You’ve got a lively summer planned. You’re definitely going to go to the beach and maybe go for a swim. You’ll do some day-to-day jogging and then maybe attend a baseball game or two before heading home to up some delicious dinner. You’re going to be busy! So it’s essential that your hearing aids are prepared.
Each of these experiences can introduce unique hazards for your hearing aids, but there are a few simple ways you can protect these little, helpful devices and enjoy your summer too.
Obstacles of hearing aids in the summer
With hearing aids, every season will come with unique challenges. In the summer, many of those tests are weather and climate related.
Summer-related challenges might include:
- Wind: A powerful enough wind can tug and yank at your hearing aids. Depending on the environment, powerful winds can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aid.
- Moisture: Whether it’s from swimming, humidity, rain, or simply sweat, moisture is nearly always present in the summer. Moisture can do a number on hearing aids so that can present a challenge.
- Dirt and debris: You’re active during the summer. But when you hit the beach, there’s a good possibility you could get some sand inside of your hearing aid, and that could cause problems.
In general, it’s quite obvious why these problems are more widespread in the summer months: you’re usually outdoors more often. And you’re more likely to encounter a sudden rain storm or a strong wind when you’re outdoors so often.
Keeping your hearing aids at peak performance through the summer
Your hearing aids are made to make it possible for you to do more, to enhance your quality of life. So over the course of the summer, the majority of individuals want to wear their hearing aids as often as possible. Caring for your hearing aids by taking a few extra steps can make that happen.
Take actions to keep your hearing aids dry
Water will wreak havoc on electronics and the more state-of-the-art the electronics, the worse the potential damage. Keep moisture at bay with these tips:
- Thoroughly dry your ears. Make sure you aren’t accidentally transferring moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
- Don’t go swimming with your hearing aids in your ears. Beach day? Great! Just take out your hearing aids first. Naturally, this is common sense. So the real hazard is the wetness in your ears that lingers after you go swimming. That’s why you should consider using a swim cap and earplugs when you go swimming. By doing this your ears and thus your hearing aids will stay quite dry.
- Open the battery compartment on your hearing aids at night and let them air dry. This will help counter damage from corrosion of the battery.
- Wear a sweatband when you’re working out. This will help keep sweat out of your ears (and far from your hearing aids).
- Have a microfiber towel handy. You can use this to periodically dry your hearing aids. This stops wetness from accumulating when you aren’t paying attention.
Regularly clean your hearing aids
The growth of bacteria is fueled by moisture and heat. So you should also do a few things to make sure your hearing aids are remaining clean over the summer months. You can do the following:
- Watch for the long-term accumulation 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.
- Routinely disinfect your hearing aids. You can do this with specially produced antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.
- Store your hearing aids in a place that’s dry and cool. Hearing aids, as a rule, don’t handle direct sunlight very well. So don’t store them on your dashboard on a hot summer day. Alternatively, make certain they’re nestled away someplace dry and cool when you’re not using them.
Be happy, remain active, hear well
Your hearing aids are made to help you throughout your life, and that’s certainly true of the summer season. So whether you’re planning on swimming in the lake, hiking up a mountain, or taking a walk around the neighborhood, there’s a way to be sure your hearing aids stay dry and keep working.