You’re planning a very active summer. You’re certainly going to go to the beach and maybe go for a swim. You’ll do some day-to-day running and then maybe take in a ball game or two before going home to up some delicious dinner. You’ll 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 useful devices can be protected without it halting your summer fun.
Summer hearing aid obstacles
With hearing aids, each season will have unique challenges. During the summer, many of those challenges are weather and climate related.
Summer-related obstacles could include:
- Wind: Your hearing aids can be pushed and pulled around by the wind if it’s powerful enough. Depending on the climate, powerful winds can also introduce dust and debris into your hearing aid.
- Dirt and debris: You’re active during the summer. But when you hit the beach, there’s a good possibility you may get some sand in your hearing aid, and that might cause issues.
- Moisture: Whether it’s from swimming, humidity, rain, or simply sweat, moisture is nearly always present during the summer. That’s a problem because moisture can be a major problem for hearing aids.
Part of the reason why these issues are more common in the summer is clear: you spend more time outside. And you’re more likely to experience a surprise rain storm or a powerful wind when you’re outside so often.
How to keep your hearing aids working great all summer
Your hearing aids are made to make it possible for you to do more, to enhance your quality of life. So throughout the summer, most people want to use their hearing aids as often as possible. This means doing a few extra things to care for the technology and ensure your hearing aids keep working.
Take actions to keep your hearing aids dry
Water will wreak havoc on electronics and the more sophisticated the electronics, the worse the possible damage. There are a few ways you can keep moisture at bay:
- Use a sweatband when you’re working out. Your hearing aids will stay nice and dry because moisture can’t get to them.
- 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 paying attention.
- Dry your ears thoroughly. Drying your ears thoroughly will help prevent the accidental transference of moisture from your ears to your hearing aids.
- Open the battery compartment on your hearing aids while you sleep and let them air dry. This will help counter damage caused by corrosion of the battery.
- Don’t wear your hearing aids into the water. Beach day? Nice! Just remove your hearing aids first. Naturally, most people already do this. So residual wetness in your ears after you get out of the water is the real concern. That’s why you should consider using a swim cap and earplugs when you go swimming. This can help keep your ears (and thus your hearing aids) quite dry.
Take measures to keep your hearing aids clean
Heat and moisture can both fuel the growth of bacteria. So you should also do a few things to ensure your hearing aids are staying clean over the summer months. You can do the following:
- Store your hearing aids in a dry, cool spot. Hearing aids, generally speaking, don’t handle direct sunlight very well. So keep them off your dashboard on hot days. Alternatively, when you’re not using them, store your hearing aids in a dry, cool spot.
- Watch out for the long-term build-up of debris. You can take a little time to get rid of any debris on your hearing aids while you disinfect them. Occasionally, a professional cleaning is needed.
- Routinely sanitize your hearing aids. This can be done with specially produced antibacterial and disinfectant wipes.
Stay active, stay happy, keep hearing
Your hearing aids will be there for you for a lifetime and they will enhance your summer months especially. There’s a way to keep your hearing aids dry and in good working order whether you’re hiking, swimming, or just taking an evening stroll around your neighborhood.