6 Tips for the First Time Using Hearing Aids

The following are 6 Tips for the First Time Using Hearing Aids

For those living with hearing loss, their brain gradually gets used to functioning in the absence of certain sounds. Hearing aids make those sounds that were lost audible again. When hearing aids are fitted for the first time, many people complain that they hear a metallic sound or feel discomfort – about 25% of new users throw their hearing aids in a drawer and never use them again. This is a huge mistake!

1.Start wearing them in stages.
Use your new hearing aids at home for a few hours a day and gradually increase the hours until you end up wearing them all day. It is important to wear them even when you are in a quiet environment. If at any time you feel discomfort, you can take a break by removing them and wearing them again after a few hours. It definitely takes between two weeks and a month to start living in harmony with the ambient noise again.

2.Adapt to your own voice
Your voice may sound strange to you when you wear hearing aids for the first time. This is not surprising at all because hearing aids change the way you hear yourself. Sound doesn’t travel through the air back to your ears as it used to. Instead, you hear it inside your head, like when you have a cold. To get used to this new sound, spend some time alone reading aloud a newspaper, book, article, etc. while wearing your hearing aids.

3.Readjust the volume of the hearing aids (with your hearing care professional).
Hearing aids allow you to hear low sounds, but loud sounds should be just that: loud but not painfully loud. Some people find that loud sounds are often painful to their ears. If you are in this group of people, it is a good idea to visit your hearing care professional, who can adjust the volume so that loud sounds are bearable, but you can still hear the low sounds.

4.Correct any whistling
When there is a leakage of amplified sound out of the ear, passing through the mould made to the dimensions of your ear, the microphone of the hearing aid captures it back again and this results in a whistle-like sound. This annoying noise, called a return, indicates that the hearing aid is not fitted or adjusted correctly or that there is a build-up of wax in the ear canal. Consult your hearing care professional to investigate the cause

5.Connect the sounds to the words
Listening and reading at the same time retrain your brain to associate sounds with language. Three simple ways to do this: a) Turn on the subtitles on your TV and watch a movie/series with the sound on while reading the subtitles at the same time. b) Listen to an audio book while reading it in print at the same time. c) Ask someone to read you a newspaper or magazine article, while you read from your own copy.

6.Learn to ignore background noise
Hearing aids cannot block out unwanted noises, such as a loud horn or loud crying babies, especially when you first wear them. Even people with normal hearing find it difficult to hear in noisy situations. The ability to tolerate these noises becomes greater and greater with time for people who wear hearing aids. If you are really troubled by background noise, visit your hearing care professional for a re-check of your hearing aid settings.

Book your appointment for your hearing evaluation here.