Tanya is visiting her hearing specialist, being fitted for her very first set of hearing aids. And she’s experiencing a little anxiety. Her anxiety isn’t really that bad. But she’s never used hearing aids before, and she’s somewhat concerned about how comfortable she’ll feel with a high tech gizmo inside of her ears, particularly since she’s never been a huge fan of earbuds or earplugs.
Tanya’s worries are not unique. Fit and overall comfort are concerns for many new hearing aid users. Tanya wants to wear her hearing aid. She’s anticipating hearing her son’s music and listening to her TV at a level not likely to cause issues with the neighbors. But how comfortable are those hearing aids going to be?
How to Adjust When You First Use Your Hearing Aids
So, are hearing aids uncomfortable? Put simply: some individuals experience them as a little uncomfortable when they first use them. Early levels of comfort will vary because, like many things in life, there’s a period of adjustment. But you will get more comfortable in time as you become acquainted with your hearing aids.
Recognizing that these adjustments are coming can help ease some of the concerns. Knowing what you should expect will help your adjustment period be smoother.
There are two phases to your adjustment:
- Becoming accustomed to a hearing aid in your ear: Your hearing specialist may recommend that you start off slowly wearing your hearing aids so you can take some time to get 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 absolutely speak with your hearing specialist as soon as possible.
In order to better your overall comfort and quicken the adjustment period, speak with your hearing specialist if you are experiencing trouble with the physical placement or sound quality of your hearing aids.
How Can I Improve The Comfort of My Hearing Aids?
Thankfully, there are a few techniques that have proven to be rather successful over the years.
- Practice: The world may sound quite a bit different once you get your hearing aids. And it might take some time for your ears to adapt, particularly when it comes to the spoken word. There are many techniques (reading along with an audiobook or watching your favorite movie with the closed captions turned on) that can help you get the hang of this a little more quickly.
- Get the right fit: Fitting your ears properly is what hearing aids are designed to do. It might take a few consultations with your hearing specialist to get everything working and just the right fit. You might also want to consider a custom fit hearing aid for maximum effectiveness and comfort.
- Start slow: If you’re breaking in your first pair of hearing aids, you shouldn’t feel like you have to wear them all day, every day right away. You can gradually work your way up to it. From one to four hours every day is a good way to begin. That said, you’ll want to work up to using your hearing aids all day, but you don’t have to begin there.
Making Your Hearing Aids 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 everyday life. Wearing them on a daily basis is crucial to make that transition happen.
Before long all you will have to consider is what you hear, not how you hear it.