As we say, it’s a whole new world with hearing aids, and we’re thrilled that you’ve started your hearing loss treatment journey. Like any long-term medical treatment, however, it will have a bit of an adjustment period. It’s important to discuss this adjustment period, not so you’re anxious about what’s to come, but so you can be patient and realistic about what you may experience over the next few weeks as you adjust to your new devices.
Why Hearing Aids Need an Adjustment Period
Our ears collect sound information, encode it into electrical signals and send them to the brain for processing. The auditory complex of the brain is responsible for filtering, identifying and perceiving sound. When you have hearing loss, the cells in the ear that are responsible for sending signals to the brain are no longer functioning properly, and as a result, the auditory complex grows accustomed to the diminished workload and, like any other unused muscle, gets out of shape.
When you start wearing hearing aids, the auditory complex suddenly receives a lot more sound information than it was previously used to. This is great! But it will overwhelm the auditory complex. Going back to the “out of shape” comparison, putting hearing aids in is like taking the auditory complex to the gym for the first time; it’s going to tire out quickly and be sore the next day. The more you wear your hearing aids, the more you “work out” your auditory complex and whip it back into shape.
The First Week
So let’s get into what you can expect in the first few weeks of wearing your new hearing aids. At first, the new levels of sound are going to be overwhelming, and you might think that the noises around you seem too loud or “tinny.” This is how it will feel to get reacquainted with how things sound, and how they sound through hearing aids.
Background noise, in particular, is going to seem loud. One of the jobs of the auditory complex is to filter out background noise, noise that you don’t need to perceive in order to be active and participate in your environment. These are sounds like the refrigerator humming, or even your own voice. Now that you’re hearing background noise again, the auditory complex will need to relearn what sounds are background noise and can be safely filtered out.
You’ll also probably experience mental fatigue, feeling extra tired at the end of the day and having difficulty concentrating. This is a normal phenomenon known as listening fatigue. Mental energy is not an infinite resource; as your brain works harder to process sound, it’s going to tire out quicker, leading to fatigue.
The Second Week
Your second week with hearing aids will feel much like the first, but hopefully you’ve increased the amount of time you wear them daily and are working your way up toward acclimation. We challenge you to wear them for one hour longer each day than you did the day before.
You may notice a decrease in that “tinny” effect at this point as you become more used to high-pitched sounds. Noisy settings, such as crowded restaurants, are probably still pretty overwhelming in the second week, so be gentle with yourself if you feel extra tired or even irritable after a delicious dinner at Silver Street Tavern.
The Third Week
Hopefully you’re feeling more comfortable at this stage! Listening fatigue is not gone, but you should be wearing your hearing aids for most of the day, if not all day, and even with that increase, you notice less listening fatigue.
This is a great opportunity to start experimenting with the volume and settings on your hearing aids. Find out what works best in each environment, and what doesn’t work. If you have any questions about adjusting settings, give us a call!
The Fourth Week
Usually, new hearing aid users feel fully accustomed to their devices at the four-week mark, and we hope you’ll notice the same. The trick is to wear them consistently and be patient with yourself through the adjustment period. Now, you should really be noticing the improvements in your hearing, relearning sounds you’d forgotten and feeling more confident in social settings.
If you have any questions during the adjustment period, don’t hesitate to call your audiologist at Waterville Audiology. We will schedule regular follow-up appointments with you so we’re available to guide you through adjusting, but you can always call us in between appointments as well. Remember that we’re your partners on your hearing loss treatment journey.