How to Adjust to New Hearing Aids


Group of women practicing using their new hearing aids during lunch.

As a basic rule, most people don’t like change. Experienced through that prism, hearing aids can represent a double-edged sword: your life will undergo a tremendous change but they also will allow exciting new opportunities. If your somebody who likes a very fixed routine, the change can be difficult. New hearing aids can create a few particular challenges. But making this change positive is primarily about understanding how to adjust to these devices.

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

Whether it’s your first set of hearing aids (congrats!) or an improvement to a more powerful pair, any new hearing aid will represent a considerable improvement to how you hear. That could be challenging depending on your circumstances. But your transition might be a bit smoother if you follow these tips.

When You First Get Your Hearing Aids Only Use Them Intermittently

The more you use your hearing aids, as a basic rule, the healthier your ears will stay. But if you’re breaking in your very first pair, wearing your devices for 18 hours per day can be a little uncomfortable. You might begin by trying to wear your hearing aids for 8 hours at a time, and then slowly build up your endurance.

Pay Attention to Conversations For Practice

When you first start using your hearing aids, your brain will probably need a little bit of time to get accustomed to the idea that it’s able to hear sounds again. During this transition period, it might be difficult to follow conversations or make out speech with clarity. But practicing with listening or reading drills (like reading along to an audiobook) can help the language-hearing-and-interpreting part of your brain reassert itself.

Spend The Time to Get a Hearing Aid Fitting

Even before you get your final hearing aid, one of the first things you will do – is go through a fitting process. Enhancing comfort, taking account of the size and shape of your ear canal, and adjusting for your individual hearing loss are all things that a fitting can help with. Several adjustments could be required. It’s crucial to come see us for follow-up appointments and to take these fittings seriously. Your device will sound more natural and will sit more comfortably if they fit properly. Adjustments to various conditions can also be made by us.

Troubleshoot

Sometimes adjusting to a new hearing aid is somewhat difficult because something’s not working quite right. If there’s too much feedback that can be uncomfortable. It can also be frustrating when the hearing aid keeps cutting out. It can be difficult to adapt to hearing aids because of these types of problems, so it’s best to find solutions as soon as possible. Try these tips:

  • Consult your hearing professional to double check that the hearing aids are correctly calibrated to your loss of hearing.
  • Discuss any buzzing or ringing with your hearing expert. At times, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other instances, it could be that we have to make some adjustments.
  • Charge your hearing aids every evening or replace the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to wane, they normally do not work as effectively as they’re intended to.
  • If you notice a lot of feedback, ensure that your hearing aids are properly sitting in your ears (it might be that your fit is just a little off) and that there aren’t any obstructions (earwax for instance).

Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids Has Its Benefits

Just as it could with new glasses, it may possibly take you a little bit of time to adapt to your new hearing aids. Ideally, you will have a smoother and faster transition with these recommendations. But if you stick with it – if you get yourself into a routine with your hearing aids and really invest in adjusting to them – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how it all becomes easy. But before too long you will be able to place your attention on what your hearing: like your favorite programs or music or the day-to-day interactions you’ve missed. Ultimately all these adjustments are well worth it. And change is good.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.