What to Expect from Your Hearing Aids

It is difficult to predict how your hearing will change with hearing aids, as each person’s hearing loss is unique. Two people with the same measured hearing sensitivity, will often experience their hearing loss in very different ways. Despite these individual differences, the following information will generally apply.

Hearing aids will improve your hearing. You should be able to hear voices comfortably (without people needing to raise their voices and without your needing to strain). You should also be able to turn the volume on your television down to a more normal setting. Overall, listening should become less of a stressful chore than it is currently. 

At first, your voice may sound different to you when you are wearing your hearing aids. This is absolutely normal; the fact that you have something in your ear changes the way your own voice resonates in your head. Generally, this is a temporary situation and resolves (with consistent wear) in a short period of time. 

Given the gradual nature of hearing loss, your surroundings have become quieter over the last several years. Many environmental sounds have become very soft, even inaudible. Your new hearing aids will help you to hear those sounds again, therefore enriching your listening experience. At first some of these sounds may be bothersome because your brain is alerting to them. You can help adjust to these sounds quickly by wearing your hearing aids consistently. The more exposure your brain has to these sounds, the less likely you are to focus on them. It is important to remember that  your ability to hear these soft sounds means that your hearing is improved with use of hearing aids!

Listening to conversation in background noise is difficult for everyone – even people with normal hearing. These situations are even more challenging with a hearing loss; they can be frustrating and exhausting. Your hearing loss reduces the loudness of sounds but also decreases your ability to separate the speech from the noise. In many instances, hearing aids can improve your ability to hear in noisy situations. Your audiologist will be able to help you choose a hearing aid that is most suited to your needs, and may be able to suggest additional devices or strategies to use in such situations. 

To summarize, most people find a significant improvement in their hearing with hearing aids. They make it easier to hear voices – reducing the amount of strain and stress you experience. The amount of benefit you perceive will depend on the type of hearing loss you have, the amount of distortion you experience, and the situations you have most difficulty in. While hearing aids do not cure a hearing problem completely, they, in combination with good listening skills, will certainly improve your hearing and quality of life.