Tanya is sitting with her hearing specialist, being measured for her very first set of hearing aids. And she’s experiencing a little anxiety. Not, you know, a ton of anxiety. But hearing aids are new to her, and she’s somewhat worried about how comfortable she’ll feel with a high tech gadget inside of her ear canal, particularly because she doesn’t really like earpods or earplugs.
Tanya’s concerns are not unusual. Many first-time hearing aid users have concerns about the general fit and comfort of their hearing aids. Tanya has every intention of wearing her hearing aids. She’s looking forward to hearing her son’s music and listening to her television at a level That won’t cause issues with the neighbors. But will those hearing aids be comfortable?
Adapting to Hearing Aids For The First Time
So, is wearing hearing aids uncomfortable? Put simply: some people find them to be a little bit uncomfortable when they first use them. As with many things in life, there’s an adjustment period, which means your initial level of comfort will fluctuate. But over time, you’ll become accustomed to the feeling of your hearing aids and become more comfortable.
Knowing that these adjustments are coming can help relieve some of the anxiety. Knowing what you should expect will help you get accustomed to your hearing aids in a sustainable, healthy, and comfortable way.
There are two stages to your adjustment:
- Adapting to the feeling of a hearing aid: There could be some minor physical discomfort when you first start wearing your hearing aid, and your hearing specialist might recommend you initially wear your hearing aids for only part of the day. Having said that, there shouldn’t be any pain involved. You should contact your hearing specialist if your hearing aid is causing pain.
If either the quality of sound or the physical placement of the hearing aids is bothering you, it’s important to speak to your hearing specialist about adjustments to help improve your overall comfort and quicken the adjustment period.
How Can I Enhance The Comfort of My Hearing Aids?
Over the years, luckily, there are a few techniques that have worked pretty well.
- Practice: Once you get your hearing aids, the world isn’t going to sound quite the same. Adapting to sound, specifically speech, could take some time. There are many practices (reading along with an audiobook or watching TV with the closed captions turned on) that can help you get the hang of this a little more quickly.
- Start slow: You don’t have to use your hearing aids 24/7 right away. You can start gradually and build up from there. Start by wearing your hearing aid for a couple to a few hours a day. Eventually, you will be wearing 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. It could take a number of appointments with your hearing specialist to get everything working and fitting just right. And for maximum comfort and effectiveness, you may want to consider a custom fit hearing aid.
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. Wearing them on a daily basis is critical to make that transition happen.
Before you know it, you’ll be thinking about is having good conversation with friends.