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Eastside Audiology - Issaquah, WA Eastside Audiology - Issaquah, WA

Woman wearing hearing aids enjoys a hike with friends.

So, it’s not all that often that you use your hearing aids? 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. Do you really need to wear them more often than that?

Over time, you create difficulty 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 outcome. You may compromise your overall health. So, if you’re not wearing your hearing aids, you should definitely be reading this.

Why Aren’t You Wearing Your Hearing Aid?

If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you most likely have a reason. Sure, maybe you haven’t specifically been honest about what those reasons are. Perhaps, when your family questions you, you might even say something nondescript and elusive, like, “I just don’t like them”.

Certainly, though, there’s more to the story than that. Normally, there’s a specific reason why you don’t use your hearing aids. And there’s also a very specific solution to your problem.

Some of the most typical grievances consist of the examples below;

“My Hearing Aids Feel Uncomfortable”

Discomfort is one of the most commonly cited grounds for people not using their hearing aids. Maybe 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 unpleasant, so something is definitely wrong if they are creating any sort of irritation. And it’s easy to understand that you wouldn’t want to wear a piece of technology that causes pain, frustration or soreness.

Possible solution: If you’re not comfortable with your hearing aids, a follow-up fitting appointment is something you should consider. It’s altogether feasible that the way your hearing aid fits simply requires a few quick alterations. Some models can even be entirely customized to the size and shape of your ears. The more comfortable your hearing aid is, the more likely you are to keep the device in place for long periods of time.

I’m Experiencing Poor Quality Sound From my Hearing Aids

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

Hearing aids are executing complicated auditory functions all of the time as they amplify some sounds while filtering out others and that can cause a tinny or fuzzy sound. So if your settings aren’t correctly tweaked, the sound quality might seem unreliable.

Solution: There are two potential answers to this difficulty: maintenance and calibration. It could be that your hearing aids are damaged in some way or another and need to be repaired. But your hearing specialist can perform a simple calibration which is all that your hearing aids may require.

Voices Seem Muffled With my Hearing Aids

You want to hear voices clearly. When you first got hearing aids that was the whole point! You wanted to be certain you didn’t miss any relevant interactions. So if all the voices you hear are hard to understand and sound muffled it could be a little bit aggravating.

Because your brain and ears aren’t communicating effectively anymore, this problem normally occurs when you first purchase your hearing aids.

The Solution: Practice. Understanding what people are saying is something your brain will need to become accustomed to, so putting yourself in a position to hear people talking regularly will be helpful. Try reading along to an audiobook or reading along with the closed captioning while you watch NCIS. Simply having more conversations with the people who are around you is a very good way to get some practice, as well.

Getting Solutions

You can discover an answer no matter what the reason you’re not wearing your hearing aid. And it is vital, both for the health of your hearing and your cognitive fitness, that you wear your hearing aids regularly.

So if you’re not wearing your hearing aids? After determining the issue, find a solution, so you can help your hearing aids, and everything that they help you hear, part of your daily life. If you think your hearing aids require adjustment, get in touch with your hearing care specialist now.
