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A space for real stories, honest reflections, and small victories from life with tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here you’ll find comfort, perspective, and maybe even a laugh or two as we learn to live a little more peacefully with that damn noise.
Who Else Keeps Their Hearing Aids Turned Off?
By Marie
A Naughty Little Confession… Oh Matron!
Let’s get this out of the way early. Yes, I have hearing aids. Yes, they were expensive. Yes, they are currently… turned off. And no, I’m not broken, ungrateful, or in denial. I’m just a bit tired.
The Unspoken Truth: Hearing Aids Can Be Exhausting
Hearing aids don’t just add sound. They add everything.
Cutlery clattering like a construction site. Plastic bags announcing themselves from three rooms away. Someone breathing with a level of confidence I didn’t ask for. Think loud eaters galore!
Suddenly, the world becomes a noisy soup, and my brain is expected to politely sort it all out.
Brain: nah!
That sorting takes effort. Mental effort. The kind no one sees, but you feel it behind your eyes by mid-afternoon.
The Cognitive Tax No One Warns You About
When I wear my hearing aids, I’m not just listening.
I’m:
- Filtering
- Prioritising
- Guessing
- Lip-reading just in case
- Wondering if I misheard something important
It’s like running background apps all day. Eventually, something overheats. You know when you look at your mum’s phone and there are loads of apps all running in the background? Yeah, like that.
And when that happens, turning my hearing aids off isn’t giving up. It’s damage control.
The Great Irony
Here’s the funny bit.
I put my hearing aids on to feel more connected. But sometimes, all that extra noise makes me feel more overwhelmed… and oddly more alone.
When everything is loud, nothing feels clear. Including conversations.
My Little Quiet World (Population: Me and My Tinnitus)
When I turn my hearing aids off, the world eases away from chaos mode and slips into comfortable mode. It’s not silent, tinnitus sees to that, but it’s familiar. Predictable. Contained.
There’s is comfort in that. No surprises. No sudden sonic jump scares. Just my own small, manageable soundscape.
It’s not that I'm being antisocial. It’s not avoidance. It’s rest. And that's what I'll continue to tell myself!
Some Very Specific Times I Turn Mine Off
Over time, I’ve noticed patterns. These are the moments when my hearing aids are most likely to get a little break:
- At the end of the day
- When my brain is done. Properly done. Turning them off feels like closing all the tabs I forgot were still open.
- When I’m at home and alone
- Making tea. Tidying. Existing quietly. I’m not missing anything. I’m exactly where I need to be.
- On emotionally full days
- When life already feels a bit loud on the inside, extra sound on the outside is… unnecessary.
- In background-noise hellscapes
- Busy cafés. Supermarkets. Train stations. Places where everything blends into one big, unhelpful blur.
- When I’ll probably mishear things anyway
- If I’m still going to ask people to repeat themselves or guess half the sentence, sometimes I choose energy over effort.
Music, Glorious Music (Minus the Tinniness)
Oh, and music. If I really want to enjoy music, my hearing aids are coming out. With them in, everything can sound a bit… thin. Tinny. Like my favourite song is being played through a nervous robot wrapped in tin foil.
Without them, the sound is warmer. Richer. More emotional.
I feel the music instead of sounds just clonking around together. And to be honest, if I’m choosing between technically hearing more and actually enjoying the song, enjoyment wins. I hear less without my aids, but what I do hear is far more pleasing.
This Isn’t an Anti-Hearing Aid Rant
Let me be clear. Hearing aids help me. They really do.
I use them when:
- I’m with people
- I need clarity
- I want to participate fully
But I also turn them off when:
- My brain is fried
- The noise outweighs the benefit
- I need peace more than precision
Both choices are valid.
If You Do This Too
If you ever feel guilty for switching yours off, you’re not alone.
You’re not being difficult. You’re listening to your body.
And that might be the smartest thing you do all day. Well, that and reading The Buzz (this blog).
If you’re reading this with your hearing aids turned off, welcome. You’re in good company.
Take care,
Marie
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