We all love traveling to exotic, warm destinations during the vacations. What we often do not realize is that humidity is not the best of friends with your hearing aids. In humid climates, those with hearing loss may be putting their hearing aids at risk of damage due to moisture.
Humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. We all know that hearing aids, being electronic devices, do not function very well when moisture is present since this can cause your hearing aids to short circuit.
Moist, humid climates tend to cause the moisture in the air to seep into your hearing aids. Moreover, hot, humid climates cause an increase in sweat, which adds additional moisture to your hearing device.
Once your hearing aids come in contact with humid air or sweat, the openings and tubing of your device tends to get clogged up. If there is salt in the air or your sweat, this can even corrode parts of your hearing devices, which can cause your device to malfunction.
You may be able to detect any damage to your hearing aids caused by humid climate by paying attention to the following signals. Your hearing aids may sound as though they are crackling or hissing. The sounds may appear muffled or distorted, or feel like they are faint and fading. You may also find that your device shuts off abruptly and stops working due to no apparent reason.
Of course, it is advisable to do a thorough check before assuming the worst. When you feel like the hearing aids are malfunctioning, removing them and switch them off. Give them a thorough inspection and look for other potential causes for them not working properly. Check your battery status, and whether your hearing aids are clean. Check whether all the parts are connected properly.
If you find that all your checks seem to be fine, then it may be moisture that is corrupting your hearing aids. Remove your hearing aids immediately and put them in a dehumidifier as soon as possible. Leave the battery doors open to enable any trapped moisture to dry up. Make sure you run a drying cycle and leave your hearing aids in the dehumidifier for at least a couple of hours. Do not remove them even if they appear to look dried up from the outside, since there may still be some moisture trapped on the inside.
We cannot control the climate we live in, or even the climate we choose to vacation in. We can, however, control the devices we wear, and our daily habits. Make sure you keep your ears dry by wearing sweatbands when you work out to keep the sweat away from your ears. Make sure you exercise or engage in physically engaging activities during cooler durations of each day, such as the evenings or nights when the sun is down.
You can opt for hearing aids that have nano-coating or are water resistant. If all else fails, simply remove your hearing aids when you are exercising. Always store your hearing aids in a clean, dry air tight container when you are not wearing them.