How to Stay Active Without Damaging Your Hearing Aids

Whether you wear hearing aids or not, protecting your ears in daily life is highly advised to help prevent progressive or future hearing loss. Unfortunately, it is very easy to overlook the potential damage caused in a range of daily situations. Exercise stands out as one of the leading culprits.

Nevertheless, when you do wear hearing aids, there is a constant battle to stay active without damaging your devices or hearing health. While physical exercise is hugely beneficial to your overall wellness, any audiologist will confirm that taking extra care of your hearing aids is essential. Here are some of the best tips to do it in style.

Find the Right Hearing Aids

First and foremost, you can make your life a lot easier by purchasing the right hearing aids. For starters, you should weigh up the pros and cons of different in the ear (ITE), behind the ear (BTE) and in the canal (ITC) models in relation to your physical activity levels. In fact, many serious athletes who experience hearing loss will consider having a pair specifically for exercise.

In addition to finding the right hearing aids brand and model, you must also visit your audiologist for a fittings appointment. If this aspect is not right, it can increase the risk of damage caused by dirt as well as the threat of your hearing aids falling out.

Keep Your Devices Clean

Dirt, debris and earwax buildups are all leading contributors of damage to hearing aids. During exercise, sweat becomes another potential cause of faults. Perhaps the most effective way to prevent and manage these issues is to keep your devices clean. Before, during and after your workout.

You should always check that your hearing aids are clean before inserting them into your ear, even when not exercising. Upon completion of your workout, it’s best to wipe them gently before storing them in a dry box to fight any moisture you may have missed.

Prevent Sweat Damage

The harsh reality is that you cannot stop sweating, especially when completing a high intensity interval training workouts or competing in fast-paced sports. However, you can reduce the risk of sweat entering your hearing aids by wearing a sweatband. Better still, it’s a move that helps keep your devices in place for added stability and comfort.

Additional items like ear clips can be used to keep your devices in place. While you may experience some feedback when putting the headband on. Once comfortable, though, it can also reduce feedback caused from other athletes getting close to you.

Manage the Sound Levels

If you wear hearing aids in the gym, there’s a good chance that they will be connected to a music device of some kind. The Bluetooth connectivity is one of several modern features that can significantly improve your experience of wearing hearing aids. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep the volume to a suitable level.

After all, exposure to 100 decibels (dBs) for over 15 minutes can cause further permanent hearing loss. Aside from protecting your ears, it puts less strain on the microphone and speakers of your hearing aids. In turn, this can help prolong their lifespan.

Consider Your Accessories

Regardless of what steps you take to protect your hearing aids, there is always a change that they will require some mid-workout maintenance. A dedicated hearing aid puffer can blow air into the tubing to ensure that the device remains unblocked, and sounds can travel to your ears as expected.

Furthermore, you may wish to ask fitness instructors whether they’d wear a microphone that’s connected to your hearing aids to Bluetooth. This can aid communication during workouts and allow you to hear them clearly without needing to keep changing the volume.

Know When Not to Wear Them

Finally, it’s important to know that there are times when your hearing aids should not be worn. When swimming, for example, it’s better to wear earplugs or molds instead. This way, your hearing aids stay dry while you continue to prevent swimmer’s ear or bacterial infections by keeping water out of your ears.

An audiologist can help you find the right ear defense tools that are perfectly fitted for your ears. Of course, you’ll need to think about ear defenders if partaking in sports that involve shooting or exposure to other loud sounds.

Book an Audiology Appointment Today

If you are concerned about the potential damage caused to hearing aids during exercise, the best thing you can do is visit your audiologist today. They will guide you through all key factors and decisions, ensuring that your ears and hearing aids are protected during exercise.

To book your appointment today, call Siouxland Hearing Healthcare, P.L.C. at (712) 266-3662.