Adjusting to your new hearing aids can be a challenge.
Congratulations! You have taken a major step on the road to hearing clearly by getting new hearing aids. Getting help with your hearing is going to be a remarkable improvement in your life. You’ll see how far the benefits extend with time. Yet, simply purchasing hearing aids is not enough. You need to wear them consistently to reap the benefits! With regular use, hearing aids can make a huge difference in your daily life. However, you may experience an adjustment period when you first begin to use them. The following are a few tips to help you use your hearing aids with the greatest benefit.
Get Help
When you first purchase your hearing aids, our team at Hearing Group will guide you through how to use them. Getting them into the proper position in your ears may take precision, and holding them may also require some practice. Some aids are so small that they can be tricky to insert into your ears, so don’t be afraid to let us know if you don’t feel comfortable. You may also want to get some help setting the volume on certain aids. Although you shouldn’t need to change the volume very often, getting the right baseline will help you move forward with ease and comfort.
Orient to Your World
Once you have correctly inserted your hearing aids and set the volume to the right level, it may take a little adjustment to your environment before they are completely comfortable. At first, you will likely notice how remarkable the world sounds to you now. Yet, some sounds may be surprising or even jarring. It may be best to put the hearing aids into your ears in a quiet place at home the first time. Listen to the sounds in the room and outside your home. Don’t be surprised by the sound of passing cars or machines. These sounds have been there all along, but you haven’t noticed until this moment.
Integrating Sound
Prior to getting your hearing aids, you may have been raising the volume of other items such as the television to a very high level. Radios, phones, and other sounding units may have been quite loud, but you won’t need to raise those levels quite so high anymore. One way to get used to these other sounds is to ask a family member or loved one to let you know what a normal volume is for television, radio, or phone. With that volume in place, you can adjust your hearing aid volume to make that volume comfortable. Your family members will thank you!
Regular Use
Of course, hearing aids are only as effective if they are regularly used. During your adjustment period, commit to wearing your hearing aids every day. If you find them uncomfortable, you may only want to wear them for a short time. Yet, if you commit to wearing your aids every day for at least a little while, you’ll find that they are easier to manipulate and less jarring to your hearing each time you wear them.
Try using them for a little longer each day. Alternatively, you may want to try short sessions in different environments to help you adjust to them. For example, if you are comfortable wearing them out in public where conversations can be confusing, try putting them in at home, as well. Another useful time to wear your aids will be while driving. Try wearing them in the car as a passenger before wearing them as a driver to become aware of the wide variety of sounds you can now hear clearly. You don’t want to be surprised by a sound while driving!
Take It Easy
No matter how you choose to adjust to your new hearing aids, you will find that they can improve your quality of life and bring a vivid new range of sound to your activities. Some of these activities may require a little more adjustment than others. But if you commit to wearing your hearing aids every day in a variety of contexts, it will surprise you how quickly you are able to adjust. Take it easy! You are on the road to a comfortable and clear hearing experience.
If you have questions or need support, please feel free to contact our team at Hearing Group. We are here to help.