Woman wearing hearing aids enjoys a hike with friends.

So you don’t use your hearing aids regularly? Most of the time you keep them in the drawer unless you’re, for example, going to the theater or to a party. Do you actually need to use them more often than that?

The concern is that when you don’t use your hearing aids regularly, you’re developing some troubling shortcomings for yourself over the long term. You could damage your hearing permanently. Social isolation and cognitive decline could be the result. You could compromise your general health. This article will help you comprehend why you should be using your hearing aids.

Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in

If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you most likely have a reason. You may have decided to keep those reasons to yourself. Maybe, when your family questions you, you may even say something nondescript and elusive, like, “I just don’t like them”.

Stilted dialogue to the side, we know that’s not the complete story, right? If you dig a little deeper, you’ll probably find that there’s a particular complaint at the heart of your irregular hearing aid use. And there’s also a very exact solution to your problem.

What follows are some of the most common complaints;

“My Hearing Aids Aren’t Comfortable”

Discomfort is one of the most frequently cited grounds for people not wearing their hearing aids. Often, the hearing aid keeps falling out of your ear. Or maybe your over-the-ear model chafes in just the wrong spot, causing tenderness and pain.

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

Possible solution: If you’re not comfortable with your hearing aids, a follow-up fitting session is something you should think about. A few slight adjustments could be all your hearing aid requires. The size and shape of your ear can even be the foundation of a complete customization of some models. You will be able to leave your hearing aid in longer if it fits properly and is comfortable.

I’m Experiencing Poor Quality Sound From my Hearing Aids

Maybe you find the sound of your hearing aid to be too tinny or fuzzy so you don’t use them very often. It’s not shocking that you’ve decided to put your hearing aids away for a special occasion, if that’s the case.”

This fuzzy or tinny sound can happen because hearing aids are performing complex auditory processes all the time, filtering out some sounds while trying to amplify others. So if your settings aren’t properly adjusted, the sound quality might seem unreliable.

Solution: This issue has two possible answer: calibration and upkeep. It could be that your hearing aids are damaged in some way or another and require repairs. But it might be possible that they just need a simple calibration (normally this is something your hearing specialist can take care of for you).

When I Use my Hearing Aid Voices Seem Muffled

When you listen to people talk, you want to be capable of hearing them with clarity. That’s the entire reason you bought hearing aids in the first place! You didn’t want to miss out on one word. So if all the voices you hear are hard to comprehend and sound muffled it may be a bit annoying.

This usually occurs when you first buy your hearing aids because your ears and brain aren’t necessarily used to communicating very well anymore (it’s like they had a disagreement or something).

Solution: Practice. Understanding conversations is something your brain will need to get used to, so whatever you can do to help provide some repetition will help. Try reading along with closed caption to your favorite show or along with an audiobook. Another way to get some beneficial practice is by simply having conversations with people you come in contact with.

Getting Solutions

The point is regardless of what your reason for not wearing your hearing aids maybe, there is a solution somewhere. And it is vital, both for your hearing health and for your cognitive fitness, that you wear your hearing aids routinely.

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