Hearing aids are intended to help compensate for your individual hearing loss condition. Whether you are new to using hearing aids or have been using them for years, if your hearing aids give you headaches or any other type of pain, there is a solution.
If your hearing aid is properly adjusted it will meet your individual needs and fit inside of your ear comfortably. If this isn’t the case, you should make certain you have the appropriate type of hearing aid and that it’s been precisely adjusted.
Indications your hearing aid needs to be adjusted
Headaches can be the outcome of incorrectly adjusted hearing aids. Usually, inadequate adjustment or improper use is the reason. If this is the case, the following problems might occur:
- Insufficient sound quality. Improperly adjusted hearing aids can boost the volume of high intensity sound causing a loud annoying feedback that can damage your ears. Hearing aids in this state can also make low intensity sounds disappear.
- Feedback noise. Your hearing aid might pick up and boost background noise, like wind, which can also cause annoying, high-pitched feedback sounds.
- Headaches and tinnitus. Hearing aids that are picking up loud sounds and amplifying them further can be painful to your ears and can lead to not only headaches but also tinnitus. This typically happens in hearing aids with internal control settings that have been set too high.
Over-the-counter hearing aids
While over-the-counter hearing aids, typically referred to as personal sound amplification devices, are obtainable at your local pharmacy, and cost less than prescription hearing aids, they won’t be tailored to meet your unique hearing loss requirements.
Improving your hearing demands more than merely amplifying sounds because hearing loss is unique to the individual. Typically, distinct frequencies of sound are lost when a person loses their hearing. Hearing aid settings have to be programmed to help the person hear effectively in different settings.
Professional hearing aid adjustment
One of the most useful ways to make sure your hearing aid is fitted correctly is to have your individualized hearing aid fitted and adjusted. Custom-fitted hearing aids will be designed just for you using molds of your ears. Once the proper fit is attained, it will be necessary to adjust the hearing aid settings so you can distinguish between unwanted noise and the sounds you want to hear.
You should also be capable of hearing sound in lots of different environments with automated adjustments made by your hearing aids. This might require a few visits to ensure you obtain the hearing aid that’s right for you and in tune with your lifestyle. If you have severe hearing impairment, the adjustments to your hearing aid will be done in stages so that your brain has time to adjust to louder sounds.
Call us for an appointment if you think your hearing aid may need a tune-up.
References
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20373072
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-aids#hearingaid_08