Should You Wear Hearing Aids All The Time?

When you are diagnosed with hearing loss, your audiologist is most likely to recommend hearing aids as the single most effective treatment. With the technology of these hearing devices improving all the time, they can help improve your quality of life greatly, not just by amplifying the sound in your environment, but with a range of features, such as directional microphones and Bluetooth connection that can make them all the more practical to suit your specific needs.

However, there are some people who decide to only wear their hearing aids at certain times, such as when they leave the home. There are others who might wear their hearing aids when they shouldn’t. Here, we’re going to look at why you should be wearing your hearing aids most of the time, and when you should take them out.

Getting Used to Your Hearing Aids

When you first get fitted with your hearing aids, the experience can be a little overwhelming. The sudden amplification of sound, including your ability to hear noises that might have escaped your notice before, can take some getting used to. As such, your audiologist might recommend that you only wear your hearing aids inside, to begin with or only for a few hours a day.

Over time, as you get used to them, you should wear your hearing aids more and more often, until you’re wearing them for the majority of the day, unless you’re in the bathroom or sleeping.

Why It’s Important to Wear Your Hearing Aids as Often as Possible

Aside from first getting you into the habit of wearing your hearing aids, there are plenty of good reasons to ensure you have them on as regularly as possible. You can start to get attuned to them and begin to hear better more quickly if you’re wearing them more often. Furthermore, if you’re not wearing your hearing aids, then your hearing loss is left to continue affecting you, which can increase the risk of issues like dementia and depression.

When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, your brain is getting more stressed as you have to work harder to hear things in your environment, even if you don’t notice it. This can even lead to auditory deprivation, when your brain starts to lose the ability to process some of the sounds that it has gotten used to not hearing as much. Wearing your hearing aid means picking up on these sounds more regularly and, thus, maintaining your brain’s ability to process them.

When You Shouldn’t Wear Your Hearing Aids

Despite the fact that you should wear your hearing aids as often as you can, there are circumstances in which it might be better to take them out. The first, and most common, is when you’re in the bathroom, especially if you’re planning to take a bath or a shower. The moisture and humidity in these rooms can start to affect the hearing aid, which can lead them to malfunction.

The other time you should make sure you take your hearing aids out is when you’re going to bed. Lying on them can potentially damage them or make it more difficult to sleep. When you’re not wearing your hearing aids, make sure that you put them in a dehumidifying chamber designed specifically for hearing aids. Most hearing aid containers have this feature. You should also ensure that you take your batteries out and put them in the part of your hearing aid container that is made to hold them.

Aside from the examples above, or if you’re going swimming or otherwise likely to expose your hearing aids to moisture or water contact, you should wear them as much as you can to enjoy their full benefits.

Get the Best Use of Your Hearing Aids with the Help of Your Audiologist

If you ever have any questions or concerns about how you should be using your hearing aids, then there is no source of information that’s better than your audiologist. Aside from the fact that audiologists help patients with hearing aids all the time, your audiologist will also have a better understanding of your needs, thanks to the fact they have your medical and hearing health history at their disposal.

If you’re in need of an audiologist, then you should get in touch with Arkansas Professional Hearing Care. Take a look through the site to learn more about the services we offer or get in touch with our team at (501) 588-0177.