You’re planning a really active summer. Some 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 going home and grilling up some delicious dinner. You’re going to be busy! So it’s crucial that your hearing aids are prepared.
Summer activities like these can be tough on your hearing aids, but these little helpful devices can be safeguarded without it slowing your summer fun.
Summer hearing aid difficulties
With hearing aids, every season will have distinctive difficulties. During the summer, most of those challenges are weather and climate related.
Summer-related challenges could include:
- Moisture: During the summer, moisture is almost always a factor, whether from sweat, rain, swimming, or humidity. Moisture can do a number on hearing aids so that can present a problem.
- Debris, sand and dirt: During the summer you’re actually active. But when you hit the beach, there’s a good chance you might get some sand inside of your hearing aid, and that could cause problems.
- Wind: A strong enough wind can tug and yank at your hearing aids. Depending on the climate, strong winds can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aid.
For the most part, it’s pretty obvious why these issues are more prevalent during the summer months: you tend to be outdoors more often. And when you spend more time outside, you’re more likely to experience a powerful gust of wind or a flash rainstorm.
How to keep your hearing aids in good working order all summer
Your hearing aids are made to improve your quality of life, to allow you to do more. Most people who wear hearing aids will want to use them as much as they can, particularly through the summer. This means doing a few extra things to care for the technology and make sure your hearing aids keep working.
Keeping your hearing aids dry
We’ve established that moisture is the enemy of a well-functioning hearing aid (the more advanced the electronics, the worse water is). Keep moisture at bay with these tips:
- Don’t bring your hearing aids into the water. Going swimming? Sweet! Just take out your hearing aids first. Obviously, this is common sense. So the real risk is the moisture in your ears that remains after you go into the water. That’s why you should start thinking about using a swim cap and earplugs when you go swimming. This can help keep your ears (and thus your hearing aids) quite dry.
- Open the battery compartment on your hearing aids while you sleep and allow them to air dry. This will help stop the battery from corroding and will decrease damage.
- Have a microfiber towel nearby. In that manner, you can dry out your hearing aids all through the day. This stops wetness from accumulating when you aren’t watching.
- When you’re performing an activity that will cause you to sweat, use a sweatband. This will help keep moisture out of your ears (and far from your hearing aids).
- Dry your ears thoroughly. Drying your ears thoroughly will help avoid the unintentional transference of moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
Routinely clean your hearing aids
Moisture and heat can both fuel the growth of bacteria. So you should also take a few steps to make sure your hearing aids are remaining clean during the summer months. You can do the following:
- Sanitize your hearing aids regularly. Specialized antibacterial wipes are made for this.
- Store your hearing aids in a cool and dry spot. Hearing aids, as a rule, don’t handle direct sunlight very well. So don’t put them on your dashboard on a hot summer day. Alternatively, make sure they’re tucked away someplace dry and cool when you aren’t using them.
- Watch for the long-term build-up of debris. As you’re disinfecting your hearing aids, you can also take the time to clean out any debris that might have built-up. Eventually, it’s probably also a good idea to have your hearing aids professionally cleaned.
Be happy, remain active, hear well
Your hearing aids will be there for you for a lifetime and they will enhance 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.