How Long Will It Take for Me to Adjust to Wearing Hearing Aids?

January 22, 2019

Living with hearing impairment can really lower your quality of life, which is why so many people turn to hearing aids in Waterloo, IA and elsewhere. However, though these incredible devices can change someone with hearing impairment’s relationship with the world, it can take some time to get used to the technology, both how they feel and how they work.

Living with hearing aids does come with a learning curve, but a lot of the newer versions—like the Phonak Marvel™—are getting easier and easier to work with. From its amazing sound quality to connectivity and the rechargeable model, the Marvel could be the solution you’re looking for. Still, no matter what hearing aid you have, there are some basic tips for helping yourself through the adjustment period:

Accepting your hearing impairment: It may sound odd, but before you can adjust to hearing aids, you need to at first accept that you need them. Many people spend years denying that they can’t hear, and it’s a big step to simply say “yes” to hearing aids, get fitted and purchase them.
Having realistic expectations: Once you’ve committed to hearing aids by investing in them, you might think that you can throw them on and everything will click into place. The truth is that your brain has slowly gotten used to not hearing certain sounds. The hearing aid will bring back all those sounds quickly, which sometimes leads to auditory confusion. Your brain will likely have trouble processing all the sounds. As you approach this adjustment period, you will need to be kind to yourself and understand that it takes some time for the brain to relearn its role in translating the signals it receives into noise.
Putting in the practice time: Though it can be tiring to wear hearing aids initially, it’s important to give your brain time to work its muscles and acclimate. The only way you can do this is by wearing the hearing aids as much as possible in the beginning of your readjustment period. This way, you’ll get better at recognizing sounds and filtering out background noise from other sounds.
Resting when you need it: This tip may at first seem to contradict the previous one. Yes, it’s important to give yourself time to practice hearing all these new sounds, but you also need to be able to take a break every once in a while to prevent exhaustion. Adjusting to the hearing aids is a marathon, not a sprint, so make sure to practice self-care and know when to set them aside.

Life with hearing aids will definitely be better than life without, but it’s a process. To find out about which brand of hearing aids in Waterloo, IA will be right for you, look no further than Potter’s Hearing Aid Service. Just listen to what some people have had to say about their experience with the revolutionary Phonak Marvel™ hearing aid!

“I demonstrated Marvel for a gentleman yesterday who admits to not being very tech-savvy and wants something that sounds great but very easy to use. He was floored! He couldn’t believe how good the phone calls, streaming, etc. sounded and how easy it was to use!” — Libby, Washington

“Wow — Marvel was SO easy to pair! I didn’t have to go to accessibility settings or anything.” — Hector, North Carolina

With over 30 years of experience, the team at Potter’s Hearing Aid Service has the knowledge and expertise to help you choose the right hearing aids, fit them properly and work with you whenever you have a problem. Call today to find out more!