Protect Your Hearing Aids from Heat and Humidity

Hearing aids are excellent devices that can bring the sounds of the world into sharper focus for people experiencing hearing loss. However, heat and humidity can threaten their performance. This article will explain why heat and humidity are threats to hearing aids and how you can protect them from these elements.

Every mechanical device has limits on how much stress it can handle before its performance drops below acceptable levels. The same principle applies to hearing aids, especially in hot or humid environments where they must operate at peak efficiency to remain effective.

Exposure to high levels of heat or humidity may reduce the effectiveness of your hearing aids, so protecting them from these elements is vital.

Why Are Heat and Humidity a Problem for Hearing Aids?

Hearing aids are small electronic devices that must conform to a person’s lifestyle, including their daily environment. As such, they are susceptible to the same environmental factors that affect all living beings. In other words, hearing aids are living things that are susceptible to the same conditions that affect everyone else.

Regardless of whether your hearing aid style is in the ear (ITE), behind the ear (BTE) or in the canal (ITC), heat and humidity can be detrimental to the performance of these mechanical devices. The components inside hearing aids, including wires and circuits, are very small. These components are also extremely sensitive to temperature changes. In fact, slight temperature fluctuations can damage these tiny components, negatively affecting the performance of your hearing aids.

In addition to damaging the delicate internal components of your hearing aids, high temperatures and humidity can cause sweat and moisture to collect inside them. This can make the experience of wearing hearing aids uncomfortable and cause a build-up of bacteria that could lead to infection.

High humidity and heat can also cause corrosion inside the delicate internal components of your hearing aids. While minor corrosion may not cause immediate problems, it can lead to serious damage over time. In addition to causing internal damage, high humidity can also cause discomfort inside your ears due to the increased amount of moisture.

What is the Ideal Environment for Hearing Aids?

Hearing aids are capable of adapting to a variety of environments, but they do have a baseline temperature range they operate within most effectively:

• Cooler environments: Hearing aids prefer cooler temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is too low, however, they can experience reduced battery life.
• Warmer environments: Hearing aids can operate at temperatures between 75-90 degrees Fahrenheit without being negatively affected.
• Extreme temperatures: Hearing aids do not operate optimally when exposed to extreme temperatures. They perform best when kept out of extreme heat, extreme cold and areas with high humidity.
• Humidity: While hearing aids can withstand moderate levels of humidity, they do not perform well when they are subjected to high levels of humidity.

Protecting Your Hearing Aids from Heat and Humidity

Here are some ways that you can protect your hearing aids from heat and humidity:

• Reduce your hearing aids’ exposure to warmer temperatures by keeping their vents closed when you are in a warmer environment.
• Ensure proper storage by storing your hearing aids in a cool, dry place when you are not wearing them. This increases the device’s lifespan.
• Avoid wearing your hearing aids longer than necessary to avoid the risk of heat and moisture build-up.
• Avoid using your hearing aids in areas where they are at risk of overheating or becoming too humid. This includes areas such as saunas or tanning beds.
• Clean your hearing aids regularly to remove any debris, moisture or build-up that could lead to internal damage.
• Consult a hearing aid repair expert and your ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor if you notice your hearing aids are no longer operating as they should.

Hearing aids are small electronic devices that must conform to a person’s lifestyle, including their daily environment. As such, they are susceptible to the same environmental factors that affect all living things. Heat and humidity are some of the factors that can threaten the performance of your hearing aids.

Hearing aids are capable of adapting to a variety of environments, but they do have a baseline range in which they operate most effectively. Protect their function and longevity from the harmful effects of high temperatures and high humidity. Ensure proper care by avoiding wearing hearing aids in extremely hot or humid environments, closing their vents, storing them in a cool place and maintaining them well to maximize their lifespan.

Learn more about how Vero Ear, Nose & Throat associates can assist by calling us today at (772) 408-9556.