You’re planning a really active summer. Plenty of beach time and lots of swimming for sure. You’ll do some day-to-day running and then maybe attend a baseball game or two before heading home and grilling up some tasty dinner. You’re going to be busy! And you want to ensure your hearing aids are up to the challenge.
All of these experiences can present unique risks for your hearing aids, but there are a few simple ways you can protect these little, helpful devices and enjoy your summer too.
Challenges of hearing aids during the summer
Every season will introduce unique obstacles when it comes to your hearing aids. In the summer, most of those tests are weather and climate related.
Summer-related challenges might include:
- Moisture: Whether it’s from humidity, swimming, rain, or just sweat, moisture is just about always present in the summer. Moisture can be harmful to hearing aids so that can present a challenge.
- Debris, sand and dirt: During the summer you’re actually active. But sand inside of your hearing aid, like beach sand, can lead to problems.
- Wind: A strong enough wind can jerk and pull at your hearing aids. And if you’re in an extremely dry climate, wind can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aids.
Part of the reason why these issues are more common during the summer is clear: you spend more time outside. And when you spend more time outside, you’re more likely to encounter a strong gust of wind or a sudden rainstorm.
Keeping your hearing aids at optimum performance through the summer
Your hearing aids are made to allow you to do more, to improve your quality of life. So over the course of the summer, the majority of individuals want to use their hearing aids as often as possible. Taking care of your hearing aids by taking some additional steps can make that happen.
Keeping your hearing aids dry
We’ve established that moisture is the enemy of a well-functioning hearing aid (the more sophisticated the electronics, the worse water is). Protect against moisture with these tips:
- Open the battery compartment on your hearing aids while you sleep and allow them to air dry. This will help prevent damage from corrosion of the battery.
- Don’t go swimming with your hearing aids in your ears. Going swimming? Great! Just remove your hearing aids first. Naturally, this is common sense. So residual moisture in your ears after you get out of the water is the real issue. Wearing a swim cap or earplugs when you’re swimming is a smart idea. By doing this your ears and thus your hearing aids will stay nice and dry.
- Thoroughly dry your ears. Drying your ears thoroughly will help prevent the unintentional transference of moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
- Have a microfiber towel handy. In that manner, you can dry your hearing aids throughout the day. In this way, you can avoid the build-up of wetness.
- Wear a sweatband when you’re working out. This will help keep moisture out of your ears (and far from your hearing aids).
Take steps to keep your hearing aids clean
Heat and moisture can both hasten the growth of bacteria. So you should also take a few steps to make sure your hearing aids are staying clean during the summer months. You can do the following:
- Watch out for the long-term build-up of debris. You can take a few minutes to get rid of any debris on your hearing aids while you disinfect them. Sometimes, a professional cleaning is needed.
- Store your hearing aids in a cool and dry spot. That’s because hearing aids (generally) don’t do well with exposure to direct sunlight and heat. So keep them off of your dashboard on hot days. Alternatively, when you’re not wearing them, store your hearing aids in a cool, dry spot.
- Sanitize your hearing aids regularly. You can do this with specially made antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.
Stay active, remain happy, keep hearing
Your hearing aids will help you for a lifetime and they will enhance your summer months especially. There’s a way to keep your hearing aids dry and in good working order whether you’re hiking, swimming, or simply taking an evening stroll around your neighborhood.