You’re having a Zoom call with your grandchild and you’ve been anticipating it all week! You’ll be able to get caught up, check-in, and, have a laugh.
But when you log in you realize, to your sadness and disappointment, that you can’t hear properly. You’re wearing your hearing aids but you still can’t hear anything.
You’re incredibly frustrated.
Modern marvels muffled
It’s well recognized that you can attain crystal clear sound with modern hearing aids. So when that doesn’t occur, that can be really discouraging. Hearing aids are meant to help you hear better, right? But your hearing aids aren’t helping your hearing. Actually, they’re making everything sound muffled. The hearing aid itself might not even be the problem.
What’s causing that muffling?
Ok, so, if the hearing aid is functioning correctly, why does everybody sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher? Well, there are a few things you can do to fix the issue.
Earwax
You’d be rich if you had a nickel for every time earwax caused trouble. Earwax might have accumulated against the microphone and that could be the source of your trouble. The earwax inhibits your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound and, as a result, the amplification is muffled.
Here are some signs that earwax may be the issue.:
- Doing a visual check. Don’t simply put your hearing aid in without taking a good look at it. If you see earwax, try to remove it.
- Turning the hearing aid on. If the start-up songs and dings all sound normal, but speech is later muffled, the problem is likely with the microphone and not the speaker (and wax is the most likely reason).
It’s also possible that earwax has built up not on your hearing aid but in your ear. In those situations, make sure to clean out your ears in a safe way (a cotton swab, by the way, is not a safe way). If the muffled issue continues after you’ve cleaned up your hearing aid and your ears, you’ll need to keep troubleshooting.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to think about if earwax isn’t accountable. In many cases, this could be a common ear infection. Sometimes, it might be an inner ear infection. Both are worth setting up an appointment for an assessment.
Ear infections of several kinds and causes can create swelling in your ear canal or middle ear. This swelling blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, your hearing is muffled. Treatments may include some antibiotics. As soon as the infection has cleared, your hearing should go back to normal.
Batteries
You just need to change your battery. As hearing aids lose power, they sometimes start to sound, well, muffled (you can see why this would be something to keep an eye on). Even if you have rechargeable batteries this can be true. It’s possible, in many situations, that your hearing aids will be crystal clear again after you switch out the batteries with fresh ones.
Hearing loss
It could also be possible that your hearing loss has changed and your hearing aids need to be adjusted to compensate for that. If you haven’t had a hearing exam in the last year or so, consider scheduling an appointment. Not only will you be able to be certain your hearing aids are properly programmed, but we will also be able to do a professional clean and check on your device.
Don’t let it linger
It’s certainly a smart idea to come see us for a consultation if you’ve tried all this and your hearing aid still sounds muffled. You might find yourself putting your hearing aids in a drawer and turning your TV up again if you don’t eliminate this muffling issue. And all of that could start causing hearing damage again.
Letting it linger is not a smart idea. If you can’t clean out some earwax and get hearing again, schedule a hearing examination with us right away and get everything taken care of before your next family get-together. You’ll have more fun if you can actually hear what everyone is saying!
