If you’re a hearing aid user and have gone cycling, driven with the windows rolled down or been out for a walk on a particularly windy day, you probably experienced wind noise in your hearing aids. The loud whooshing sound in the microphone can be irritating, as well as make it difficult to hear other sounds around you. You may be wondering if there are any strategies to decrease wind noise, or if you should just take your hearing aids out altogether on windy days.
How Does Wind Cause Wind Noise in Hearing Aids?
When wind moves past a hearing aid microphone, either because it’s windy or because you’re doing an activity that causes airflow to rush around you, the airflow is obstructed and redirected. The fast-moving air hits the microphone and swirls around your hearing aid like a whirlpool. As it spins, the air pressure near the microphone rapidly goes from high to low to high again, and the force caused by the fluctuating pressure manipulates the hearing aid and creates wind noise.
Can I Take My Hearing Aids Out?
If you’re planning on going for a bike ride or if it’s a particularly windy day, you might be wondering if you could just take your hearing aids out and put them back in once it’s no longer windy. We don’t recommend this. Hearing aids orient you to your surroundings; in the case of biking or driving, you need to be able to hear well in order to hear and react to traffic noises and stay safe. Additionally, hearing aids make communicating with the people around you possible. It’s best to avoid taking them out whenever possible (unless you’re going in the water, of course).
How Can I Minimize Wind Noise in My Hearing Aids?
The first thing you can try is to block the wind from reaching your hearing aid microphone. Hearing aid accessories, such as windscreens or hoods, are available that are made specifically to shield the hearing aid from the wind. If you don’t have those, you can use a hat or headband to cover your hearing aids and block the breeze.
You can also set programs designed to reduce wind noise or increase noise-cancellation capabilities. Discuss this with your audiologist and ask if they can program a setting specifically for cycling and windy days.
If wind noise is a particularly prominent issue for you, consider the effect your hearing aid style may have on wind noise. Behind-the-ear (BTE) and receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) models tend to be the most susceptible to wind noise. If you’re interested in discussing styles and fits and how they might minimize wind noise, call Hearing Services of Santa Barbara today, and we’d be happy to talk more.