You’re having a Zoom call with your granddaughter and you’ve been looking forward to it all week! You’ll have a blast and get caught up with your beloved family members.
But when you get online you notice, to your sadness and frustration, that you can’t hear properly. You’re wearing your hearing aids but you still can’t hear anything.
You can’t believe how disappointed you are.
Modern marvels muffled
Modern hearing aids are famous for their ability to deliver crystal clear sounds. That’s why it can be really, really discouraging when that doesn’t happen. 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 issue might not be the hearing aid at all.
Why do my hearing aids sound muffled?
Ok, so, if the hearing aid is functioning correctly, why does everyone sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher? Well, there are a couple of things you can do to try to right the ship, as it were.
Earwax
If I had a nickel for every issue that earwax has caused (in general, not me personally), I’d be a rich (but still cranky) man. The problem with your hearing aid may be an accumulation of earwax against the microphone. The earwax inhibits your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound and, hence, the amplification is muffled.
You may be able to determine if earwax is the issue by:
- Power-up the hearing aid. The issue is likely to be the microphone (probably wax accumulation) and not the speaker if all of the start-up sounds are normal when you turn on the hearing aid.
- Doing a visual assessment. In other words, have a good look at the device before you put it in your ear. Clean it completely if you see any earwax.
It’s also possible that earwax has accumulated not on your hearing aid but inside of your ear. In those cases, be certain to clean out your ears in a safe way (a cotton swab, by the way, is not a safe way). If the muffled problem continues once you’ve cleaned up your hearing aid and your ears, you’ll have to continue troubleshooting.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to think about if earwax isn’t responsible. In many cases, this could be a standard ear infection. Sometimes, it could be an inner ear infection. In both situations, a hearing evaluation is recommended.
Swelling of the ear canal and middle ear can be the outcome of both kinds of infection. This swelling blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, your hearing is muffled. Management may include some antibiotics. Once the infection has cleared, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Batteries
You just have to change your battery. As hearing aids lose power, they sometimes start to sound, well, muffled (you can see why this should be something to check). This is true even if you have rechargeable batteries. Sometimes, changing the batteries with fresh ones can make your hearing aids sound crystal clear again.
Hearing loss
It may also be feasible that your hearing loss has changed and your hearing aids need to be reprogrammed to compensate for that. Think about making an appointment for a hearing exam if you haven’t had one in the last year. While you’re here getting your hearing aid adjusted we can also do an inspection and cleaning.
Don’t let it linger
If you try all this troubleshooting and your hearing is still muffled, it’s definitely worth taking some time to come in for a consultation. You might find yourself leaving your hearing aids in a drawer and cranking your TV up again if you don’t eliminate this muffling problem. And all of that could begin causing hearing damage again.
So, don’t let it linger. Make an appointment with us so you can get back to hearing before that big family event. You’ll enjoy yourself more if you can actually hear what they’re saying!