You love swimming and are all about going into the water. The pool is like your second home (when you were a kid, everyone said you were part fish–that’s how regularly you wanted to go swimming). The water seems a little…louder… than normal today. And that’s when you realize you might have made a mistake: you wore your hearing aids into the pool. And you aren’t really sure those little electronic devices are waterproof.
In most scenarios, you’re right to be a little concerned. Usually, modern hearing aids are resistant to water to some degree. But being resistant to water isn’t the same as actually being waterproof.
Water resistance ratings and hearing aids
Keeping your hearing aids dry and clean is the best way to keep them in good working order. But for the majority of hearing aids, it won’t be a big deal if you get a little water on them. It all depends on something known as an IP rating–that’s the officially allocated water resistance number.
Here’s how the IP rating works: every device is assigned a two-digit number. The first number signifies the device’s resistance to sand, dust, and other forms of dry erosion.
The number here that we’re really considering though, is the second number which signifies the hearing aid’s resistance to water. The device will last longer under water the greater this number is. So a device that has a rating of IP87 will be really resistant to sand and work for about thirty minutes in water.
Although there aren’t any hearing aids presently available that are completely waterproof, there are some that can have a high water resistance rating.
Is water resistance worthwhile?
Your hearing aids have sophisticated electronics inside them which can be damaged by moisture. Before you go for a swim or into the shower you will definitely want to take out your hearing aid and depending on the IP rating, try not to use them in excessively humid weather. If you drop your hearing aid in the deep end of the pool, a high IP rating won’t do much good, but there are other scenarios where it can be useful:
- You love boating or other water activities that generate over-spray
- You have a track record of forgetting to take your hearing aids out before you take a shower or go out into the rain
- If the climate where you live is rainy or excessively humid
- If you sweat substantially, whether at rest or when exercising (sweat, after all, is a type of water)
This is certainly not a complete list. It’ll be up to you and your hearing specialist to consider your day-to-day life and decide just what kind of water resistance is strong enough for your routine.
You have to take care of your hearing aids
It’s important to mention that water-resistant does not mean maintenance-free. Between sweat-filled runs, it will be smart to ensure that you clean your hearing aids and keep them dry.
In some circumstances, that might mean purchasing a dehumidifier. In other cases, it might just mean keeping your hearing aids in a clean dry place at night (it depends on your climate). And it will be necessary to thoroughly clean and remove any residue left behind by certain moistures including sweat.
If your hearing aids get wet, what can you do?
Just because there’s no such thing as a waterproof hearing aid doesn’t mean you should panic if your hearing aid gets wet. Well, no–mostly because panicking won’t improve anything anyway. But you need to give your hearing aids sufficient time to dry out entirely and if they have a low IP rating, we can help you find out if there is any damage.
How much damage your hearing aid has sustained can be estimated based on the IP rating. If you can avoid getting your hearing aids wet, you will get the best results. It’s best to keep your hearing aids as dry as possible.
