So you don’t wear your hearing aids regularly? 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. Is it really important to wear them more regularly than that?

In the long run, you make trouble for yourself if you’re not wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis and that’s a problem. Your hearing could get drastically worse. You could suffer from mental decline or social isolation. You could compromise your overall health. So, if you are not using your hearing aids, you should certainly be reading this.

Why Are Your Hearing Aids Not in

If your hearing aids are stored in a nightstand drawer somewhere, you likely have an excuse. Sure, perhaps you haven’t specifically been forthcoming about what those reasons are. Perhaps, when your family asks, you even say something nondescript and evasive, such as, “I just don’t like them”.

Undoubtedly, though, there’s more to it than that. If you go a little deeper, you’ll likely find that there’s a specific complaint at the heart of your infrequent hearing aid use. Specific grievances are good because they create the possibility to find an equally specific solution.

Some of the most common problems consist of the examples below;

“My Hearing Aids Don’t Feel Comfortable”

Discomfort is one of the most commonly reported reasons for people not using their hearing aids. Maybe the hearing aid won’t stop falling out of your ear. Or perhaps pain and tenderness are occurring in just the wrong spot with your over-the-ear model.

Hearing aids aren’t intended to be uncomfortable, so if they’re causing discomfort of any kind, something is surely not right. And it’s logical that you wouldn’t want to use a piece of technology that causes soreness, pain, or frustration.

Possible solution: If you’re uncomfortable with your hearing aids, a follow-up fitting appointment is something you should think about. It’s entirely feasible that the fit of your hearing aid just needs a few quick adjustments. Some models can even be completely personalized to the shape and size of your ears. The more comfortable your hearing aid fits, the more likely you are to leave the device in place for long periods of time.

I’m Experiencing Poor Quality Sound From my Hearing Aids

Maybe you don’t use your hearing aids very often because you experiencing the sound to be fuzzy or tinny. If that’s the circumstance, it’s not surprising that you’ve opted to stow your hearing aids in a drawer somewhere and save them for “special occasions”.”

Hearing aids are doing complex auditory functions all the time as they amplify some sounds while filtering out others and that can result in a tinny or fuzzy sound. So if your settings aren’t properly adjusted, the sound quality may seem unreliable.

Solution: There are two potential answers to this issue: maintenance and calibration. Your hearing aids may be damaged in some way or another and require repairing. But it might be possible that they just need a simple calibration (generally this is something your hearing specialist can take care of for you).

Voices Seem Muffled When I Use my Hearing Aids

When you listen to people talk, you want to be able to hear them clearly. That’s the entire reason you got hearing aids to begin with! You wanted to make certain you didn’t miss any relevant conversations. So if all the voices you hear are difficult to comprehend and are muffled it might be a bit frustrating.

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

Solution: Keep practicing. Your brain is going to have to get used to hearing language again, so putting yourself in a position to hear people conversing regularly will help. Try reading along with closed caption to your favorite show or along with an audiobook. Another way to get some positive practice is by simply having conversations with people around you.

Finding Answers

The point is regardless of what your justification for not wearing your hearing aids maybe, there is a solution somewhere. And it is essential, both for your hearing health and your cognitive well-being, that you use your hearing aids routinely.

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