Have you just been fit for your first set of hearing aids? You may be experiencing some anxiety or nervousness about using something new, or you may be worried about the comfortability. We have good news for you – you are not alone. Several first-time hearing aid users have fears about the overall fit and comfort of their hearing aids.
How to Adjust to Hearing Aids
It is common for your hearing aids to be uncomfortable at first. Early comfort levels will vary, and there will be an adjustment period, but you will become more comfortable as time goes on and you continue to use your hearing aids. It’s simply nice to know what to expect during your adjustment period.
There are two phases to adjusting to your hearing aids:
- Adjusting to the feeling: There may be some slight physical discomfort when you first start wearing your hearing aids. Your hearing aid specialist may suggest starting out wearing your hearing aids for only part of the day, slightly increasing as you get comfortable. There shouldn’t be any pain. If you are feeling pain from the hearing aid, you should speak with your hearing aid specialist as soon as possible.
- Getting comfortable with an increased quality of sound: It may take some time for you to get used to the new quality of sound you are experiencing. For most people who have been coping with hearing loss for a while, it may take some time to get used to the full range of sound. You may feel that everything is a little too loud, or you may hear sounds that you are not used to. We suggest giving it some time. After a few weeks, your brain will block out the noises you don’t want to pay attention to.
How to Increase the Comfort of Hearing Aids
We have found a few strategies that can help you increase the comfort of your hearing aids:
- Start off slowly: When you first get your hearing aids, you don’t need to jump right in and wear your hearing aids all day, every day. You can build up to it. Begin wearing your hearing aids from one to four hours per day. Continue to build up and wear them longer as you get more comfortable until you can wear them all day.
- Practice: The world isn’t going to sound the same with hearing aids. Adjusting to sounds, and even speech, may take a while. There are a few things that you can do to help you adjust more quickly, like reading along with an audiobook or watching a movie with the captions turned on.
- Make sure it’s the right fit: Your hearing aids are designed to fit your ears properly. You will want to talk about the fit with your hearing aid specialist. They will be able to make sure that everything is fitting and working the way it is supposed to. If needed, you may consider a custom fit hearing aid.
Comfortability
For the first few days or weeks, it is common for there to be some discomfort with your hearing aids. Soon, you will adjust, and they will be very comfortable. It is important to wear them on a daily basis to make sure you will adjust to them.