What You Should Know About Your First Hearing Aid: 10 Tips

Your first weeks with hearing aids are an adjustment period, not a verdict. Sounds will seem louder and stranger at first because your brain is relearning them, and most people feel comfortable within three to four weeks of regular wear.

People who treat their hearing loss wait an average of nine years after diagnosis to get their first hearing aid, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America. After that long, the world can sound very different once you can hear it again. These tips will help you through the first few weeks.

1. Wear Both Hearing Aids at the Same Time

If you were fitted for two hearing aids, wear both together. Your brain uses the sound from both ears to judge where sounds are coming from and to separate speech from noise. Wearing only one gives it half the information.

2. Expect to Hear Sounds You Forgot About

Some sounds will be unfamiliar at first. The last time you heard your car dinging with the keys in the ignition, the hum of the refrigerator, or your own footsteps may have been years ago. The world may seem noisier than you remember. That's a normal part of adjusting, and it fades as your brain learns to tune out what doesn't matter.

3. Take Them Out at Night and Before You Shower

Take your hearing aids out every night and before showering or swimming. Once you're used to them, they'll start to feel like part of you, and it's easy to forget you're wearing them. If they're rechargeable, putting them in the charger at night is a good habit to build.

4. Give Your Hearing Aids a "Home Base"

Pick one spot where your hearing aids always go when they're not in your ears: a case on your nightstand, the charger, a dish by the sink. Hearing aids get lost when they're set down in a different place each time.

5. Build Up to Wearing Them All Day

Wear your hearing aids regularly, even when it feels like a lot. The NIDCD advises new users to wear their hearing aids regularly to get used to them. Start with a few hours a day if you need to, and add time each day. Consistent wear is how your brain adapts. Try them in different places, like at home, outside, and in a restaurant, and use your hearing aids' programs (such as outdoor, party, or conversation settings) to see what works best in each.

6. Give the Volume Time to Settle

There's a learning curve with volume, so don't get frustrated if the balance seems off at first. If you used to keep the TV at full blast, you'll find a new normal. Some sounds may come through louder than you'd like and be distracting early on. That's normal too.

7. Get Used to the Sound of Your Own Voice

The sound of your own voice may be the biggest change. Hearing aids pick up your voice along with everything else, and if the dome or earmold closes off your ear canal, your voice can sound boomy or hollow, as if you're talking with your fingers in your ears. Most people adjust to it quickly. If it still bothers you after a week or two, ask about switching to a more open dome.

8. Know When Your Battery Needs Changing (or Charging)

If your hearing aids use disposable batteries, how long each one lasts depends on its size:

Battery size	Typical life
10	3 to 7 days
312	3 to 10 days
13	6 to 14 days
675	9 to 20 days

Learn your hearing aid's low-battery signal. Many will ding or beep in a particular way when it's time for a change. If your hearing aids are rechargeable, charge them every night and you won't have to think about it. Here's more on how long hearing aid batteries last.

9. Ask for Help if Something Feels Off

Talk to your product specialist or audiologist about any setting that doesn't feel right. They can walk you through your hearing aids' settings and adjust them so you hear well in more situations. Early complaints like a plugged-up feeling, whistling, or too much background noise are common, and most can be fixed with a small adjustment.

You should feel comfortable within three to four weeks. If you don't, contact a professional. With Audicus, you have a 100-day trial and ongoing support from licensed audiologists, so there's time to get it right. You can also adjust many settings yourself, such as volume and listening programs, from your hearing aid's app. The Audicus support center has manuals and how-to videos for each model.

10. Be Proud of Your Hearing Aids

Be proud of your hearing aids. They help you stay part of the conversation and hear the world around you. For encouragement from people who've been there, read one Audicus customer's first-hearing-aid story.

Be patient with yourself. Your first hearing aids are meant to help you, and the strangeness of the first few weeks is the sign they're working.