Weather…. Specifically the humid weather of Florida can affect your hearing. People who already have hearing loss, wear hearing aids, or are prone to ear problems may experience more difficulties hearing when it is very hot and humid.
Why? Humid air can cause the skin inside of the ear canal to retain moisture and swell. This may make your ears feel full, muffled or plugged up. Humidity may deliver to you ear wax problems. Increased moisture in the ear canal can soften earwax, causing it to shift and sometimes block the ear canal. If the wax moves and creates a blockage, even if just partial, then you may have the sensation of fullness. In this case if you have tinnitus it may increase in loudness because you can’t hear other sounds normally.
Humid air also accompanies weather changes and shifts in barometric pressure.
This in turn may affect how well your Eustachian tube functions. If you feel like your ears just need to “pop”.. this is usually because the Eustachian tube is not working properly.
Now, add hearing aids to the mix. If moisture should get into the microphones then it can cause distortion, intermittent problems with amplification or complete failure. Luckily, for those of us in Florida, the newer hearing aids being produced today are waterproof. Keep in mind however; nothing is sweat proof. Sweat produces salt and the salt can clog up microphone opening and receiver openings. It is important to brush off your hearing aids and any little holes/openings that you see. Turn the hearing aid so that the holes are pointing down so gravity will help to drop out anything that my be stuck in the microphones and receiver openings.
So if you already have a significant hearing loss the humidity may affect you more than others. You may even think that your hearing is getting worse or something is wrong with your hearing aids.
In our office we run a “ReDux” ™ machine to dry out and remove anytime of oil or moisture that may be looming in or on the hearing aid. This device actually heats dry air to the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees) to evaporate and restore your hearing aid to a “like new” device. This device will also provide a read out of the actual amount of moisture that it removed. Pretty cool. It has saved many from water and moisture damage to their hearing aids.
It is important to remember to have your hearing aids checked on a regular schedule as set up by your hearing care professional. You should also have a visual inspection done to your ears every 6 months. If there is excessive wax it should be removed. If you feel or hear cracking in you ears when you move your jaw then you may have some ear wax that should be removed.
If you are having any difficulties with your ears or hearing please reach out. We are hear to help! 385 – 3497. To Hear Better Is To Live Better!
By: Roseann B. Kiefer, B.A., BC-HIS