It may seem like daunting experience to begin the process of selecting and fitting hearing aids to meet your specific hearing needs. However, it just requires some time and patience. Also, congratulations are in order – you are on the road to better hearing health!
Many people wait an average of seven years to seek treatment for hearing loss. Addressing your hearing loss is a major step to improving your overall health and well-being. With any degree of hearing loss, the sounds of your life are not as clear as they once were. When you first wear your new hearing aids, your brain will require some time to adjust to the clarity it has not experienced in some time.
Here are a few tips to help you adjust to your new hearing aids.
Fitting is an On-Going Process
Keep in mind that hearing aid fitting is an on-going process. Your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist will work with you to ensure that your hearing aids perform properly to meet your hearing needs and are a comfortable fit.
It is important that you communicate your needs in terms of the physical fit as well as the function of the hearing aids as you take them into real-life situations. Sounds will appear differently in the real world than in our offices. We will make adjustments to ensure that your hearing aids fit properly and perform at their best.
Be Patient with Yourself
Keep in mind that your brain needs time to get used to hearing again. With hearing loss, your brain does not receive sound signals as clearly as with normal hearing. Over time, your brain gets used to muddled sound signals. Hearing aids amplify sound and deliver them to your ears with much more clarity than you may have been used to. You might begin to experience a greater number of sounds, at a “higher” volume. When we fit you for hearing aids, we’ve ensured that these are the proper levels of sound. While the “louder” sounds make feel strange at first, try not to turn down the volume and be patient as you adjust to this new experience.
Watch TV & Movies with the Captions
Here’s a great excuse to binge-watch Netflix: watching a show (or movie) with captions helps your brain identify and process speech sounds. Turn the captions on for TV and movies and read along while listening with your hearing aids. With your new hearing aids, you will also find that you do not need the volume up as high as you once did!
Read Aloud to Yourself
At first, with your new hearing aids, you may find the experience of hearing your own voice quite strange. Get accustomed to hearing your own voice with your hearing aids by reading aloud to yourself. This will also help you become more comfortable with your head sounds – something you may have missed with untreated hearing loss.
Use Your Hearing Aids in Different Listening Environments
After you’ve grown accustomed to your hearing aids in the home and in quiet settings, take them out for a test drive in louder environments. It is important to try them out in different spaces, such as the car, a walk around the block, the grocery store, or the shopping center. This is a great opportunity for you to understand the different features of your hearing aids and how they can adjust in a variety of environments. If there are major adjustments necessary, you can always come visit us at Kenwood Hearing Centers.
Commit to Wearing Your Hearing Aids Daily
Hearing aids are meant to be worn daily. After you’ve adjusted to listening with hearing aids, you’ll find them indispensable in virtually every environment and scenario in your life. They do a great deal to reconnect you to the people and places in your life, and most importantly, they ensure overall health and well-being.
If you have any questions or concerns about your new hearing aids and the adjustment period, feel free to contact our friendly team at Kenwood Hearing Centers!