Tanya is being fitted for a new pair of hearing aids by her hearing specialist. And it’s causing her some level anxiety. Not, you know, a ton of anxiety. But she’s never had to use hearing aids before, and she’s somewhat concerned about how comfortable she’ll feel with a high tech gadget sitting in her ear canal, especially because she’s not a big fan of earpods or earplugs.
These concerns are not only felt by Tanya. Fit and overall comfort are worries for many first time hearing aid users. Tanya wants to wear her hearing aid. Now she won’t need to crank up the television so loud that it bothers her family or even her neighbors. But how comfortable are those hearing aids going to be?
Adapting to Hearing Aids For The First Time
So, are hearing aids uncomfortable? The short response is: some individuals experience them as a little bit uncomfortable when they first wear them. As with lots of things in life, there’s an adjustment period, meaning your early level of comfort will vary. But in time, you’ll become accustomed to the feeling of your hearing aids and become more comfortable.
Recognizing that these adjustments will occur can help relieve some of the anxiety. Knowing what to expect can help you get accustomed to your hearing aids in a healthy, sustainable, and comfortable way.
There are two phases to your adjustment:
In order to enhance your overall comfort and speed up the adjustment period, speak to your hearing specialist if you are having 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 methods that have proven to be fairly successful over the years.
- Practice: Once you get your hearing aids, the world won’t sound quite the same. And it may take a while for your ears to adjust, particularly when it comes to speech. There are many practices (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 faster.
- Start slow: You don’t have to wear your hearing aids every day from morning till night when you first get them. You can take your time and work your way up to it. 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: Fitting your ears well is what hearing aids are made to do. You’ll absolutely want to discuss your fit with your hearing specialist right off the bat, but you’ll also want to consult your hearing specialist for follow-up fittings to be certain everything is working correctly and the fit is excellent. You may also want to think about a custom fit hearing aid for optimal effectiveness and comfort.
You’re Hearing Aids Can be More Comfortable
For the first few days or weeks, there may be some discomfort with your hearing aids. But the faster you adjust to your new hearing aids, the faster they’ll become a comfortable part of your day to day life. In order to really make that transition, it’s crucial that you wear them every day.
Soon all you will have to think about is what you hear, not how you hear it.
