You’ve been anticipating this all week: a Zoom call with your grandchildren. You’ll be able to get caught up, check-in, and, laugh.
But when you get online you realize, to your horror and disappointment, that you can’t hear properly. You’re wearing your hearing aids but things still sound muffled.
You’re incredibly disappointed.
Modern marvels muffled
It’s well recognized that you can experience crystal clear sound with modern hearing aids. So it can be really, really aggravating when that doesn’t happen. You should have better hearing with hearing aids, right? But your hearing aids aren’t improving your hearing. Actually, they’re making everything sound muffled. The problem might not be the hearing aid at all.
What’s causing that muffling?
Ok, so, if the hearing aid is working properly, why does everybody sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher? Well, there are a few things you can do to try to fix the issue.
Earwax
You’d be rich if you had a dime for every time earwax caused trouble. The problem with your hearing aid could be a build-up of earwax against the microphone. The earwax inhibits your hearing aid’s ability to detect sound and, hence, the amplification is muffled.
You might 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 power-up the hearing aid.
- Doing a visual assessment. In other words, have a good look at the hearing aid before you put it in your ear. Clean it completely if you notice any earwax.
It’s also possible that earwax has accumulated not on your hearing aid but inside of your ear. In those instances, 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 persists after you’ve cleaned up your hearing aid and your ears, you’ll have to keep troubleshooting.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to consider if earwax isn’t responsible. This could be a common ear infection. Or it may be an inner ear infection. Both are worth making an appointment for an assessment.
Ear infections of several kinds and causes can produce inflammation in your ear canal or middle ear. This inflammation blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, your hearing is muffled. Usually, antibiotics will clear this type of infection up. Once the infection clears, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Batteries
It’s also entirely possible that your hearing aid batteries need to be changed. Hearing aids can sound muffled when the batteries are drained so make sure you check for that. Even if your hearing aids are rechargeable this can still be true. It’s possible, in many situations, that your hearing aids will become crystal clear again after you switch out the batteries with new ones.
Hearing loss
If you’re still having difficulty hearing, don’t dismiss the possibility that your hearing loss has changed. If you haven’t had your hearing tested in the last year or so, consider making an appointment. Not only will you be able to be certain your hearing aids are properly programmed, but we will also be able to do a professional clean and check on your device.
Don’t let it linger
It’s definitely a good plan to come in for a consultation if you’ve tried all this and your hearing aid is still muffled. You may find yourself putting your hearing aids in a drawer and cranking your TV up again if you don’t solve this muffling problem. And all of that could start renewed hearing damage.
Letting it linger is not a smart plan. Schedule 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!