How to Protect Your Hearing Aids in the Winter
Everything undergoes temperature changes in the cold weather. When you’re stepping inside your home from the outside, you might immediately start to sweat. The reverse is true when you’re going from a hot area to a cold area outside, where your glasses may fog up in the condensation because of the temperature change. But what about your hearing aids? Due to condensation, moisture can build up in your hearing aid and it can cause some problems.
The cold temperature itself isn’t what damages these devices, but that doesn’t stop there being cold weather challenges for hearing aids. Understanding how to protect your hearing aids in winter is going to make sure that your investment in your health isn’t going to go to pot. You need to understand how to protect your hearing aids so that you can ensure that even when you’re out in cold weather, you can remain confident in your ability to hear. Let’s take a look at how you can protect your hearing aids in winter below.
Use dehumidifiers. Did you know that you can buy dryers or dehumidifiers especially made for hearing aids? These are smaller and these are purely to use to clean your hearing aids and dry them out. If they capture any moisture from being outside for too long, then you can use the humidifiers to dry them out when you get home. They are really effective for those living in humid conditions or during times of the year where you might sweat a lot, such as when you have a wooly hat on and you’re moving from a cold environment into a hot one.
Use sweatbands or earmuffs if you can. If you want to protect your hearing aids from the cold, you need to have something warm around your ears to protect them. This is especially the case if it’s snowing or if it’s sleeting outside. Sweatbands are a great option for hearing aid protection because they absorb any moisture and prevent it from entering your ears or your hearing aid.
Clean your hearing aids every day. It’s essential that you thoroughly clean your hearing aids every day so that they last as long as possible. When you’re cleaning them, always use a clean and dry cloth and speak to your audiologist about how to clean them properly. You can do this with a hearing aid dryer as well because they are easy to use and all you need to do is leave your hearing aids in the dryer overnight. The next day they’ll be moisture free, ready to use, and they’re completely dehydrated and not wet.
Use extra batteries. If you’re using hearing aids with replaceable batteries, you should always keep extras. This is because the cold weather can drain them more rapidly and you might need them faster.
Protecting your hearing aids in the winter is going to protect your hearing too. It’s a lot of money to invest in hearing aids, so you need to ensure that your investment is lasting you for longer.