Why Does it Matter if You Wear Your Hearing Aids

Woman wearing hearing aids enjoys a hike with friends.

So you don’t use your hearing aids regularly? Maybe you put them in when you go to a party or go to the theater, but in most cases, you leave them in your drawer. Is it really necessary to wear them more regularly than that?

The issue is that when you don’t use your hearing aids regularly, you’re developing some troubling disadvantages for yourself over time. Your hearing may get significantly worse. You could have problems with cognitive decline or social isolation. Your general health may be jeopardized. This article will help you comprehend why you should be using your hearing aids.

Why Aren’t You Wearing Your Hearing Aid?

You most likely have a good reason for keeping your hearing aids in a somewhere in a drawer. You might have decided to keep those reasons to yourself. Perhaps you evade the questions from your family when they ask why you don’t wear them.

Stilted dialogue aside, 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 irregular hearing aid use. And there’s also a very specific solution to your issue.

Here are some of the most common issues;

“My Hearing Aids Don’t Feel Comfortable”

Discomfort is one of the most frequently reported reasons for people not using their hearing aids. Maybe the hearing aid keeps falling out of your ear. Or maybe tenderness and pain are happening in just the wrong spot with your over-the-ear model.

Hearing aids aren’t supposed to be uncomfortable, so if they’re causing discomfort of any sort, something is surely not right. And frustration, pain and soreness are not things you would wish from any piece of technology.

Possible solution: If your hearing aids are uncomfortable, a follow-up fitting session is something you should consider. A few little adjustments may be all your hearing aid needs. Some models can even be completely personalized to the size and shape of your ears. 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

It’s possible you don’t use your hearing aids very often because you find the sound to be tinny or fuzzy. It’s not shocking that you have decided to put away your hearing aids for a special occasion, if that’s the situation.”

This tinny or fuzzy sound can happen because hearing aids are carrying out complicated auditory functions at all times, filtering out some sounds while trying to amplify others. So the sound quality might seem hard to rely on if your settings aren’t properly adjusted.

Solution: This difficulty has two potential answer: calibration and maintenance. Your hearing aids could be broken in some form or another and need to be
repaired. But your hearing specialist can do a simple calibration which is all that your hearing aids might require.

Voices Are Muffled With my Hearing Aids

When you hear people talking, you want to be capable of hearing them clearly. When you first got hearing aids that was the whole point! You needed to be sure you didn’t miss any important interactions. So it might be a little bit discouraging if all the voices you hear with you’re hearing aid are muffled or hard to understand.

Because your brain and ears aren’t communicating effectively anymore, this issue commonly occurs when you first get your hearing aids.

The Remedy: Practice. Understanding conversations is something your brain will have to become accustomed to, 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 you watch tv. Just having more discussions with the people around you is a great way to practice, as well.

Getting Solutions

The point is regardless of what your justification for not wearing your hearing aids might, there is an answer somewhere. And it is vital, both for the health of your hearing and your cognitive fitness, that you use your hearing aids routinely.

So if you’re not wearing your hearing aids? After pinpointing the issue, find a solution, so you can get involved in your life again. If you suspect your hearing aids need adjustment, get in touch with your hearing care professional now.

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.