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Just got new hearing aids today. How many hours a day should I wear them to begin with?

Lynda Clark, AuD

Audiologist

03 April 2017 - 9.18K Views

Ideally, you should follow the advice of your hearing healthcare provider concerning a wearing schedule. Infrequent use of your hearing aids in unlikely to result in successful long-term use. The goal should be to wear your hearing aids for most, if not, all of your waking hours. How quickly you achieve this goal will vary. Some individuals are able to wear their hearing aids fulltime beginning on day one, other will gradually increase wearing time each day. Be sure to contact your provider if you experience pain or discomfort also there may be certain situations or places, for example in loud noise, where it would not be advisable to wear them. Remember to be patient with yourself and enjoy the sounds you're hearing, again.

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Audiologist in West Hampstead

03 April 2017 - 9.17K Views

My advice would be to wear them as much as possible but have the ability to adjust them down typically with a physical remote or a remote in the form of an app. Having them set too loud will generally mean the hearing aids end up in a drawer but too soft will mean that the individual wearing the devices may still miss a few things but be more likely to to persevere. I generally fit devices to the full prescription then put the power back in the hands of the patient. A recent UK survey showed patients were almost a third happier when they had an accessory with their hearing aids & this the accessory I prescribe the most. It can be in the form of an app as well as a device you carry & with some devices train the devices to your individual preferences or at least helps discover your preferences to tailor the devices to your real world situations. So wearing the hearing aids more often & for more hours (if adjustments are made with the remote) will train the aids & the extra hours invested will train your brain to accept them as your new normal more quickly if you commit to wearing them. I very rarely find patients who are satisfied with their hearing aids are the patients who wear their hearing aids sporadically or only for an hour or so per day.

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Dawn Heiman, AuD

Audiologist

03 April 2017 - 9.16K Views

Congratulations! How exciting for you! 

I recommend that you wear the hearing aids as much as possible. You will acclimate to the new sounds more quickly if you allow them to be a part of your life consistently.  If you feel stimulus overload, by all means take a break for an hour or two, but be sure to put them back in for the next situation with spoken language.  Happy Hearing!

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Caleb Rhodes

Hearing Instrument Specialist

03 April 2017 - 9.19K Views

Like anything new, it may take a little time to become familiar with your new instruments.To receive maximum benefit from your hearing instruments, it is recommended that you wear them everyday, all day, at least 8 hours per day. This will help you acclimate to them quickly. You need help now! The research supports that early intervention is important and that lack of amplification can lead to reduced understanding over time. Your own voice may sound funny/echo at first and the hearing instruments may sound tinny or loud at first, this is normal. Reading out loud for the first several days will help with this; try reading your instruction book out loud to yourself. This will help you acclimate to your new hearing instruments quickly.  Research shows an average of 6 months before new users fully adjust and perceive optimal benefit from their hearing instruments.

 

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Audiologist in Prairie Village

03 April 2017 - 9.19K Views

There is certainly no harm in wearing them regularly during your waking hours and probably more evidence to support consistent use being tied to better long-term outcomes.  Unless something keeps you from wearing them such as the physical comfort or volume settings, I would recommend wearing them eight to sixteen hours per day.  If you need to work into wearing them more and more until it become more consistent that's fine; but if there isn't anything bothering you, then wear them as much as possible except when sleeping, bathing, or when exposed to heavy perspiration or loud sound.  If you are unable to wear them 8+ hours per day then make sure you work with your audiologist or provider to address any obstacle that is keeping you from maximum use and benefit. 

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Amy Swain, AuD

Hearing Healthcare Provider

03 April 2017 - 9.2K Views

I tell all of my clients to put their hearing aids in in the morning and take them out at night.   It takes a while to get used to them so you might want to take them out if you experience any discomfort or if sounds seem to make you jumpy.   Otherwise, if you can tolerate it, wear them all day.   Today's hearing aids are so much easier to get used to then with the older analog technology.

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Professional Member

Professional Member

03 April 2017 - 9.18K Views

There is no official amount of time somebody should be wearing their hearing aids per day.  My advice would be to wear them as much as you are able.  Things are going to sound different.  We have to re-train our ears and our brain to process sounds with amplification.  This process will take time.  So you should try to wear your hearing aids as much as possible to help yourself acclimate to them.  But, if you need to take a break for an hour or so, that is fine.

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