I have found that keeping my hearing aids dry is one of the most difficult things I must deal with (second to a dead battery). It is very easy to keep them dry when I'm showering or swimming because I can simply take them out. If I get caught in a rainstorm, I can also protect them using a raincoat, umbrella or by taking them out and putting them somewhere out of danger. But, keeping my hearing aids dry when I sweat while I work out is not easy.
Because I wear behind-the-ear hearing aids (that aren’t waterproof), when I sweat, the electronics of the hearing aids are exposed to water which causes the hearing aids to stop working. Then I must go through an extensive drying routine (which I’ll go into in a future post).
I have used several strategies to prevent my hearing aids from getting wet when sweat. The first strategy is to have my hearing aid hang on the outside of my ear (instead of resting on top of my ear between the helix/antihelix and my head). This way, the sweat accumulates away from the hearing aid. This is an excellent way to keep the hearing aid dry when no other protection is available. Unfortunately, this isn’t a very good way to keep the hearing aid protected from the physical impact that might knock the hearing aid out of my ear, so I do not recommend relying on this strategy very often.
The second is to put them into a hearing aid sweat protector like this or this (or google ‘hearing aid sweat protection’). These protectors prevent sweat from entering the hearing aid and causing it to stop working. I used these for years playing sports when I was a kid and I never had a hearing aid stop working due to sweat.
Finally, the third option and my most preferred option now is to wear a headband. The headband sits between my head and my hearing aid and it stops any sweat from getting into my hearing aid. I also like it because I don’t have sweat running down my forehead into my eyes or dripping off my head. I realize that headbands aren’t necessarily stylish but looking weird is a small price to pay to keep my hearing aids dry so I can continue to hear while I work out and play sports.
I’m sure there are other strategies out there to keep hearing aids dry while working out, and if you have any to share please do so! Keeping your hearing aids dry is important, not only so you can hear while your sweating, but I’m certain that it improves the performance and longevity of your hearing aid over time.
Until next time, please keep in mind that if you need hearing aids and don't wear them, you should! If you know someone who needs them and doesn't, do them a favor and talk to them. If you need to, send them to this site. It's ok to wear hearing aids, there are lots of us who do!
