As you adjust to your new hearing aids, you may wonder how long you should wear your hearing aids for at a time. You may also wonder if there are certain situations when you should not wear your hearing aids at all.
Should I wear my hearing aids all the time?
When you first get new hearing aids, you may need to start out by just wearing them intermittently. It can take a while for your brain to adjust to hearing the sounds you’ve been missing out on. Some people are overwhelmed by their new hearing aids. That’s okay, and perfectly normal.
Start out by wearing your hearing aids for just a few hours each day. Take them off if you start feeling uncomfortable or overwhelmed. Each week, try to wear your hearing aids a little bit longer, until you are comfortable wearing them throughout the entire day. In general, the more you wear your hearing aids, the happier you’ll be with them. Your brain will learn how to process and filter out sounds, and you will get used to the sound of your own voice with hearing aids.
Eventually, wearing your hearing aids will become like second nature.
Are there situations when I shouldn’t wear my hearing aids?
There are several situations when we recommend removing your hearing aids. Firstly, we suggest removing your hearing aids when you’re around water. Hearing aids aren’t waterproof and can become damaged by too much moisture. This goes for swimming, bathing, and showering. If your hearing aids do end up getting wet, read our previous blog post on how to handle it.
We also recommend removing your hearing aids at bedtime. Ideally, create a bedtime routine that includes removing and storing your hearing aids. Store your hearing aids in the same location each night, preferably in their charger or a storage case. If your hearing aids have batteries, open the battery door when they aren’t in your ears. This saves battery power and improves airflow in case any sweat got into your hearing aids during use.
If you use hairspray or other hair products, we recommend having your hearing aids out during the application of those products. These chemicals can cause buildup on your hearing aids which can impair their function. If you visit a stylist, take your hearing aids out at the beginning of your appointment so they don’t get wet or sprayed with styling products.
Lastly, we recommend removing your hearing aids if wearing them is becoming stressful. As mentioned earlier, wearing hearing aids can make the user feel overwhelmed at times. Especially during the transition period with new hearing aids, its okay to remove your hearing aids if you’re getting fatigued from all of the new information your ears are receiving. As you become accustomed to your hearing aids, this should be a less common occurrence.