Everybody has their favorite TV shows or movies. You may steer towards a subtle drama or a whirlwind romance. Whichever genre you choose, you might find that watching a little TV when you first get your hearing aids helps you ease into the process.
The Benefits of TV for New Hearing Aid Users
In addition to the relaxation and fun, there are two main benefits to watching TV with your new hearing aids:
- Speech comprehension. While the brain is technically an organ, we often talk about it like it’s a muscle. That’s because your brain requires constant input to stay strong. Just as powerlifting at the ACC Fitness Center strengthens your body, mental stimulation keeps your brain sharp. For people with hearing loss, the stimulation their brain is missing is sound. Because it loses a lot of its auditory stimulation with untreated hearing loss, your brain may struggle to understand speech, even with hearing aids. Watching TV is an excellent way to reintroduce speech in a fun format. Watch your favorite shows with subtitles for a while to help your brain get back into speech comprehension shape.
- Acclimation. When you live with hearing loss for a long time, it’s easy to get used to the quiet. Then, when you wear hearing aids, the reintroduction of sound can feel odd or intrusive. TV is a great way to get your ears used to sound again, in an entertaining, predictable format. That way, when you go to the store or out for dinner with some friends, the added noise won’t feel so shocking.
You can either play audio from the TV to the room so your hearing aids can pick it up, or connect them directly to your TV or smart devices.
Connecting Your Hearing Aids
Most modern hearing aids have Bluetooth® that allows you to stream audio right to your ears from a Bluetooth-enabled device—like a laptop, tablet or smart TV. To connect, put your hearing aids in pairing mode, often by restarting them or placing them in their case with the lid open, and select them in the Bluetooth menu of the device you’re trying to connect to.
If you have any questions about pairing your devices, feel free to reach out to us at Hampton Roads ENT ~ Allergy.