New sounds in your environment
Adjusting to amplification is a process that takes time. Everyone's hearing decreases gradually as they get older, and we are often unaware that we have lost the ability to hear certain sounds that we have taken for granted in the past. Hearing your footsteps on a hard floor or the refrigerator humming, for instance, are typical examples of everyday sounds that you might have forgotten.

When you first begin wearing new hearing aids, your brain is stimulated by so many 'new' sounds, that the adjustment period is likely to be tiring. It will take some time to get reacquainted with these sounds and learn to 'tune out' the sounds that are not important.

During your adjustment period there are a number of things you can do to make life easier. These include trying to reduce unnecessary sources of noise (e.g. the TV or radio on in the background) and trying to avoid communicating with someone standing in another room.

Feedback (whistling noise)
Feedback occurs when the amplified sound re-enters the hearing aid and is re-amplified. It will typically sound like a high-pitched whistling tone.

Feedback is an unfortunate side effect of wearing aids that may occur in particular situations but can be controlled. For instance, your instruments may whistle if you turn them on before inserting them into your ears. If feedback should occur after you have been fitted with your hearing aids, contact your hearing care professional immediately to correct the problem.

Atlas has an Automatic Feedback Manager that reduces the effect of whistling. This will allow you to engage in certain activities, such as hugging another person - without having to worry about feedback.