Getting that first hearing aid can be overwhelming. The transition in your hearing is going to take time to adjust to, so it's important that you prepare yourself carefully for the change. It may take you a couple of weeks to really adapt to the hearing aid. The biggest challenge for many people is the fact that hearing aids don't restore your hearing to a condition that resembles natural hearing, they just amplify sound. Here are a few things you can do to help with the adjustment period.
Adapt Gradually
It may be tempting to put that new hearing aid in and go about your normal activities all day long. If you want to adjust to the way things sound, though, it's better to take things a little bit slower. Wear the hearing aid for a couple of hours, then take it out. Let your ear rest for a little while before putting it back in.
You may even find that it's easiest to sit in a quiet space when you put the hearing aid in the first time. That way, you can limit the noise you hear at first while you adjust to how it sounds to have the device in your ear. Once you've adjusted to how the ambient noise sounds, you can introduce other sounds.
This initial adjustment stage is a good time to adjust the volume on your hearing aid, too. You can use this time to make the ambient noise around you comfortable to hear. For example, try talking to yourself or reading a book aloud in a quiet space. That way, you'll hear your voice clearly and be able to identify how the hearing aid is amplifying noise. With that, you'll be able to adjust the volume so your voice is comfortable to hear.
Add Other Noises Progressively
As you start to adjust to the way that the hearing aid sounds, you can start working your way into other environments and adding other sounds. Start with one-on-one conversations in a fairly quiet room. Then, add background noise such as a television. Make sure you're well adjusted to these noises before you approach a truly noisy situation such as a restaurant or a party.
Always try to sit close to the person you're talking to and stay as far from the sources of background noise as possible. Focus clearly on the sounds ahead of you, tuning out other audio inputs that you don't really want to hear. It will take practice, but over time you'll become adept at tuning out those things that don't apply to your current discussion.
If you have concerns about your adjustment to a new hearing aid, you should talk with your audiologist. He or she can help you to understand what kind of adjustments are ahead and how you can make it easier. He or she will also provide you with clear instructions to take care of your hearing aid properly, which is essential for getting the most benefit from it. To learn more, contact a company like The Hearing Clinic.
Share25 January 2016
