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As a general rule, people don’t like change. Experienced through that prism, hearing aids can represent a double-edged sword: they open up an exciting new world of sounds for you, but they also represent a significant transformation of your life. If your someone who enjoys a very fixed routine, the change can be hard. New hearing aids can present some specific difficulties. But making this change positive is mostly about knowing how to adjust to these devices.

Here Are Some Quick Ways to Adjust to Your New Hearing Aids

Whether it’s your first pair of hearing aids (congrats!) or an upgrade to a more robust pair, any new hearing aid will be a significant enhancement in the way you hear. Depending on your personal situation, that may be quite an adjustment. Utilizing these tips may make your transition a bit more comfortable.

When You First Get Your Hearing Aids Only Wear Them Intermittently

As a general rule, the more you wear your hearing aids, the healthier your ears will stay. But it can be a little uncomfortable when you’re breaking them in if you use them for 18 hours a day. You might try to build up your endurance by beginning with 8 hours and building up from there.

Practice Listening to Conversations

When your brain is first able to hear sound again it will probably need a transition period. You could have a hard time hearing speech with clarity or following conversations during this adjustment time. But practicing using reading or listening exercises (such as reading along to an audiobook) can help the language-hearing-and-interpreting portion of your brain reassert itself.

Have Your Hearing Aids Fitted

One of the first things you’ll do – even before you get your final hearing aids – is go through a fitting process. Enhancing comfort, taking account of the shape of your ear canal, and adjusting for your individual hearing loss are all things that a fitting can help with. More than one adjustment may be needed. It’s essential to consult us for follow-up appointments and to take these fittings seriously. When your hearing aids fit well, your hearing aids will sit more comfortably and sound more natural. Adjustments to various conditions can also be done by us.

Troubleshoot

Sometimes adapting to a new hearing aid is a little difficult because something’s not functioning quite right. If there’s too much feedback that can be painful. Or the hearing aid keeps cutting out (which can be frustrating). These types of issues can make it hard to adjust to your hearing aids, so it’s best to find solutions as early as possible. Try these tips:

• Charge your hearing aids every evening or replace the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to diminish, they often do not perform as effectively as they’re intended to.
• Consult your hearing professional to double check that the hearing aids are correctly calibrated to your loss of hearing.
• Discuss any ringing or buzzing with your hearing expert. Occasionally, your cell phone can cause interference with your hearing aid. In other cases, it could be that we have to make some adjustments.
• If you hear a lot of feedback, make sure that your hearing aids are correctly seated in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a bit off) and that there are no obstructions (such as excess earwax).

The Rewards of Adjusting to Your New Hearing Aids

Just as it would with a new pair of glasses, it may take you a small amount of time to adjust to your new hearing aids. Ideally, you will have an easier and quicker transition with these tips. But you will be surprised how natural it will become if you stick with it and get into a routine. And once that occurs, you’ll be capable of devoting your attention to the things you’re actually hearing: like your favorite shows or music or the daily discussions you’ve missed. These sounds remind you that all those adjustments are worth it in the end. And sometimes change is not a bad thing.