21/08/2026
Here is a surprise almost nobody warns new hearing aid wearers about: for the first while, your own voice can sound loud, boomy, or hollow, like you are talking inside a barrel. It even has a name, the occlusion effect, and it happens because your voice gets trapped in a newly plugged ear instead of escaping the way it used to.
The important part: this is normal, and it is fixable. Your brain adapts as you wear them, and a good fitting can open up the ear so your voice sounds like you again. Wearing them daily actually speeds this up. So if your voice sounds strange, do not quietly give up on the aids. Tell your fitter. That is exactly the kind of thing an adjustment solves.
If you wear hearing aids, do you remember how your own voice sounded at first? What helped? 🎧