Never underestimate the change that hearing aids can make to your life if youโre seeking hearing loss treatment. The quality of life improvements can be profound, and it can help you communicate, work, and maintain relationships with your family, improving not just your physical hearing but mental health as well. They can take some getting used to, however, so here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Know how to use it
One of the best pieces of advice you can take when it comes to new hearing aids is to make sure that you have it fitted with the help of a professional, such as an audiologist. Aside from helping you fit it, they can teach you how to adjust the amplification levels so that youโre able to set it to a level that youโre going to be comfortable with wearing it. This way, you can adjust it for different environments, too.
Donโt wear it all day at first
Eventually, the aim is to make sure that youโre able to wear your hearing aids throughout the entirety of the day. However, a common mistake for those with new hearing aids is to start trying to do this immediately. Wearing new hearing aids can be a little tiring because youโre exposing your ears and brain to levels of noise perception that you perhaps havenโt had for quite some time. To avoid being overwhelmed, you should start by wearing it for only a couple of hours each day, then gradually increase how often you wear it until finally, you can wear it all day.
Listen in quieter environments at first
Itโs not just the length of time that you should be gradually increasing along the way, but also the level of noise from the environments that youโre wearing your hearing aids in. Itโs best to start in quieter settings, like your own home, which is less likely to overwhelm your new and improved sense of hearing. As you get used to the impacts of your hearing aids there, then you can expose yourself to having more people around you, wearing your hearing aids in busier places, and places that produce more noise. Again, itโs good to note that you can adjust your hearing aid to provide different levels of amplification in different environments, too.
Listen out for problems
Although feeling a bit awkward or overwhelmed when adjusting to a new hearing aid is normal, it’s important to address any discomfort that arises. If you experience feedback, which is a high-pitched whistling sound, it could be due to wax, dirt, or debris blocking parts of the device or improper insertion. Take care of your hearing aids with routine cleanings to get the best out of them. However, it may also be caused by malfunctions that cause the microphone and speaker to be too loud. In such cases, your hearing instrument specialist should be able to resolve the issue easily.
On top of the tips above, make sure youโre not going it alone. Have an audiologist or hearing health specialist you can get in touch with in case you need any additional help with your hearing aids in the future.
