Even in winter, it's best to keep hearing aids in your ears
Many hearing aid users believe they should remove these little technological marvels in cold, rainy, snowy, or windy weather to protect them. But in fact, it’s better to keep them on or in your ear at all times, even in winter. This has been proven by technical tests conducted before the products hit the market.
It’s stormy and snowing outside, but you still have to go to an important business meeting. If you wear hearing aids, you might be tempted to take them out of your ears and put them in your pocket to supposedly protect them. But the opposite is true: hearing aids are best protected when they remain in or against your ear, even in bad weather. Your head acts as a thermal buffer, for example. Thanks to your body temperature, hearing aids are exposed to only minimal temperature fluctuations—just a few degrees below or, in the summer, above 37°C. This is demonstrated by the tests that hearing aids undergo before they are released onto the market—at outdoor temperatures ranging from -20°C to +80°C. This means: “Anyone who puts hearing aids in their purse in the winter risks the batteries freezing—and in the sweltering heat of summer, the hearing aid can even warp if left on a car’s dashboard,” explains Horst Warncke, an audiology expert with the Federal Association of the Hearing Aid Industry (BVHI). Furthermore, there’s a far too high risk that these valuable devices could accidentally fall out of a bag—a phenomenon we’re all too familiar with when it comes to gloves.
Extensive testing for stability and optimal functionality
Precisely because hearing aids are technically very sensitive devices, they undergo extensive testing before they are released to the market—in part to ensure their weather resistance. This includes not only temperature tests but also tests for water and dust resistance. Modern waterproof hearing aids can withstand being submerged in 1 meter of water for one hour. Rain and snow in fall weather are therefore certainly no problem. If the hearing aids do happen to get particularly wet, hearing care professionals recommend storing them overnight in special drying devices.
What hearing aids can withstand
Horst Warncke also explains: “For example, we simulate the hearing aids being dropped at least 2,500 times from a height of 2 meters onto a hard surface. We also simulate intense exposure to sweat with 100 percent humidity and high salt content, and we test switches and mechanical components by activating them 1,000 times and subjecting them to forceful bending—so that, in practice, absolutely nothing can go wrong.”
Of course, no one should try to perform these tests on their own hearing aids at home. But you can rest assured: The devices can easily withstand rain, snow, cold, heat, storms, and dust. That’s why you should wear them even in inclement weather and only remove them when you go to sleep. And if you do happen to notice a technical malfunction with your devices, your trusted hearing care professional will be there to help with repairs and advice.
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