Hearing Health Blog

Elderly man can’t hear because his hearing aid needs a new battery.

Hearing aids have been demonstrated to support your health in unsuspected ways including boosting cognitive function, reducing depression, and decreasing your risk of falls. Which is why it can be so aggravating when these devices fail to function properly. The difference between a delightful dinner with family or a terrible time can be made by discovering a fast solution when your hearing aid begins screeching with feedback or goes silent entirely.

Fortunately, some of the most basic hearing aid problems can be alleviated with a few basic troubleshooting steps. The faster you ascertain what’s going on with your hearing aid, the sooner you can get back to what’s important.

Try Swapping Out The Batteries

A low battery is one of the most prevalent issues with hearing aids. Some hearing aids have rechargeable batteries. Other devices are designed to have their batteries changed. If you’re going through any of these symptoms, it most likely means the batteries are to blame for your hearing aid problems.

  • Hearing aids won’t turn on: There’s a good possibility that your battery is to blame if your hearing aid keeps shutting itself off or won’t turn on at all.
  • Weak sounds: You’re struggling to hear what’s happening around you and that seems to be occurring more frequently.
  • Dull sound quality: Voices sound muffled like they are far away or underwater.

Some solutions:

  • Swap out the batteries if your hearing aid is designed to allow that. In certain cases, rechargeable batteries are sealed into the device, and if that’s the case, you may have to take the hearing aid to a professional.
  • Make sure you have completely charged batteries. Allow your rechargeable batteries to charge overnight or at least for several hours.
  • Having the right batteries is crucial so make certain you double check that. Putting the wrong type of battery into your hearing aid can result in malfunctions. (Occasionally, a battery will appear to be the same size as a different battery so it’s crucial that you be cautious and check twice.)

Try to Clean Every Surface

Hearing aids, obviously, spend a lot of time in your ears. And there’s a lot going on in there (your ears are like party rooms, only more hygienic). So in the process of helping you hear, it’s not surprising that your hearing aid can get a bit dirty. In spite of the fact that hearing aids are designed to cope with some earwax, it’s a good idea to get them cleaned now and again. Here are some of the issues that can come from too much buildup:

  • Discomfort: Earwax can accumulate to the point where your hearing aid fits a little tight. The plastic will sometimes need to be replaced if it begins to harden.
  • Feedback: It’s possible that earwax buildup can interfere with the feedback canceling functions of your hearing aid, causing you to hear a whining noise.
  • Muffled sound: If your hearing aid sounds like it’s lost behind something, it might just be. There could be earwax or other accumulation getting in the way.

Here’s what you do about it:

  • Carefully clean your hearing aids, as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.
  • Taking your hearing aid to a specialist for regular upkeep is an important procedure.
  • Take care of the filter by examining it and, if needed, replacing it.
  • The tip of your hearing aid can become coated and plugged up by earwax and debris so look for that. The manufacturer will normally supply a cleaning tool which can be used along with the manufacturer’s cleaning instruction.

You May Simply Need Some Time

The hearing aid itself isn’t necessarily the problem. When you first pop in your hearing aids, your brain has to get used to hearing the world again. As your mind adjust, you may notice that specific sounds are unpleasantly loud (the hum of the refrigerator, for example). And some consonants frequently sound louder than the rest of the speech.

These are all clues that your brain is racing to catch up to sound again and, before long, you’ll adapt.

But it’s worthwhile to get help with any issues before too much time goes by. If your hearing aids are not comfortable or you’re getting continuous noise issues or things don’t seem to be working exactly the way they ought to be, we can help get you back on track and ensure you’re enjoying, not enduring, your hearing aids.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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