So, it’s not very often that you wear 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 your drawer. Do you actually need to use them more often than that?
The problem is that when you don’t use your hearing aids on a regular basis, you’re creating some troubling disadvantages for yourself over the long term. You could harm your hearing permanently. Cognitive decline and social isolation could be the consequences. You may compromise your overall health. So, if you aren’t wearing your hearing aids, you should certainly pay attention to this.
Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in
If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you probably have an excuse. Sure, maybe you haven’t really been honest about what those reasons are. Maybe, when your family asks, you may even say something generic and elusive, such as, “I just don’t like them”.
Certainly, though, there’s more to it than that. Usually, there’s a specific reason why you’re not using your hearing aids. Specific issues are positive because they create an opportunity to find an equally specific remedy.
Some of the most common complaints consist of the following;
“My Hearing Aids Don’t Feel Comfortable”
Discomfort is one of the most commonly reported reasons for people not wearing their hearing aids. Maybe the hearing aid won’t stop falling out of your ear. Or perhaps tenderness and pain 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 causing discomfort of any kind, something is definitely not right. And frustration, pain and soreness are not things you would desire from any piece of technology.
Possible solution: If your hearing aids are not comfortable, a follow-up fitting appointment is something you should think about. It’s completely feasible that the way your hearing aid fits simply needs a couple of quick alterations. The size and shape of your ear can even be the foundation of an entire customization of some models. The more comfortable your hearing aid fits, the more likely you are to keep it in place for long periods of time.
My Hearing Aid Has Poor Sound Quality
It’s possible you don’t wear your hearing aids regularly because you experiencing the sound to be fuzzy or tinny. It’s not shocking that you’ve decided to put your hearing aids away for a special occasion, if that’s the case.”
This tinny or fuzzy sound can happen because hearing aids are carrying out complicated auditory functions at all times, amplifying some sounds while filtering out others. So if your settings aren’t correctly adjusted, the sound quality may seem unreliable.
Solution: This problem has two potential answer: maintenance and calibration. Your hearing aids could be broken in some form or another and need to be
repaired. But your hearing specialist can do a quick calibration which is all your hearing aids might need.
When I Wear my Hearing Aid Voices Seem Muffled
You want to hear voices clearly. When you first purchased hearing aids that was the whole point! You didn’t want to miss a single word. So it may be a little bit discouraging if all the voices you hear when your wearing you’re hearing aid sound muffled or hard to comprehend.
This usually happens when you first get your hearing aids because your ears and brain aren’t necessarily used to communicating all that well anymore (it’s as if they had a falling out or something).
Solution: Keep practicing. Your brain is going to have to become accustomed to hearing language again, so whatever you can do to get some repetition will help. Try reading along to an audiobook or reading along with the closed captioning while watching NCIS. Another way to get some positive practice is simply by having discussions with people around you.
Getting Answers
The point is that no matter what your justification for not wearing your hearing aids might, there is a solution somewhere. And you need to use your hearing aid regularly in order to safeguard your cognitive health and the well being of your hearing.
So if you’re not wearing your hearing aids? After determining the problem, find a solution, so you can make your hearing aids, and everything that they help you hear, part of your daily life. If you suspect your hearing aids require adjustment, get in touch with your hearing care specialist as soon as possible.