Summer Hearing Health Tips

With the summer months approaching, our thoughts go to holidays, working in the garden and if the weather holds maybe some outdoor theatre and concerts. That means it is also time to think about our summer hearing health. Here are some of our summer hearing health tips.

Holidays

Your hearing aid accessories are vital parts of your holiday packing list so do check a week or so before that you have enough batteries and domes for your trip. It’s a good idea to change the wax guards too before you set off – please contact us for an appointment if you would like us to service your hearing aids before your holiday.

If you are travelling to a country with high humidity, I would recommend investing in a hearing aid dehumidifier. These small pots use a dessicant to draw any moisture from the hearing aid overnight.

Swimming

When the weather is hot, a dip in a swimming pool is just the way to cool off, but do take some precautions against developing a case of Swimmer’s Ear. All water contains bacteria but there are higher levels in untreated water such as river and sea water. When water containing bacteria gets trapped in the ear, it is in the right environment – a nice warm ear canal – and the bacteria start to multiply and this may lead to an infection in the skin within the ear casing inflammation, which can become very painful.

Follow these recommendations to reduce the risk of Swimmer’s Ear:

1. Use a swimming cap or ear plugs to minimise the amount of water going into your ears.

2. Dry ears thoroughly after swimming. If you feel you have any water trapped in your ear canal, lean your head over towards your shoulder, jiggle your ear lobe and gravity should do the rest, allowing the water to drain out. Never use cotton buds to try and mop up any water.

3. Do not try and remove any ear wax other than wiping it away from the entrance of your ear canal with a flannel or tissue. Again, never use cotton buds to remove ear wax. If you feel that you have a build-up of wax, please make an appointment to see us so that we can safely remove it.

Managing Noise

It is good hearing health to protect our ears from excessive noise. Noise protection applies to all the family, not just those wearing hearing aids and not just the obvious times such as loud concerts or sporting events, but also when using electrical tools such as lawnmowers and DIY power tools. Help In Hearing can provide inexpensive over-the-counter noise plugs – please contact us for more details.

Social Events

Summer is the time for meeting with friends and family and barbecues and parties. Your family will be delighted that you are taking care of your hearing health by wearing your hearing aids, so if you have not worn your aids for a while, it’s time to get them out again. Do make an appointment with us for a clean and service if required.