Tanya is being fitted for a new pair of hearing aids by her hearing specialist. And she’s experiencing a little anxiety. Her anxiety isn’t really that bad. But hearing aids are new to her, and she’s a little concerned that she will feel uncomfortable with a high tech gizmo inside of her ears, especially since she’s never been a big fan of earplugs or earbuds.
These worries are not only felt by Tanya. Fit and overall comfort are concerns for many first time hearing aid users. Tanya wants to use her hearing aid. Now she won’t need to turn up the television so loud that it irritates her family or even the neighbors. But how comfortable will those hearing aids be?
How to Adapt When You First Wear Your Hearing Aids
So, is wearing hearing aids uncomfortable? Simply put: some individuals find them to be a bit uncomfortable when they first use them. As with lots of things in life, there’s an adjustment time, which means your initial level of comfort will vary. But you will get more comfortable over time as you become used to your hearing aids.
Recognizing that these adjustments are coming can help alleviate some of the concerns. Knowing what you should expect will help your adjustment period be smoother.
There are two steps to your adjustment:
- Adjusting to how your hearing aid feels: Your hearing specialist might suggest that you begin slowly wearing your hearing aids so you can take some time to become accustomed to how the device feels in your ear. That being said, there shouldn’t be any pain involved. If you’re feeling pain because of your hearing aid, you should certainly speak with your hearing specialist as soon as possible.
In order to enhance your overall 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.
Can I Make my Hearing Aids More Comfortable?
Thankfully, there are a few strategies that have proven to be quite successful over the years.
- Get the right fit: Fitting your ears properly is what hearing aids are designed to do. You’ll definitely want to discuss your fit with your hearing specialist right away but you’ll also want to see your hearing specialist for follow-up fittings to make certain everything is working properly and the fit is excellent. You might also want to consider a custom fit hearing aid for maximum effectiveness and comfort.
- Practice: Once have your hearing aids, the world isn’t going to sound quite the same. And it might take a while for your ears to adjust, particularly when it comes to the spoken word. In order to get the hang of it more quickly, there are lots of exercises you can do like watching a movie with caption or reading along with an audiobook.
- Start slow: If you’re breaking in your first pair of hearing aids, you shouldn’t feel as though you need to wear them all day, every day right off the bat. You can start gradually and build up from there. From one to four hours per day is a good way to start. That said, you’ll want to work up to using your hearing aids all day, but you don’t have to start there.
You’re Hearing Aids Can be More Comfortable
Your hearing aids might feel a little uncomfortable for the first few days or weeks. But the faster you adjust to your new hearing aids, the faster they’ll become a comfortable part of your day to day life. 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.