Tanya is visiting her hearing specialist, being fitted for her very first set of hearing aids. And it’s causing her some anxiety. Not, you know, a lot of anxiety. But hearing aids are new to her, and she’s somewhat worried that she will be uncomfortable with a high tech gizmo inside of her ears, particularly since she’s never been a big fan of earbuds or earplugs.
These concerns are not only felt by Tanya. Fit and overall comfort are concerns for many first time hearing aid users. Tanya has every intention of wearing her hearing aids. Now she won’t need to turn up the TV so loud that it disturbs her family or even the neighbors. But will those hearing aids be fit her ears comfortably?
Adjusting 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 at first. Initial levels of comfort will vary because, like many things in life, there’s a period of adjustment. But after a while, you’ll become accustomed to the feeling of your hearing aids and become more comfortable.
Sometimes it’s just nice to recognize that these adjustments are coming. Knowing what you should expect can help you acclimate to your hearing aids in a sustainable, healthy, and comfortable way.
There are two steps to your adjustment:
- Becoming accustomed to a hearing aid in your ear: There may be some slight physical discomfort when you first begin to wear your hearing aid, and your hearing specialist may suggest you initially wear your hearing aids for only part of the day. However, there shouldn’t be any pain involved. You should contact your hearing specialist if your hearing aid is causing pain.
In order to improve your general comfort and quicken the adjustment period, speak to your hearing specialist if you are having trouble with the physical placement or sound quality of your hearing aids.
Can I Make my Hearing Aids More Comfortable?
Over the years, fortunately, 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 a while. There are many techniques (reading along with an audiobook or watching your favorite movie with the closed captions on) that can help you get the hang of this a little more quickly.
- Start slow: You don’t need 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 good way to begin. That said, you’ll want to build up to wearing your hearing aids all day, but you don’t have to begin there.
- 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 may also want to think about a custom fit hearing aid for maximum effectiveness and comfort.
Making Your Hearing Aids More Comfortable
For the first few days or weeks, there might be some discomfort with your hearing aids. But the more quickly you adjust to your new hearing aids, the faster they’ll become a comfortable part of your everyday life. Wearing them every day is critical to make that transition happen.
Before long all you will have to think about is what you hear, not how you hear it.