Why Does it Matter if You Wear Your Hearing Aids

Woman wearing hearing aids enjoys a hike with friends.

So, it’s not very often that you wear your hearing aids? Most of the time you leave them in the drawer unless you’re, for example, going to a party or to the theater. Is it really important to use them more often than that?

Over the long term, you make trouble for yourself if you’re not using your hearing aids regularly and that’s an issue. You could permanently injure your hearing. Social isolation and cognitive decline could be the result. Your general health could be jeopardized. So, if you aren’t wearing your hearing aids, you should certainly be reading this.

Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in

If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you likely have an excuse. You might have decided to keep those reasons to yourself. Perhaps you evade the questions from your family when they ask why you’re not wearing them.

Certainly, though, there’s more to the story than that. Normally, there’s a particular reason why you’re not using your hearing aids. And there’s also a very exact solution to your issue.

Some of the most frequent problems include the examples below;

“My Hearing Aids Aren’t Very Comfortable”

One of the most frequently cited reasons that individuals discontinue wearing their hearing aids regularly is discomfort. Maybe the hearing aid keeps falling out of your ear. Or perhaps your over-the-ear model irritates just the wrong spot, causing pain and tenderness.

Hearing aids aren’t intended to be unpleasant, so if they’re creating irritation of any kind, something is surely not right. And it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to wear a piece of technology that causes soreness, pain, or frustration.

Possible solution: If your hearing aids are uncomfortable, a follow-up fitting session is something you should consider. It’s quite feasible that the way your hearing aid fits simply requires a few quick alterations. Some models can even be entirely customized to the shape and size of your ears. You will be able to leave your hearing aid in longer if it fits well and is comfortable.

My Hearing Aid Has Poor Sound Quality

Perhaps you don’t wear your hearing aids very often because you find the sound to be fuzzy or tinny. If that’s the circumstance, it’s not shocking that you’ve decided to stow your hearing aids in your nightstand drawer and save them for “special occasions”.”

This tinny or fuzzy sound can happen because hearing aids are carrying out complex auditory processes all the time, amplifying some sounds while filtering out others. So the sound quality may seem hard to rely on if your settings aren’t correctly adjusted.

Solution: There are two possible answers to this difficulty: calibration and upkeep. Your hearing aids may be broken in some way or another and require repairing. But it might be possible that they just need a simple calibration (generally this is something your hearing specialist can do for you).

When I Wear my Hearing Aid Voices Are Muffled

You want to hear voices clearly. That’s the overall reason why you purchased hearing aids to begin with! You wanted to be sure you didn’t miss any important conversations. So it might be a bit frustrating if all the voices you hear when your wearing you’re hearing aid are muffled or difficult to understand.

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

Solution: Practice. Your brain will need to get used to hearing language again, so anything you can do to help provide some repetition will help. Try reading along with closed caption while watching your favorite tv show or along with an audiobook. Just having more discussions with the people around you is a great way to practice, too.

Getting Solutions

You can find an answer regardless of why you’re not using your hearing aid. And you need to wear your hearing aid routinely in order to protect your cognitive health and the well being of your hearing.

So if you’re not wearing your hearing aids? Identify the issue and find a solution, so you can help your hearing aids, and everything that they help you hear, part of your daily life. If you believe your hearing aids need adjustment, get in touch with your hearing care specialist as soon as possible.

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.