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The forecast is looking good!! The phrase that we all love to hear at this time of year. Hopefully we can have a couple of months of long walks, BBQs with family, seaside visits and late night ice cream trips. There is so much to look forward to, especially with life opening up again so whatever Summer means to you, don’t spend it worrying about your hearing.
For people with hearing loss, hearing aids are a lifeline to the sounds of the world.
Wear & Tear
An important thing to remember is that you must keep your hearing aids safe from any environmental wear and tear. This includes keeping them out of direct sunlight and extreme heat. It wouldn’t be a great idea to keep your aids on your dashboard or a table outside. You can wear your aids as usual on exceptionally hot days in the Summer, you just need to be careful where you leave them when you take them out.
Keep them dry!
It is very important to keep your hearing aids dry. As with any technology, if your aids become water logged, it is likely they will no longer work. With this in mind, you must ensure you remove them before swimming. When exercising, it may be a good idea to wear a headband or wrist sweatbands to catch / wipe away any sweat before it gets into your device. Hearing aid dehumidifier’s can be purchased for you to store your aids in at night if you are worried that it has been a particularly humid day. An alternative to this is to ensure you open the battery door every evening when you go to bed. This will help air out any moisture between the battery and battery contacts.
Travel
When going on a Summer holiday, it is a good idea to take extra of everything you are going to need. This could include any cleaning instruments you use, as well as batteries and wax filters. It would be a good idea to take a copy of your Hearing Healthcare professionals contact details in case of emergencies.
Loud noises
It’s a good idea to protect yourself from any noises that are too loud and could cause temporary or permanent hearing damage. You should always be mindful when mowing the lawn or using a hedge trimmer; you could use ear protection such as ear plugs but if not, ensure you limit yourself to 2 hours of the noise. If you do notice any sudden ringing or buzzing that doesn’t go away, make sure you seek advice from your hearing health care professional. If you’re unsure about the level of noise you are being exposed to, there are some free decibel (dB) reading apps that can be downloaded to any smartphone. Noises under 70 dB are unlikely to cause you any damage. You should always keep in mind that the louder the noise is, the less time it will take for any noise induced hearing damage to occur.
Summertime infections
There are a couple of infections that you should be mindful of during the Summer time; swimmer’s ear and airplane ear. People who spend a lot of time in the pool or sea will be familiar with the feeling of having water trapped in their ear canal. Your ear may feel full or clogged up causing sounds to become muted. If water becomes trapped for a long period of time, the water can irritate the walls of your ear and potentially cause an infection. Drops specifically for swimmer’s ear can be purchased from a pharmacy which help dry out any moisture. You can always attempt to remove the water yourself by tilting your head to let it escape.
Airplane ear is caused by out of balance air pressure on take off or landing while travelling by plane. Yawning, swallowing or chewing gum all help with the full feeling this can cause in your ear canal. Airplane ear is stress on your eardrum and so if it does not get better, you should definitely consider seeking medical attention.
As always, if there is ever anything we can help with, or if you’d like some further advice on this subject, please do get in touch. Happy Summer!
