Congratulations—you’re prepared to join the millions of Americans who have discovered how utilizing hearing aids can make life more enjoyable and fulfilling. In the near future, you’ll be hearing sounds you’ve long forgotten, participating in stimulating discussions, and listening to music with improved perceptiveness for each instrument.
But before you get to all that, you’ll have to go through a quick period of adjustment to get used to your new hearing aids. Here are five tips to to assist you to make it through this stage and to help you get the most out of your new technology.
1. Visit a Hearing Care Professional
If you are looking for the best hearing attainable, there’s no way around the initial step, which is contacting a hearing care expert. They can assist you in finding the most suitable hearing aid that corresponds with your hearing loss, lifestyle, and financial position. And, even more importantly, they can custom-fit and program your new hearing aid so that it’s optimized for your unique hearing loss.
Your hearing loss, like a fingerprint, is unique. That means every hearing aid should be programmed differently—and this calls for the skill-set of a hearing care professional.
2. Be Patient with Your Hearing Aids
Your brand new hearing aids will take time to get used to. You’ll detect sounds you haven’t heard in some time, your voice may sound different, and sound may all around just seem “off.” This is perfectly normal: you just need time to adapt.
Get started by making a commitment to wear your hearing aids for as much of the day as possible, for at minimum a few weeks. Put them in when you get up in the morning and take them out before going to bed. While it may be awkward at first, you’ll get used to better hearing in no time—and it will be well worth the effort.
If you discover that you’re having a difficult time adjusting, schedule a visit with your hearing care professional. Hearing aids can be fine-tuned, so you never have to quit on better hearing.
3. Start Small
We recommend adjusting to your hearing aids at first in the comfort of your home. Try watching a movie or television show and paying specific attention to the conversation; take part in one-on-one conversations in a quiet space; and listen to music while trying to pick out various instruments and pitches.
Next, when you’re more comfortable, you can test your hearing aids out in more complex environments like at parties, restaurants, and movie theaters. Modern hearing aids come with advanced features and environmental settings that can easily handle these heightened listening demands—which segues perfectly to the fourth tip.
4. Learn the Advanced Features
After you’ve adjusted to your hearing aids, you should continue to learn some of the more sophisticated features. With the assistance of your hearing specialist, you can discover how to take advantage of the functionality and convenience of your modern hearing aids.
Depending on your specific model, you’ll have the ability to do things like wirelessly stream music and phone calls directly to your hearing aids, control the volume from your smart-phone or digital watch, and effortlessly switch settings to optimize your hearing in different environments. Make sure to talk to your hearing specialist about all the features that might be helpful to you.
5. Maintain Your Hearing Aids
Finally, you’ll want to make sure that you care for your hearing aids. This implies daily cleaning, appropriate storage, and managing your battery supply. Your hearing professional will help you include hearing aid maintenance and care into your daily routine so that it becomes automatic and easy.
You’ll also want to get your hearing aids professionally cleaned and assessed one or two times a year to ensure proper functioning for years to come.
We’d love to hear from you: if you currently have hearing aids, tell us about your experience! Let us know how you adapted to your hearing aids and any tips you’d give to those just starting out.