them and tell your audiologist about them at your follow-up appointment.

Try and wear them every day

As with most things in life, hearing aids are easier to get used to when they’re ever-present in your daily routine. If you only wear them for an hour a day, then it will take a long time to get used to them. But, if you try and wear them during all your waking hours, then it helps get used to the feel of having them in your ears. You don’t even have to turn them on all the time, just get used to how they feel by wearing them all day long.

Don’t expect a seamless transition

Lastly, it’s crucial that you set your expectations at a realistic level. If you expect a seamless transition to hearing aid life, then you’ll be let down. Be patient and realize it takes time to get used to your hearing aids. If you’re aware that feelings of discomfort and weirdness are normal, then it’s easier to deal with them. If wearing your hearing aids feels strange, then don’t worry, it’s a natural part of transitioning to this lifestyle, and you will get used to it.

Feel free to follow these tips if you want to get used to your new hearing aids. It’ll be a struggle at first, but you’ll soon be so glad that you got them fitted.