Given time, hearing aids can genuinely change someone’s life for the better – but the key term is “given time”. For most people, hearing aids will require a process of adjustment, particularly if they have been living with untreated hearing loss for a long time.

Thankfully, the adjustment process is usually brief, and can be even better managed if you keep a few of the tips below in mind.

1. Keep a diary

Every time you use your hearing aids, write a quick diary entry that identifies both what went well and any issues you have experienced. Keeping a diary allows you to track your progress and helps to identify any problems that you may want to discuss at your next hearing health appointment.

2. Try your hearing aids in a quiet environment first

It’s usually best to try your hearing aids for the first time in your own home; turn off the TV or radio and focus primarily on listening to normal everyday sounds – such as traffic noise outside, or the hum of your air conditioner.

3. Keep usage periods brief

When you first start using your hearing aids, you may find the experience a little strange, both in terms of what you can hear and how the devices feel to wear. As a result, it is usually best to only wear your hearing aids for short periods of time to begin with – just a few hours to start with, and then gradually building up the length of usage as you begin to adjust. 

4. Talk to yourself while wearing your hearing aids

You may find that you find that your own voice sounds a little strange to you when you start using hearing aids. To overcome this, it can be helpful to talk to yourself whenever possible; you could, for example, narrate what you are doing as you do it (“I’m emptying the dishwasher…”) or read a book out loud.

5. Listen to familiar voices first

Often, people find that listening to familiar voices – such as the voices of close friends or family members – can help them to adjust to using hearing aids for the first time, especially in group settings. This will give you the opportunity to get used to following, and participating in, conversations.

6. Avoid increasing the volume

If the sounds you are hearing seem to be too faint, then it can be tempting to increase the volume yourself – but it is preferable to avoid doing so. If the volume of your hearing aids is too loud, then there is a chance that this could be detrimental to hearing. If you consistently feel that the volume of your hearing aid is too low, then discuss this with your audiologist.

For most people, the adjustment process is relatively straightforward, and they will quickly be able to use their hearing aids for long periods of time without any issues. However, if you do experience any difficulties with your hearing aids, then it is always worth discussing this with your audiologist to see if any changes or tweaks can be made to improve your usage experience.