You have a lively summer planned. You’re certainly going to go to the beach and maybe take a swim. You’ll enjoy some live entertainment, you’ll get lots of exercise jogging or perhaps playing some tennis, then it’s time to hit the grill. Your schedule will be pretty full. So it’s important that your hearing aids are prepared.
All of these activities can present unique risks for your hearing aids, but there are a few simple ways you can safeguard these tiny, helpful devices and enjoy your summer as well.
Obstacles of hearing aids during the summer
With hearing aids, every season will come with distinctive difficulties. During the summer, most of those challenges are weather and climate related.
Summer-related challenges may include:
- Debris, sand and dirt: You’re active in the summer. But when you go to the beach, there’s a good possibility you could get some sand inside of your hearing aid, and that might cause problems.
- Wind: Your hearing aids can be pushed and pulled around by the wind if it’s powerful enough. And if you’re in an extremely dry environment, wind can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aids.
- Moisture: During the summer, moisture is almost always a factor, whether from rain, sweat, swimming, or humidity. Moisture can be harmful to hearing aids so that can present a challenge.
For the most part, it’s fairly obvious why these issues are more widespread during the summer months: you spend more time outside. And you’re more likely to experience a sudden rain storm or a strong wind when you’re outside so often.
How to keep your hearing aids working great all summer
Your hearing aids are made to enhance your quality of life, to make it possible for you to do more. The majority of individuals who wear hearing aids will want to use them as much as possible, particularly during the summer. Taking care of your hearing aids by taking a few additional steps can make that happen.
Keeping your hearing aids dry
We’ve established that moisture is the adversary of a well-functioning hearing aid (the more state-of-the-art the electronics, the worse water is). There are several ways you can protect against moisture:
- When you’re performing an activity that will cause you to sweat, use a sweatband. Your hearing aids will stay quite dry because moisture can’t get to them.
- Air dry your hearing aids while you sleep by opening the battery compartment. This will help stop the battery from corroding and will prevent damage.
- Have a microfiber towel handy. That way, you can dry your hearing aids throughout the day. This stops moisture from accumulating when you aren’t watching.
- Dry your ears thoroughly. Make sure you aren’t accidentally transferring moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
- Don’t swim while wearing your hearing aids. Going for a swim? Great! Just remove your hearing aids first. Naturally, this is common sense. So the real risk is the wetness in your ears that lingers after you go swimming. That’s why you should start thinking about using a swim cap and earplugs when you go in the water. This can help keep your ears (and thus your hearing aids) nice and dry.
Regularly clean your hearing aids
Moisture and heat can both hasten the growth of bacteria. So you should also take a few steps to make sure your hearing aids are staying clean over the summer months. Here are some guidelines:
- Disinfect your hearing aids regularly. You can do this with specially produced antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.
- Store your hearing aids in a cool and dry place. That’s because hearing aids (generally) don’t like exposure to heat and direct sunlight. So keep them off your dashboard on hot days. Instead, make certain they’re nestled away somewhere dry and cool when you aren’t wearing them.
- Don’t let debris accumulate over time. You can take a little time to remove any debris on your hearing aids while you disinfect them. Sometimes, a professional cleaning is necessary.
Be happy, stay active, hear well
Your hearing aids will help you for a lifetime and they will enhance your summer months especially. So whether you’re planning on going for a swim in the lake, hiking over a mountain, or going for a stroll around the neighborhood, there’s a way to be sure your hearing aids stay dry and keep working.
