You have a lively summer planned. You’re certainly going to hit the beach and maybe go for a swim. You’ll do some day-to-day jogging and then maybe take in a baseball game or two before heading home to up some delicious dinner. You’ll be busy! And you want to ensure your hearing aids are up to the challenge.
Summer activities like these can be tough on your hearing aids, but these little helpful devices can be protected without it slowing your summer fun.
Obstacles of hearing aids in the summer
Every season is going to introduce distinct difficulties with regards to your hearing aids. Climate and weather are the biggest challenges in the summer.
Here are some summer related challenges:
- 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.
- Debris, sand and dirt: You’re active in the summer. But when you go to the beach, there’s a good chance you could get some sand in your hearing aid, and that could cause problems.
- Moisture: During the summer, moisture is nearly always present, whether from rain, sweat, swimming, or humidity. Moisture can do a number on hearing aids so that can present a problem.
For the most part, it’s quite obvious why these problems are more prevalent during the summer months: you’re usually outside more often. And you’re more likely to encounter a sudden rain storm or a strong wind when you’re outdoors so often.
How to keep your hearing aids in good working order all summer
Your hearing aids are designed to enhance your quality of life, to allow you to do more. So throughout the summer, most individuals want to use their hearing aids as often as they can. This means doing a few extra things to care for the technology and make sure your hearing aids keep working.
Take steps to keep 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 becomes). There are several ways you can protect against moisture:
- Air dry your hearing aids at night by opening the battery compartment. This will help prevent damage from corrosion of the battery.
- Don’t swim with your hearing aids in your ears. Going for a swim? Nice! Just remove your hearing aids first. Obviously, this is common sense. So the real hazard is the wetness in your ears that remains after you go into the water. Wearing a swim cap or earplugs while swimming is a smart idea. By doing this your ears and thus your hearing aids will remain quite dry.
- Thoroughly dry your ears. Drying your ears thoroughly will help prevent the accidental transfer of moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
- Use a headband 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. That way, you can dry your hearing aids throughout the day. In this way, you can prevent the build-up of moisture.
Regularly clean your hearing aids
Heat and moisture can both fuel the growth of bacteria. In the summer especially, take measures to keep your hearing aids clean. You can do the following:
- Store your hearing aids in a place that’s dry and cool. Hearing aids, generally speaking, don’t handle direct sunlight very well. So keep them off your dashboard on hot days. Instead, when you’re not wearing them, store your hearing aids in a dry, cool spot.
- Routinely sanitize your hearing aids. Specialized antibacterial wipes are made for this.
- Don’t let debris build-up over time. You can take a little time to get rid of any debris on your hearing aids while you sanitize them. Sooner or later, it’s probably also a good idea to have your hearing aids professionally cleaned.
Be happy, stay active, hear well
Your hearing aids will help you for a lifetime and they will improve your summer months especially. You can keep your hearing aids dry and in good working order whether you’re hiking, swimming, or simply taking an evening stroll around your neighborhood.