It takes some time to become used to wearing hearing aids, especially if you’ve never had them before. There is a process to finding the best hearing aids to improve your hearing and compliment your lifestyle, and it’s important to think about how you can get the most from your hearing aids. These tips will help get you on the right path.

Have your hearing tested

When you notice that some things sound muffled or you need to turn up the volume on the television, there’s a good chance that you may have a hearing loss. However, that’s not always the case. That’s why it’s important to see an audiologist to determine if you have a hearing loss, the type of hearing loss you have, and how best to treat it. An audiologist examines you for all medically-related hearing issues. In addition to a physical test, you have several hearing exams. The results are charted and used to determine the best style hearing aids for your hearing loss and budget.

Give yourself time to adapt

It’s tempting to think that you can just pop in your hearing aids and be all set. While it’s not complicated or time-consuming to get used to hearing aids, there is a process to help your ears and brain learn to hear new sounds. You wear your new units for a few hours on the first day and then over the period of a few days, gradually build up to wearing them all day. Start in a quiet environment, at home, and slowly introduce noisier environments, such as restaurants or meetings. It’s also extremely important to wear your devices every day. If vanity leads you to only occasionally wear your hearing aids, you will not get the most benefit from your investment. The best communication occurs when you wear your hearing aids.

Know how your devices work

Because today’s hearing aids are complex mini-computers, there’s more to them than just amplifying sound. These devices actually work to improve the volume and pitch of sounds particular to your hearing loss. Along with these features, hearing aids can automatically adjust for wind noise, determine where sound is coming from and tamp down a noisy background. You’ll want to know how to manually adjust the volume, change the batteries and how any additional features work.

Take good care of them

Your hearing aids require daily cleaning. It’s a quick and easy task you can do right before you go to bed. Take time to inspect your hearing aids and check for any problems. Store your hearing aids in a special container and never leave them loose around the house. See your audiologist for regular professional cleanings.

When you know how to get the most from your hearing aids you’ll be amazed that you ever lived without them! Your audiologist will work with you to find the best type of hearing aids to work with your lifestyle and budget.