So, it’s not very often that you use your hearing aids? Maybe you put them in when you go to a party or go to the theater, but otherwise, you leave them in the drawer. Is it actually important to wear them more regularly than that?
The concern is that when you don’t use your hearing aids regularly, you’re developing some troubling shortcomings for yourself over the long term. Your hearing may get considerably worse. Cognitive decline and social isolation could be the result. You might compromise your general health. So, if you’re not wearing your hearing aids, you should certainly be reading this.
Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in
You likely have a good excuse for keeping your hearing aids in a drawer somewhere. You might have decided to keep those reasons to yourself. Maybe, when your family questions you, you might even say something generic and evasive, like, “I just don’t like them”.
Stilted dialogue to the side, we know that’s not the complete story, right? If you go a little deeper, you’ll likely find that there’s a specific grievance at the heart of your infrequent hearing aid use. And there’s also a very specific solution to your problem.
Some of the most common complaints include the examples below;
“My Hearing Aids Don’t Feel Comfortable”
One of the most commonly cited reasons that people stop wearing their hearing aids normally is discomfort. Perhaps the hearing aid won’t stop falling out of your ear. Or perhaps pain and tenderness are developing in just the wrong spot with your over-the-ear model.
It’s not supposed to be uncomfortable to use hearing aids, so if they’re creating discomfort of any kind, something is surely not right. And it’s logical that you wouldn’t want to use a piece of technology that causes soreness, pain, or frustration.
Possible solution: If your hearing aids are not comfortable, a follow-up fitting session is something you should consider. It’s entirely possible that the way your hearing aid fits just needs a couple of quick adjustments. The size and shape of your ear can even be the basis of an entire customization of some designs. You will be capable of leaving your hearing aid in longer if it fits properly and is comfortable.
My Hearing Aid Has Poor Sound Quality
Perhaps you find the sound of your hearing aid to be too fuzzy or tinny so you don’t use them that often. It’s not shocking that you’ve decided to put your hearing aids away for a special occasion, if that’s the situation.”
This fuzzy or tinny sound can happen because hearing aids are doing complicated auditory functions at all times, amplifying some sounds while filtering out others. So the sound quality might seem hard to rely on if your settings aren’t properly tweaked.
Solution: There are two potential answers to this difficulty: calibration and upkeep. Your hearing aids could be broken in some form or another and need to be
repaired. But your hearing specialist can do a basic calibration which is all your hearing aids might need.
When I Wear My Hearing Aid, Voices Seem Muffled
When you hear people talking, you want to be able to hear them with clarity. When you first bought hearing aids that was the whole point! You needed to be certain you didn’t miss any important discussions. So if all the voices you hear are difficult to understand and are muffled it might be a little bit annoying.
This usually occurs when you first buy your hearing aids because your brain and ears aren’t necessarily used to communicating very well anymore (it’s like they had a disagreement or something).
Solution: Keep practicing. Your brain will need to become accustomed to hearing language again, so putting yourself in situations where you can hear people conversing regularly will be helpful. Try reading along to an audiobook or reading along with the closed captioning while you watch NCIS. Just having more conversations with the people who are around you is a perfect way to practice, as well.
Finding Answers
You can discover a solution no matter what the reason you’re not wearing your hearing aid. And you need to use your hearing aid consistently in order to protect your cognitive health and the well being of your hearing.
So if your hearing aids don’t seem to be working perfectly for you? After identifying the issue, find a solution, so you can make your hearing aids, and everything that they help you hear, part of your everyday life. If you suspect your hearing aids need adjustment, get in touch with your hearing care expert now.