A hearing aid is a fragile piece of equipment that could potentially be damaged if worn during athletic activity. However, it's not always safe or advisable to leave one's hearing aid out when exercising.
In team sports, communication between competitors is important. Also, being able to hear properly can improve performance, balance, and awareness.
If you participate in sports while wearing a hearing aid, you should remember the following three things to ensure that your hearing aid continues to function properly during and after sports events:
Preventing damage and malfunctions caused by moisture
One of the biggest concerns for athletes with hearing aids is that moisture from sweat will damage the hearing aid's circuitry. Most hearing aids need to be kept dry to function properly. Beads of perspiration that accumulate in the hair and around the ear during strenuous activity can expose hearing aids to a surprisingly large amount of moisture.
If you're concerned about moisture exposure, you should look into pieces of sweat-wicking athletic equipment that are custom-designed for those with hearing aids. You can wear a sweat-resistant pouch around your hearing aid that will keep moisture away. You can even use a simple sweatband if you're looking for the most affordable and simple solution to the moisture control issue.
Keeping your hearing aids in place while you're active
Hearing aids aren't cheap, and they're likely to be completely destroyed if they come out and fall to the ground during an athletic competition.
The sweat-resistant pouches mentioned above will typically be able to keep hearing aids in place and prevent them from becoming dislodged during athletic activities. There are also a variety of hearing aid clips out on the market that attach onto the hearing aid and onto the wearer's clothing. These clips catch hearing aids if they come out and prevent them from falling or becoming lost.
Carrying out maintenance after you exercise
Hearing aid wearers should inspect and perform some cleaning on their hearing aids after athletic events to remove any dirt or debris that may have accumulated. Also, it's a good idea to dehumidify hearing aids after sports events because of the moisture exposure that's typical during athletic exertion. A hearing aid can be left on a dry box or dehumidifier overnight after it is exposed to sweat to completely dry it out. These units will often sanitize hearing aids in addition to drying out any moisture.
For more information, contact a company like Pacific Hearing Care.
