One of the first things new hearing aid users may notice is that their own voice sounds different when they put their hearing aids on. Why is that? Will it always sound different?
Well, firstly, hearing aids make sounds louder, including your own voice. It’s like a speaker for your ears, and this can make your voice seem different to you. Hearing aids also use vibrations in your skull to send sounds to your inner ear. When you talk, these vibrations can change how your voice sounds to you.
When wearing a hearing aid, it is blocking part of your ear canal. Blocking your ear canal traps air in there. This trapped air can make your own voice sound a bit boomy when you speak. You also must remember that people’s ears are all unique, so how you hear things can be different. The shape of your ear, the type of hearing aid, and your hearing loss can all play a role on how you are hearing sounds and your voice.
In general though, you just need to get use to it with time. Well, we should say your brain needs to get use to all the new sounds it is hearing, which includes your new sounding voice. The more often you wear your hearing aids, the more opportunity your brain has to be exposed to these new sounds and your new voice to normalize it.
So, it’s normal if your voice sounds odd with hearing aids. Your brain just needs time to catch up. If it bothers you, just give us a call here at Lemme Audiology (814) 941-7770.
Maddie Myers
Audiology Associates Extern
