You’ve taken the steps toward treating your hearing loss by obtaining your first pair of hearing aids! Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to hearing aids than putting them on and instantly hearing perfectly. It can take a while to get used to this new device, as your brain must acclimate to the new stimuli and sounds. To help you muscle through the adjustment period, consider these five tips to get the most out of your new hearing aid.
Go to a Reputable Hearing Care Professional
Before doing anything else, you should schedule an appointment with a trustworthy hearing care professional to get the best hearing aid technology. A hearing specialist can assist you in finding the best hearing aid that matches your budget, lifestyle, and level of hearing loss. Hearing loss is like a fingerprint—everyone’s unique. Every hearing aid should be customized and programmed to your ear.
Give Your Hearing Aid a Chance
Like a new pair of boots, hearing aids need to be broken in a bit. With your hearing aid, you will hear sounds you haven’t heard in years, and you may find that your voice sounds funny or that sounds, in general, sound weird. This is normal.
Try making it a habit to wear your hearing aids as much as possible for the first month to allow yourself time to get used to the device. Put your hearing aids in as soon as you wake up and wear them throughout the day, even if it’s uncomfortable. If your hearing aids become too uncomfortable and you’re having a tough time adjusting, contact your hearing care professional to check that they are tuned correctly.
Adapt to Ambient Sounds at Home
Start small and work your way up to larger sounds. Try watching a movie or TV show with dynamic sounds or listening to music with varying instruments and pitches to get your ears used to more complex sounds. When you’ve mastered the everyday sounds at home, you can test the waters in social gatherings, movie theaters, or restaurants.
Learn How To Use the Other Features
As you start to get used to your hearing aids, you can begin to explore its other features. Your hearing specialists will help you learn more about how to get the most out of your hearing aids. Certain hearing aids allow users to do many things wirelessly to help maximize their usage. It’s important to ask your specialists about the different features of your hearing aid.
Take Great Care of Your Hearing Aids
It’s very important to take great care of your hearing aids through daily cleaning, proper storage, and regular charging. Your hearing specialist will show you all the appropriate ways to take care of your hearing aid; maintenance will soon become second nature. It is also helpful to have your hearing aids professionally cleaned once or twice a year to keep them functioning.
Get the most out of your hearing aids by working with our hearing specialists in Houston. Allergy and ENT Associates provides many services, from hearing aids to cochlear implant mapping. Contact us today at (713) 766-5934 to make an appointment with our auditory professionals and hearing specialists.
