Neural Plasticity and its role in Acclimatising to New Hearing Aids
When someone is fitted with new hearing aids, especially for the first time, the transition can feel overwhelming. Many sounds that may have been missing for years are suddenly reintroduced, which can initially feel disorienting. This adjustment process is where the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt comes into play, and this is largely thanks to something called neural plasticity.
In this blog, we’ll dive into what neural plasticity is and how it plays a crucial role in helping you acclimatise to new hearing aids and improve your overall hearing experience.
What is Neural Plasticity?
Neural plasticity, also known as brain plasticity, refers to the brain’s ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This adaptability is not only essential for learning new skills or recovering from injury but also for adjusting to changes in sensory input, such as when you start wearing new hearing aids.
Your brain isn’t static. It’s dynamic, continuously rewiring itself based on the stimuli and experiences you’re exposed to. Whether it's relearning to recognise sounds or filtering out background noise, neural plasticity is what allows your brain to make these adjustments.
The Role of Neural Plasticity in Hearing Aid Acclimatisation
Relearning Familiar Sounds
When someone has lived with untreated hearing loss for an extended period, the brain starts to "forget" certain sounds. For example, the sound of birds chirping or the hum of the fridge may have faded from your auditory map over time. Once hearing aids restore those sounds, it can feel overwhelming because the brain is suddenly processing a broader range of sound than it has been used to.
Thanks to neural plasticity, the brain starts relearning how to hear these sounds and recognise them as familiar rather than distracting. With time, the brain reconfigures its pathways, allowing you to adapt to these reintroduced sounds.
2. Filtering Unnecessary Noise
Initially, new hearing aid users often report that every sound seems equally loud, whether it's the rustling of paper or a conversation. The brain has to learn to filter out background noise and focus on the more important sounds, like speech.
Neural plasticity enables this fine-tuning. Over time, your brain adjusts and learns to prioritize certain sounds over others, much like it did before hearing loss occurred. This process allows you to focus on conversations in noisy environments, for example, without being overwhelmed by background noise.
3. Speech Recognition
One of the biggest challenges for new hearing aid users is re-acclimating to speech sounds. Hearing loss often affects the ability to distinguish certain speech sounds (especially high-frequency sounds like “s” or “th”), and this can make conversations challenging.
With new hearing aids, the brain is reintroduced to the full spectrum of sound frequencies, which can be jarring at first. Neural plasticity plays a vital role here by retraining the brain to recognise speech more accurately over time. This is why audiologists emphasise patience during the acclimatisation process—your brain needs time to adjust to new auditory inputs and retrain its pathways.
4. Improved Cognitive Function
Untreated hearing loss has been linked to cognitive decline, as the brain becomes overworked trying to decode incomplete auditory information. When hearing aids are introduced, they reduce the cognitive load on the brain, freeing up mental resources for other tasks.
Neural plasticity helps by allowing the brain to shift focus back to higher-level cognitive functions (like memory and attention) rather than straining to piece together fragmented sound signals. As the brain gets used to working with clearer, more complete auditory information, users often report improved focus and mental clarity.
Why Acclimatisation Takes Time
Adapting to new hearing aids isn’t an instant process. It’s common for people to feel fatigued, overwhelmed, or even frustrated in the early days. This is because the brain is working hard to rewire itself, re-learning how to process the full spectrum of sounds it hasn't heard in a while.
Most audiologists recommend wearing your hearing aids as much as possible during the adjustment phase to give the brain the best chance to adapt. The more time you spend with your hearing aids on, the quicker your brain can build new neural connections and refine how it processes sound.
Tips for a Smoother Adjustment Process
1. Start Slowly: If the new sounds feel too overwhelming, begin by wearing your hearing aids for shorter periods and gradually increase your wear time.
2. Be Patient: It can take a few weeks or even a couple of months for the brain to fully adapt to new hearing aids, especially if you’ve had untreated hearing loss for a long time.
3. Stay in Touch with Your Audiologist: Adjustments to the hearing aids may be necessary as you acclimatise, so it’s important to schedule follow-up visits to fine-tune the settings.
4. Practice Active Listening: Engage in conversations, listen to music, and spend time in different sound environments to help your brain adjust more quickly.
Conclusion: The Brain’s Incredible Ability to Adapt
Neural plasticity is what makes adapting to new hearing aids possible. Through this remarkable process, your brain re-learns how to interpret sound, allowing you to enjoy better hearing and improved quality of life. While it may take some time to acclimatise, rest assured that your brain’s ability to adapt will lead to significant improvements in how you hear the world around you.
If you’re struggling with new hearing aids or want to learn more about how the brain adjusts to sound, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at High Peak Hearing. We’re here to guide you through the process every step of the way.
