Lowering your chance of depression, minimizing the danger of falling, and improving cognitive ability are some of the surprising health benefits that have been shown to come from wearing hearing aids. Which is why when your hearing aids seem like they fail to function properly, it’s so infuriating. The difference between a pleasant dinner with family or a horrible time can be made by discovering a quick remedy when your hearing aid begins screeching with feedback or goes silent altogether.
Luckily, there are some basic troubleshooting steps you can take that may alleviate or manage some common hearing aid problems. Finding out what’s wrong with your hearing aid as quickly as possible will get you back to what’s important all the sooner.
Try Changing The Batteries
A low battery is one of the most prevalent issues with hearing aids. Rechargeable batteries come standard with some hearing aid models. Other devices are made to have their batteries swapped out. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it most likely means the batteries are the reason for your hearing aid problems.
- Dull sound quality: It feels like someone is talking to you underwater or from across the room.
- Hearing aids won’t turn on: There’s a good chance that your battery is the problem if your hearing aid keeps shutting itself off or doesn’t turn on at all.
- Weak sounds: You feel like you are always straining to hear what’s going on around you.
Some solutions:
- Swap out the batteries if your hearing aid is manufactured to allow that. You might have to bring your hearing aid in to a specialist if the battery is sealed inside.
- Make sure the batteries are 100 % charged. Let your rechargeable batteries charge overnight or at least for several hours.
- Double-check to make sure the right batteries are used. Your hearing aid can be damaged by the wrong battery. (Sometimes, a battery will seem to be the same size as a different battery so it’s crucial that you be careful and check twice.)
Try to Clean Every Surface
Obviously, hearing aids log a lot of time inside your ears. And your ears have a lot taking place inside of them. So it’s not surprising that your hearing aids can get somewhat dirty in the process of helping you hear. 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. A few issues related to buildup and dirt may include:
- Muffled sound: Earwax and other buildup can make your hearing aid sound like it’s buried underneath something.
- Discomfort: Earwax can accumulate to the point where the fit of your hearing aid becomes a little tight. Occasionally, the plastic in the molds will harden and need to be exchanged.
- Feedback: It’s possible that earwax buildup can interfere with the feedback canceling functions of your hearing aid, causing you to hear a whining sound.
Here’s what you do about it:
- The tip of your hearing aid can become coated and clogged up by earwax and debris so look for that. The manufacturer will typically provide a cleaning tool which can be used along with the manufacturer’s cleaning instruction.
- Clean your hearing aid lightly in the way that the manufacturer has advised.
- Taking your hearing aid to a specialist for regular upkeep is an important procedure.
- Maintain the filter by checking it and, if needed, replacing it.
You May Just Need Some Time
The hearing aid itself isn’t necessarily the problem. When your brain isn’t used to hearing the outside world, it can take some time to get used to your new hearing aids. Particular sounds (the buzzing of an air conditioner, for example) may initially seem unpleasantly loud. 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 auditory stimuli again and, in time, you’ll adapt.
But it’s worthwhile to get help with any problems before too much time passes. If your hearing aids are uncomfortable or you’re getting constant noise problems or things don’t seem to be working just the way they should be, we can help get you back on track and make sure you’re enjoying, not enduring, your hearing aids.