Can Hearing Aids Deal With Sweat And Moisture

February 2019 appears to be the hotest February since records began and I am sweating. We might enjoy the warm and sunny weather, but our hearing aids are not so keen.

You can search for hearing aids with specific IP Ratings below

Why Do We Sweat

Sweating is the release of salt based fluid from your sweat glands. This is a bodily function that occurs to help the body regulate its temperature and it's a very natural occcurance when you are warm.

Some people also suffer excessive sweating due to nerves triggering sweat glands, causing overactive sweat glands. Your face inparticular has a number of sweat glands which includes your forehead.

A build up of water droplets on your skin allows for water and sweat to run down your face and the sides of your head where your ears are located. If your face is sweating and you are wearing a hearing aid there is a chance your hearing aid will get water and sweat on, around and within it.

Along with sweating, your outer ear canal also has a particularly high humidity level which in itself can increase the occurance of condensation. Hot air coming from your ears hits a much cooler foreign object in your ear such as your hearing aid and condenses on your hearing aid tubing. The same can occur when you are outside gardening in the sunlight or on a warm day.

How Do Hearing Aids Deal With Sweat

Well what can you do? Firstly it is worth noting your hearing aids are now designed for a small amount of resistance to such sweating, humidity and condensation.  Over recent years hearing aid manufacturers have worked hard to improve the water resistance of their hearing aids. With the latest consumer electronics an Ingress Protection or IP rating is used to catergorise how suitable it stands up to water and dust, this includes hearing aids. IP is then followed by two numbers, the first number equates to protection against solids and the second number equates to the protection against liquids. With both numbers, the higher the number the better. Six being the heighest for the first number and nine being the heighest for the second number.

If a hearing aid has an IP rating it tends to be a fairly good one such as IP55, IP56, IP57, IP58, IP65, IP66, IP67, IP68.

Many designs, tests, and further research has gone into making your hearing aid and with moisture being a common problem for hearing aid users this is an issue that manufacturers have improved their hearing aid's protective ability. If you want to know if your hearing aid has an IP rating have a look for your hearing aid within our hearing aid catalouge.

If you want to make sure that you get a hearing aid that lasts, the IP rating is a fantastic starting point to check for. To help your hearing aid last longer and improve it's longevity, you should always try and eep your hearing aid clear of any dust or water yourself. The internal workings of the hearing aid are delicate and as a hearing aid user you rely on them to function at their best.

Tips for Sweat and Hearing Aids:

  • Wipe your hearing aid down with a dry cloth after you have been warm and sweating
  • Check for moisture bubbles in the hearing aid tubing. If this is a common occurance look into changing your hearing aid tubing for an anti-condensation tubing
  • Keep hearing aid cleaning tools to hand. A hearing aid puffer can be a particularly useful tool for hearing aid moisture problems. Even a pack of tissues can be handy for shaking your mould and tubing free of moisture.
  • If you wear your hearing aid while doing physical excercise try using a sweat band that sits around your head above the tops of your ears. This will help prevent excess moisture from pouring down into your ears.
  • Give your hearing aid time to breathe. If you have been outside sitting in the sun or doing exercise. Bring your hearing aid inside and place in a cool dry spot for a while for it to air out and cool down. It is a good idea to open up your battery draw when you do this too.
  • If you suffer from excessive sweating look into getting a hearing aid cover for sweat. Such covers are designed to protect your hearing aid from sweat, moisture and condensation. They appear like a sock that fits over and around the hearing aid device. A cover is designed to be acoustically transaprent, causing no or very minimal dampening of sound.
  • Let your hearing aid dry out over night. A helpful way to do this is using a hearing aid dry box. This helps to remove any moisture from the hearing aid before you start your day again.
  • Look at ways to reduce the amount you are sweating from choosing a cooler time of the day to go and do exercise to wearing more breathable fabrics.

IP Rating Table

ip rating table

Find A Hearing Aid By Its IP (Ingress Protection) Rating

Below you can filter through the entire directory of available hearing aids for specific IP ratings.

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