Why you should wear your hearing aids at home

If you’re spending more time at home lately, you may wonder about the need for daily hearing aid use. It’s no secret those tiny pieces of technology improve social situations, but recognizing the importance of hearing and sticking to daily routines to strengthen relationships — even while social distancing — are key reasons to wear your hearing aids at home.

Read on to understand when to wear your hearing aids and how regular use can improve your overall quality of life.

Many people assume hearing aids are only necessary when socializing or going out. In reality, your brain does most of the work of hearing, and it needs consistent stimulation to stay sharp. Specialists recommend wearing your hearing aids every day—even when you’re home—so brain is exposed to sound and, better prepared for all listening situations.

• Keep Your Brain Engaged - Wearing hearing aids regularly helps prevent auditory deprivation, which occurs when the brain is deprived of sound input. Even everyday noises, like footsteps or the hum of appliances, keep your brain active. Studies show that untreated hearing loss increases the risk of cognitive decline, with even mild cases linked to a higher likelihood of dementia. By wearing your devices at home, you give your brain continuous practice, making it easier to focus on speech and tune out background noise in more challenging environments.
• Improve Comfort in Noisy Settings - If you only wear your hearing aids occasionally, your brain may feel overwhelmed in louder or busier places. Consistent use at home helps your brain adapt gradually, so when you’re at a restaurant, family gathering, or meeting, you’ll find it easier to follow conversations with less strain.
• Enhance Safety and Awareness - Hearing aids make your home and daily routines safer. You’ll be able to detect alarms, doorbells, or kitchen timers, as well as subtle warning signs like a dripping faucet, squeaky brakes, or approaching sirens while driving. This heightened awareness can prevent accidents and help you respond quickly to potential problems.

Most experts recommend wearing your hearing aids during all waking hours, usually around 12 to 16 hours per day. The idea is simple: the more consistently you use them, the more your brain adapts to processing amplified sounds, making listening easier and more natural.

Here are some useful points:

• All day use: Put them on in the morning when you wake up and take them off at night before bed.
• Exceptions: Remove them when showering, swimming, or sleeping, as moisture and pressure can damage the devices.
• Adjustment period: If you’re new to hearing aids, you may need to build up gradually. Start with a few hours a day in quieter settings, then increase until you’re comfortable wearing them most of the day.
• Consistency matters: Wearing them daily keeps your brain stimulated with sound, helps reduce listening fatigue, and makes it easier to manage noisy or complex environments.

Adjusting to hearing aids is a process that varies from person to person, but on average it takes about 30 to 45 days for the brain to adapt to new sounds. Some people feel comfortable within a few days, while others may need a few months of consistent use.

Here’s what typically happens during the adjustment period:

• First few days: Everyday sounds may seem unusually loud or sharp. Background noises like footsteps, paper rustling, or traffic can feel overwhelming at first.
• First few weeks: The brain begins to filter and prioritize sounds. Speech becomes clearer, and distracting noises become less noticeable.
• After a month or two: Most users report that sounds feel more natural. Communication is easier, and the brain has largely adapted to the new auditory input.

Tips to speed up adjustment:

• Wear your hearing aids all day, every day, except when sleeping, showering, or swimming.
• Start in quiet environments before gradually exposing yourself to noisier settings.
• Be patient and give your brain time to relearn how to process sounds.

Take advantage of Miracle-Ear’s unlimited care* – attend follow-up appointments as often as needed so our experts can fine tune your devices.

Stopping the use of hearing aids will not worsen your natural hearing. Your underlying hearing loss will remain the same, whether you wear the devices or no. However, not using them can have indirect effects that make your listening experience feel more difficult over time.

Here’s why:

• Auditory deprivation: When the brain doesn’t get enough sound stimulation, its ability to process and understand speech can decline. This means conversations may become harder to follow, even if your hearing test results haven’t changed.
• Reduced adaptability: If you stop wearing your hearing aids, your brain may lose some of the progress it made in adjusting to amplified sounds. When you put them back on after a break, everyday noises might feel overwhelming again.
• Cognitive health: Research shows that untreated hearing loss is linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Wearing hearing aids regularly helps keep the brain engaged and reduces this risk.
• Quality of life: Without hearing aids, you may miss important sounds like alarms, doorbells, or conversations, which can affect safety, social life, and independence.