Tanya is being measured for a new set of hearing aids by her hearing specialist. And it’s causing her some level anxiety. Her anxiety isn’t actually that bad. But hearing aids are new to her, and she’s a little concerned that she will be uncomfortable with a high tech gadget sitting in her ear canal, particularly because she’s not a big fan of earpods or earplugs.
These worries are not unique to Tanya. Fit and overall comfort are worries for many first time hearing aid users. Tanya has every intention of wearing her hearing aids. She’s anticipating hearing her son’s jokes and listening to her TV at a volume That won’t cause issues with the neighbors. But how comfortable are those hearing aids going to be?
Adapting to Hearing Aids For The First Time
So, is wearing hearing aids uncomfortable? Put simply: some people experience them as a bit uncomfortable at first. As with lots of things in life, there’s an adjustment period, meaning your initial level of comfort will fluctuate. But you will get more comfortable in time as you get used to your hearing aids.
Knowing that these adjustments will happen can help relieve some of the stress. Knowing what to expect can help you get accustomed to your hearing aids in a healthy, sustainable, and comfortable way.
There are two stages to your adjustment:
In order to enhance your general comfort and quicken the adjustment period, talk to your hearing specialist if you’re having trouble with the physical positioning or sound quality of your hearing aids.
How Can I Increase The Comfort of My Hearing Aids?
Luckily, there are a few techniques that have proven to be quite effective over the years.
- Start slow: You don’t have to wear your hearing aids every day from morning till night at first. You can build up to that. From one to four hours per day is a great way to begin. Inevitably, you will be using your hearing aids all day, when you become comfortable with them.
- Get the right fit: Hearing aids are made to fit your ears well. It may take several appointments with your hearing specialist to get everything working and fitting just right. And for optimal comfort and effectiveness, you might want to consider a custom fit hearing aid.
- Practice: Once have your hearing aids, the world isn’t going to sound quite the same. And it might take some time for your ears to adjust, particularly when it comes to speech. In order to get the hang of it a little more quickly, there are a number of practices you can do including watching a movie with caption or reading along with an audiobook.
You’re Hearing Aids Can be More Comfortable
Your hearing aids might feel a little awkward for the first few days or weeks. Before long you’re hearing aids will be a comfortable part of your daily life and the sooner you make the adjustments, the sooner this will occur. Wearing them every day is essential to make that transition work.
Soon all you will have to think about is what you hear, not how you hear it.
