You’ve been waiting for this day for quite a while. You received your new hearing aids. You’re finally going to be able to get back into the groove of your social life again. Now, you won’t be missing parts of conversations or going through awkward transitions. But your hearing aids just don’t seem quite right.

That’s because it’ll most likely take you some time to adjust to a new pair of hearing aids. Often, this transition can be annoying. After all, there was so much you were excited to do, and that adjustment period just feels so slow.

The good news is, there are a few tips that can help quicken the transition process. Before long, with a bit of practice, you will be paying attention to what you’re hearing instead of your hearing aids.

Start slowly with these tips

No matter how technologically advanced they might be, it’s going to take your brain a little while to get used to hearing certain sounds again. Here are some ways you can deliberately give yourself time to adjust and take it slowly:

• Start by using your hearing aids at home only: When you’re at home, you have much more control over what you’re hearing, and you’ll probably experience considerably less noise pollution. This will help you focus on individual voices.
• At first, try to focus on one-on-one conversations: If you use your hearing aids while eating at a crowded restaurant on your first day you get them, you could be disappointed, not because the hearing aids are doing anything wrong. It’s just that it’s hard for your ear and brain to manage focusing on all those different voices. Sticking to one-on-one conversations can help make that transition easier (and give you a bit of extra practice, too).
• Use your hearing aids for a short period of time: When you’re just beginning, you can practice by using your hearing aids for only a few hours at a time. They might feel a little funny at first (this is normal), so it’s okay to start a little bit at a time. You can begin to wear your hearing aids for longer durations as you become accustomed to them.

Get added practice with these tips

There are some things you can do, as with any skill, that can help you with hearing aid practice. Some of these are even enjoyable!

• Simply practice hearing: That’s right: sit in a quiet space and let your ears do the hearing. You can practice by focusing on trying to hear the fridge running or the cat meowing in another room or the birds chirping outside.
• Watch TV with the closed-captions on: It’s easy: Turn the TV on, put your hearing aids in, and enjoy. Your brain will start to remember what certain words sound like when you read along with the voices you’re hearing. This type of practice will help you adjust to hearing speech again.
• Read along with the printed book while you listen to the audiobook.: This is a very similar exercise (and lets you get in some fun reading while you’re at it). Your brain will learn to make connections between sounds and words by using this read along strategy.

Tips to keep your hearing health up

Keeping your ears as healthy as you can, after all, is one of the main purposes of hearing aids. But, as you take some time to get used to your new hearing aids, there are a few things you can do that your ears will thank you for.:

• Keep visiting us: There might be a temptation to believe that once you have the right hearing aids, you won’t need to see us anymore. This would be a bad idea. We can help adjust your hearing aids, keep the fit comfortable, and continue to check in on your hearing. These follow up visits are very important.
• If you’re experiencing any pain, be sure you take note of it and tell us about it.: Your hearing aids shouldn’t be painful. So it’s important to report any problems with fit or any pain right away.

Go slow and increase your time as you get accustomed to your hearing aids

Your objective here will be to work your way up to using your hearing aids full time. Everyone’s different but the slow and steady approach often works best. Understanding the best ways to get comfortable with your new hearing aids is something we can assist you with.

These tips will help you live a more enjoyable and enriched life with your new hearing aids.

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