You get your new hearing aids, everything is clearer, and things are louder, but man, does your own voice sound weird! This is a common experience with new hearing aid users. I promise it gets better. Those first few weeks after you get aids are a significant adjustment period. Not just because they are new to put on each morning but because your brain is adjusting too. This blog will discuss what to expect when hearing during those first two weeks with your new hearing aids. Here we go!

Am I hearing too much?

Hearing aids are excellent tools to provide tailored amplification and speech clarity for those with a loss. They help you hear what you’ve been missing. At first, certain sounds might feel overwhelming, but they are totally normal. There is an adjustment period that comes with hearing aids. Things like the furnace coming on, how your clothes move, road noise, etc., may seem extra loud or distracting. This is because your ears and brain are hearing them for the first time again. Hearing loss means the full array of sound is not transferred from your ears to the brain. After some time, the brain forgets how things sound. When sound input is reintroduced through hearing aids, it takes a little bit of time to make sense of all those sounds. After a few days to about a week, those things should fade into the background and sound more natural.

Tips and Tricks

Start small! Try to wear your hearing aids all day, but it’s okay if you need to take breaks or start with only a few hours a day.

Your own voice sounds weird. Try reading out loud. The more your brain hears sounds again, the sooner it becomes more natural.

Background noise feels overwhelming. For the first week, wear the aids in calmer environments with more one-on-one conversations and build up from there.

Environmental noise is distracting. Totally normal! Since you haven’t heard those sounds for some time, they distract your brain. Over the next few days, your brain will categorize them again as normal environmental sounds, and they won’t seem as loud.

Noisy environments are still likely to be difficult (they are for us without hearing loss too). But you can practice using additional strategies to enhance your listening environment, such as picking a corner table at a restaurant or sitting in a less crowded section at the arena. More tips for noisy environments here.

You may experience some itchiness or soreness as your ears get used to something in the canal. This should dissipate after the first few days. If the soreness continues or gets worse, let your clinic know asap.

Beyond the first month

While the first two weeks are usually the biggest adjustment period, it can take up to a month for things to feel ‘normal’. However, after those two weeks, follow up with your practitioner if certain sounds still don’t sound right. Adjustments can be made to help.
Attending your follow-up appointments is vital for this reason. These appointments allow the practitioner to check the fit and function of the hearing aids to ensure that you get the best possible fit that is clear and comfortable.

Remember, hearing aids aren’t always a quick fix; it can sometimes take some time to adjust. But when you’re ears and brain are back in communication, the benefits are wonderful!

For more information or general questions, please give us a call!