Adapting to Direct-to-You, Ready-to-Use Online Hearing Aids
Understanding What to Expect with PocketAid Hearing Aids
Acclimatisation is the process of getting accustomed to the improved sound quality provided by hearing aids, including online purchased hearing aids like PocketAid hearing aids. Understanding the stages of adjustment is important as it sets your expectations up correctly from the beginning, and allows you to plan how you will begin to use the devices.
It does not matter if you are a new user of online hearing aids or have used any set of hearing aids before, there will be a period of adjustment to your new devices, as your brain gets used to the adjustment in pitch and volume of your surroundings.
Stages of Acclimatisation
Stage 1
Initial Hearing Aid Use | The First Few Weeks:
In the beginning, you may notice subtler sounds more prominently. This stage is about rediscovering the nuances of sound. At first your brain will particularly alert you to the soft environmental sounds in your environment and you will perceive them as loud. This is because it is the softer sounds that you have not been hearing with much volume for some time.
Because PocketAid hearing aids work with compression, you will likely find that the moderate and louder sounds in your environment will sound much the same to you in terms of volume, and this makes sense because you do not need additional volume for these louder sounds.
Stage 2
Gradual Adjustment:
Over time, your focus will naturally shift to prioritise important sounds, enhancing your ability to engage in conversations and social interactions.
The main necessity of utilising hearing aids every day is that it trains your brain better towards distinguishing the speech from background noise. This is linked to neural plasticity, a concept that your brain actually changes over time. The brain learns to interpret and make sense of the amplified sounds that it may not have processed for some time.
Stage 3
Full Integration:
Eventually, the use of hearing aids becomes an integral part of your daily routine, enhancing your listening experience without intrusion. At this stage, most people are acutely aware if they are not wearing their hearing aids, because without them their auditory experience seems dull in comparison to the richness in clarity their hearing aids bring.
Guidelines for a Smooth Transition
- Reduce the volume in the hearing aids at first if you are finding that the environmental sounds are too loud. This allows your brain to slowly build up acclimatisation.
- Use the hearing aids in relatively quiet settings, to reduce your need to filter out noise. Settings such as one-on-one conversations at home, or listening to TV are perfect first use environments.
- Aim for daily use of 2-4 hours in the first week, moving up to 5-6 hours for the second week. After the second week you should be able to utilise the hearing aids full time if you wish. If you don’t intend to use the aids very often, then stick to daily usage of 1-2 hours as a minimum to achieve full acclimatisation to the hearing aids.
The Role of Advanced Technology
PocketAid hearing aids come equipped with features that simplify the acclimatisation process.
Technology like compression, speech enhancement and noise reduction features contribute to a seamless and intuitive user experience.
Adapting to hearing aids is a straightforward process focused on enhancing auditory perception in a subtle and effective manner.
It involves a gradual, positive adjustment to a richer soundscape, facilitated by regular usage, personalised settings, and advanced technology.
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