For many individuals, acknowledging and coming to grips with the reality of hearing loss is difficult to accept. Because you recognized that it was best for your health, you made the choice to go and get fitted for a hearing aid by a hearing specialist. More than likely, you immediately realized the benefits one receives from using a hearing aid, including the ability to hear speech (even amidst the buzz of background noise), the potential to recover from mental decline and the ability to deal with tinnitus.
But once in a while you get a loud, piercing, shrieking negative amongst all the life altering advantages. Your hearing aids squeal. Feedback is the more common term for this whistling. It’s like what happens when a microphone gets too close to the sound system, the only distinction is this time it’s directly in your ear. Fortunately, this is a problem you can fix relatively simply. We’ve put together a recap of three tried-and-true ways to stop your hearing aid from squealing.
1. The Way Your Hearing Aid Fits Can be Adjusted
Possibly the most prevalent reason for feedback or whistling in the ear concerns the positioning of your hearing aid in your ear or the earmold connected to it. The sound can get out and reverberate through the microphone of the hearing aid if it doesn’t fit right. Depending on how poorly the fit is and how much sound has escaped, the consequences of the leakage can be either a continuous or an intermittent squealing. With some hearing aid designs, a plastic tube will connect the actual device with the earmold. Over time, this piece can harden, shrink or crack, which unseats the earmold from its best position. This movement can cause squealing, but you can fix the issue by switching the plastic piece.
2. Get Rid of Excessive Earwax
Earwax is really beneficial for our bodies, even though, ironically, we tend to think of it as unwelcome or even foul. Dirt and other things are prevented from getting into the ears by this icky substance which acts as a defense. While your ears will self-regulate the quantity of earwax you hold, through actions such as Talking and chewing, there are times when a buildup of too much earwax can have negative consequences. Feedback will unavoidably happen if you insert a hearing aid on top of an excessive amount of earwax. Because of the blockage from earwax, the amplified sound has nowhere to go and this is the reason for the feedback. With no clear place to go, the sound comes around and goes through the microphone once more. There are a few ways to get rid of an abundance of wax from your ears such as letting a warm shower run into your ears. In order to eliminate undue buildup, however, the best idea is to have your ears correctly cleaned by a hearing care expert.
3. Make Sure The Microphone is Uncovered
Often the most obvious solution is the most effective. Have you ever noticed someone trying to take a picture which didn’t come out, only to find that the lens cap was still on? With hearing aids the same thing can happen. Anything covering the device can cause it to whistle. You may even get the same result by covering the microphone with your hand or another object, like if you bury your ear in someone’s shoulder while giving them a hug. This problem should be easy to fix simply by uncovering the hearing aid.
Here’s a bonus tip: A new hearing aid may be the best solution. Some causes for concern are being relieved by modern hearing aid models and manufacturers are developing new technology all of the time. If you’re having issues with whistling from your hearing aids, or you’re interested in learning more about new hearing technology, call us.