How to Adjust Your Hearing Aid Volume
Hearing aids are a life changing experience for those who experience partial or total hearing loss. However there is a learning curve with knowing how to adjust your hearing aid volume.
Changing your hearing aid volume is relatively easy to do, and it is done using the upper part of the hearing aid that sits outside the ear canal. Some hearing aids have a push button on the side of the device to adjust the volume, while others have a remote control or even an app on your mobile device.
Some newer hearing aids also have automatic volume control, where the hearing aid can automatically adjust the volume to adapt to surrounding sounds.
Many users still prefer to be able to change the hearing aid volume levels manually, as it gives them control of their noise preferences.
That’s why most hearing aids have the option to change the volume as well as the ability to change the sound setting in the left and right hearing aid separately.
Manual vs Automatic Volume Control
Hearing aids can have either manual or automatic volume control, most hearing aids offer some type of manual control however newer hearing aids have adaptive technology where noise interaction intuitively changes the volume settings on the hearing aids.
Manual volume control:
With manual volume control, the user can adjust the volume using push buttons, small levers, tactile switches or dials on the device or on a remote control.
This type of control allows the user to decrease or increase the volume in real-time as needed. It also allows the hearing aid user to adjust the right and left hearing aid as desired.
However, it requires the user to be able to physically access the volume control and make adjustments as necessary which can be difficult for some users.
Automatic volume control:
With automatic volume control, the hearing aid adjusts the volume automatically based on the user’s surroundings.
The device uses sensors to detect the sound levels in the environment and adjusts the volume accordingly. This type of control is helpful for people who want a hands-free solution or who may have difficulty making manual adjustments.
Both manual and automatic volume control have their pros and cons, and the best choice will depend on the individual user’s needs and preferences.
It’s important to work with one of our expert audiologists at ACE audiology to determine the best volume control option for your hearing aids.
Tips When Adjusting your Hearing Aid Volume
Some important tips to keep in mind when adjusting volume on your hearing aids;
Start slow
In some hearing aids, a beep tone sounds when adjusting the volume, check for a higher beep tone or a lower beep tone when changing the volume to indicate the noise level your hearing aid will pick up. Some other tips include;
Gradually increase the volume
When first changing the noise level of the hearing aid, it is important to not change it by too much, too fast. By gradually increasing the volume you ensure that the loud sounds picked up aren’t too intense. This also makes sure that you can adjust to potentially hearing new sounds, such as soft sounds your hearing aids may have not picked up before.
Adjust to the new volume
Give yourself one or two hours to adjust to the new volume before increasing the sound level. Make sure it is at a comfortable level and both hearing aids are at the same level before deciding if you want to adjust the sound settings again.
Test the new volume
By allowing some time to adjust, you can check the sound volume on various noises including loud sounds to ensure it is at the right level, before making the volume louder or softer.
If you or someone you know has experienced partial or total hearing loss, Contact our expert team of audiologists to get started on your hearing aid journey today!
Also,
check out some of our latest blogs all about caring for your hearing aids, as well as the difference between hearing aids and hearing amplifiers.