A beautiful morning dawns. Blue skies beckon you outside. You look outside your window, a feeling of anticipation building inside you. Today is a great day for a walk outdoors!
You prepare for your walk. Jacket? Check. Glasses? Check. Hearing Aids? Check check.
Stepping outside, a gust of wind pushes you down the path. There’s something magical about wind, the feeling of freedom that it can bring. It can be a very exciting experience!
That is, until you realize that you’re struggling to hear. There is just too much background noise. The wind, as exciting as it is, is affecting your hearing aids. What you had hoped would be a lovely brisk walk outside, has just turned into something much less pleasant.
Up to 48 million Americans report having difficulty hearing. For many, hearing aids help to open up a world of sound. While there is no doubt that hearing aids offer life-changing benefits, they can cause some difficulties. Even the most sophisticated hearing devices can be susceptible to unwanted noise and feedback caused by wind.
How Does Wind Affect My Hearing Aid?
Manufacturers of hearing aids have gotten really good at helping to improve listening experience. Background noise is one of the biggest challenges to overcome with a hearing loss. As a result, hearing aid devices have been developed to help minimize background noise. This can make the difference from hearing in a noisy situation to not understanding much!
Wind, however, presents unique challenges. By its very nature, wind is unpredictable. Wind speed, direction and force can all differ wildly. This can create a problem known as “wind noise.” It’s one of the most commonly reported issues hearing aid users have.
Wind noise is the result of wind causing the microphone in the hearing aid to vibrate. This causes the wearer to experience “whooshing” noises, similar to what it sounds like when someone blows into a microphone.
This can be an unpleasant experience. It can also make hearing and understanding very difficult.
Wearing Hearing Aids on a Windy Day
Because wind can interfere with your hearing aids, you may be tempted to not wear them at all. We advise against this, you shouldn’t be intentionally reducing your hearing ability. Instead, these tips can help you wear your hearing aids even on a windy day.
- Hearing Aid Capabilities or Features – Check if your hearing aid devices have a feature designed for wind noise. Certain devices will have special features aimed at keeping wind noise to a minimum while enhancing other sounds. This could include certain placements of the microphone, or programming specific to windy environments. We recommend that you speak to your hearing healthcare specialists if you’d like to explore these features further.
- Style of Hearing Aid – If you live in a particularly windy environment, you may want to factor that into the style of hearing aid you wear. In-the-Ear hearing aids are often most suitable for this type of environment. Their placement in the ear often helps minimize background noise.
- Windscreens – If you wear behind the ear hearing aids, speak to your hearing healthcare provider about windscreens or wind hoods. These can be attached to your hearing aid device to minimize wind noise.
Need Help? Have a Question? Contact Us Today!
The hearing healthcare professionals at Anderson Audiology would be happy to help. To book an appointment, call us on 702-997-2964. Alternatively, click here to request an appointment online.