Ever ask yourself “what would it actually be like to wear hearing aids”? How does a hearing aid feel when you have one on, what does it sound like, and what does it feel like in your ears are all questions you may want to ask someone who already has hearing aids? If you truly want to know what hearing aids are like, you need to come in for a demo, but for now, keep reading for a description of what you can expect.
1. Hearing Aids Sometimes Have Feedback
This isn’t the kind of feedback that you get when someone tells you how they feel about your results. When a microphone and a speaker pick up each other’s signal, they interfere with each other causing a high-pitched whistling sound. It produces a sound loop that even modern speakers like those in hearing aids don’t know what to do with.
We’ve all heard this type of feedback right before somebody begins talking into a microphone.
Although this can be uncomfortable, when hearing aids are correctly tuned, it’s rare. If you’re experiencing it, the earmold may not be correctly fitted or you need to replace it.
Some advanced hearing aids have a feedback suppression system that identifies feedback and stops it in its tracks.
2. Conversations Are Easier to Hear in a Noisy Setting
If you have untreated hearing loss, having dinner with your family or friends in a loud restaurant can seem like you’re eating by yourself. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the conversations. You might wind up sitting there, nodding and smiling most of the night.
But today’s hearing aids have the advanced noise blocking ability for background sound. The voices of your family and the wait staff become crystal clear.
3. Sometimes it Gets a Little Sticky
Your body has a way of letting you know when something doesn’t belong. Your body will produce saliva if you eat something too spicy. If you get an eyelash in your eye, you produce tears to flush your eye. Your ears also have a defense system of their own.
They produce extra wax.
So it’s no surprise that those who wear hearing aids often get to deal with wax buildup. It’s just wax, fortunately, so cleaning it isn’t a problem. (We’ll teach you how.)
Once you’re finished the cleaning you’re quickly back to good hearing.
4. There Are Benefits For Your Brain
You might be surprised by this one. If somebody begins developing hearing loss it will slowly affect cognitive function as it progresses.
One of the first things you lose is the ability to understand what people are saying. Then memory, learning new things, and problem-solving become a challenge.
Getting hearing aids sooner than later helps stop this brain atrophy. Your brain gets re-trained. Research shows that they can slow down mental decline and even reverse it. In fact, 80% of people had increased cognitive function, according to a study carried out by the AARP, after using hearing aids to treat their hearing loss.
5. The Batteries Need to be Replaced
Many individuals simply hate dealing with those little button batteries. And they seem to die at the worst times, like when you’re about to hear “whodunnit” in a mystery movie, or just as your friend is telling you the juicy details of a story.
But simple solutions exist to decrease much of this perceived battery trouble. There are strategies you can use to greatly extend battery life. The batteries are small and inexpensive, so it’s easy to carry an extra set in your wallet.
Or, currently you can purchase hearing aids that are rechargeable. Just put it on the charger at night. In the morning, just put them back on. There are also solar-powered hearing aid docks so you can even recharge your hearing aid while out camping, fishing, or hiking.
6. There’s a Learning Curve
Nowadays, hearing aids have sophisticated technology. It’s not as hard as learning to operate a new computer. But getting used to your new hearing aids will definitely take some time.
It progressively gets better as you continue to wear your hearing aids. Try to be patient with yourself and the hearing aids throughout this transition.
Anyone who’s been wearing a pair of hearing aids for six months or more will tell you that it’s worth it.
This is what it’s really like to wear hearing aids. If you want to figure it out, contact us.
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References
https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-07-2013/hearing-loss-linked-to-dementia.html