If you go to any reputable footwear store to purchase a new pair of running/walking shoes, the expert sales person will probably give you some crucial advice.
He/she will tell you to break the shoes in slowly.
In other words, you shouldn’t go home, take the shoes out of the box and immediately go for a five-mile run/walk.
If you don’t follow this advice, the consequences will most likely be painful. Your feet may ache. You may develop blisters and a host of other problems.
Does this mean there is something wrong with the shoes? No. It’s just that both the shoes and your feet need time to adjust to the change.
Give things enough time and your experience will be completely different than if you rush.
The same can be said for people who are using hearing aids for the first time.
There is a significant period of adjustment after missing sounds for a period of time.
For example, most people love to hear birds chirping and would be ecstatic to recover this sound after a missing out… but what about the refrigerator?
This time of adaptation for new hearing aid users takes into consideration what is called “the loudness factor.”
New hearing aid users often remark that everything sounds very loud when they first start using their hearing aids.
Suddenly the clicks from a keyboard, the sound of rushing water, and even the squeaks of your shoes seem very noticeable.
This is a good thing – you’re hearing sounds you haven´t heard in a long time!
Still, it may be tiring to take in all these new sounds. So what should you do?
Try wearing your hearing aids for a few hours at a time during the first few days and gradually build up to a whole day.
It may also help to avoid wearing your hearing aids in noisy environments until you are completely comfortable with them in more quiet environments.
This way you can gradually adjust to the “new” sounds around you without being overwhelmed.
If you take your time breaking in your new hearing aids, you will be thrilled with the results. Be patient and don’t get discouraged. A whole world of sounds is waiting for you and you will soon be able to enjoy them!
We refuse to settle for less than the best and we hope you will do the same!
