Adjusting to Life with Hearing Aids

Are your new hearing aids throwing you for a loop? Adjusting to having your hearing improve suddenly after a slow slide into hearing loss can be disconcerting. Take heart; you’ll adjust soon enough and love how you’re able to reconnect with the world around you once again.

At SLENT, with locations in Mandeville, Slidell, and Hammond, Louisiana, our otolaryngology specialists don’t just diagnose hearing loss, they also find the right hearing aids for you and help you make the transition back to being able to hear again with minimal discomfort.

It’s great to hear again… or is it?

The first few days with your new hearing aids can be a bit of a shock. Most people don’t realize how much hearing ability they’ve lost until they get it back. Don’t be discouraged if you feel a little unsettled at first. Your brain will relearn how to interpret signals, and most modern hearing aids can be regulated until they meet your needs for comfort and hearing acuity.

Adjusting to your hearing aids

When you first start with your new aids, you may get startled by loud noises a few times, but not to worry. This is just part of the adjustment period. If you’re in pain or getting loud screeching feedback, those could be signs of a problem with your hearing aid or how it was fitted. Otherwise, you can help the process along by following these tips:

Start off small

Start off by wearing your hearing aids for a few hours a day, in a quiet room so you can get used to small sounds being audible again. Listen for sounds like birds singing or traffic. Try reading along in the print version while listening to an audiobook or reading aloud to yourself. This helps you match words to sounds your brain knows.

Ask for help resetting noise levels in your home

You’ve probably had your television and alarms turned way up so you could hear them. Ask someone now to set your TV at a reasonable level of sound, and put the closed captioning on. That will allow you to relearn how to listen as well as follow along with the sound modulation of your new hearing aids.

Make a list and check it twice

Are certain noises really bothering you? Write them down, then look at the list after a day or two, and cross off ones that have receded into the background. Check your list again before your follow-up in our office. Anything that isn’t crossed off after the second check should be brought to our attention. 

Try not to fiddle with the volume

Hearing aids aren’t meant to make inaudible noises audible. In other words, don’t turn them up in order to try and hear something you likely wouldn’t have been able to hear before hearing loss anyway. A loud noise could cause damage to your ears. 

Reconnect with body language and facial expressions

The hardest part about hearing aids can be noise from various directions competing for attention. In a crowd, look at the person you’re talking to, watch their face and hands, and reteach your brain to connect their expressions with what they’re saying.  

Having trouble with your hearing aids? Don’t give up. Call our nearest location or book a consultation online today.