Getting new hearing aids is an exciting step toward hearing more clearly and staying connected to the people and activities you love. But if you've recently started wearing hearing aids, or upgraded to a newer technology, you may notice that things sound a little different than you expected.
The good news? That's completely normal. Your hearing aids are working right away, but your brain often needs some time to catch up. After all, hearing happens in the brain. Unlike putting on a pair of glasses to fix a mechanical issue in your eye, our sense of hearing is a bit more complicated, but hearing aids can help alter the way your brain experiences sound.
Why Do Things Sound Different?When hearing has gradually declined over a long period of time, the brain gets used to receiving less sound. It begins to “forget” certain noises in your environment, even those that you heard subconsciously, such as the refrigerator running in the background or the chorus of birds outside your window.
Hearing aids restore access to many of those sounds. Suddenly, your brain is hearing things it hasn’t processed in a while. At first, these everyday sounds can seem unusually loud or distracting. Voices may also sound different than you remember. This doesn't mean your hearing aids aren't working. It means your brain is relearning how to process sounds in your environment and learn which ones to focus on and which ones are meant to be in the background.
Getting used to hearing aids is not something that happens overnight. For many people, it takes several weeks for sounds to begin feeling natural again. Everyone adjusts at their own pace.
The most important thing you can do is wear your hearing aids consistently. It’s like exercising your brain - the more your brain practices hearing everyday sounds, the faster it learns which sounds are important to focus on in your daily routine.
Here are a few ways to help your brain adapt:
As your brain adjusts, you'll likely notice conversations becoming easier to follow and everyday sounds feeling more natural. Many people also find that once hearing aids become a regular part of their routine, they feel more confident participating in family gatherings, social events, and hobbies they enjoy.
The sooner you begin your journey to healthy hearing, the closer you will be to supporting your brain health and making listening easier in many different environments. To discuss treatment options, reach out to a licensed hearing care professional today.
The Hearing Industries Association is the trusted voice on hearing health care for product innovation, public policy, patient safety and education.
