How Humidity Affects Your Hearing Aids

As we grow older, many of us will experience hearing loss and this is a normal part of our everyday lives. If you are starting to notice hearing loss, it is a good idea to get in touch with an audiologist and you will be able to get a hearing aid that can facilitate your hearing and bring a new sense to your life. 

Getting a hearing aid can be a huge step in your better hearing journey and it marks a chance for you to start hearing things you may have had issues doing previously. It is a great idea for you to do this and it will allow you to start enjoying things you weren’t able to as much when your hearing was hindered. 

Once you have been given hearing aids, you will start to live your everyday life with a new sense of perspective – however as you do live your life in the outside world, you will start to expose your hearing aid to humidity and heat. 

As a hearing aid owner, it is important for you to maintain your hearing aids as much as possible and part of this is to understand humidity and its impact on your hearing aids. 

Today we are going to take a look and how your hearing aid might be affected by humidity and what you can do to prevent this. 

What Is Humidity?

Before we consider how humidity impacts your hearing aid specifically it is important for us to consider what humidity is. Humidity is a condition where the air is warm and wet at the same time. When there is a high density of water vapor in the air and the weather is warm; this is known as humidity. When there is high humidity in the air it can be a pain for many, and when you consider an electrical device meeting moisture it begins to come clear the impact it could have on your hearing aid. 

There are couple of ways your hearing aid can be affected by humidity and this may impact how well the device performs. 

Condensation

The first way that your hearing aid can be impacted by humidity is through condensation. When you think about condensation you may think about moisture on your window on a cold morning – and this is exactly what condensation means, when warm water in the air comes into contact with a cold surface, water will build up and condensation is formed. This is why you see water on your windows. In terms of your hearing aid, the warm water in the air can come into contact with the cold metal components of your hearing aid and water will form. This can over time rust and corrode your components as well as cause a short circuit to the microphone which will render your hearing aid pretty much useless. 

Perspiration

It stands to reason that when the weather conditions are warm and moist that you will sweat more than usual. As you sweat, you will cause moisture to get into your hearing aid and this can have much the same effect as condensation will when coming into contact with the components as well as the battery. 

How Do You Know Your Hearing Aid Is Damaged?

It is all well and good us telling you the impact of humidity on your hearing aid, but what are the signs?

Well, there are several ways that you will know your hearing aid is damaged by humidity. The first of those is a crackling sound in your ear. If this happens, it is likely due to some water touching the microphone or a faulty connection. The second sign is your hearing aid cutting out sporadically which can be a sign that the microphone has been damaged. If your device stops working or is working intermittently, it could be the case that the battery has been damaged by the humidity in the air. 

So How Do You Prevent Humidity in Your Hearing Aid?

It is impossible for you to avoid humidity altogether, and it is of course unrealistic to think you can do this. However, there are some ways that you can reduce the risk of damage to your hearing aid should you come into contact with humid conditions. When you believe you have been in a humid condition you must make a check of your hearing aid.

Check that the battery works, that the contacts to the battery are clean, and ensure that the ports and filters are clean. If all of these things work and you are having issues with your hearing aid – moisture is the answer. The best thing you can do here is dry your hearing aid as soon as you can and keep the battery door open to allow air to circulate. Most of the time this simple fix will be enough to help. 

Looking for help from an audiologist this year? Learn more about Siouxland Hearing Healthcare, P.L.C. and call (712) 266-3662 for expert advice.