Hearing aids, despite their small size, are made up of complex electronic systems to make them work in the way they do and give the wearer better hearing and a better quality of life. However, this complexity, while amazing in what it can provide, also means that it is quite delicate and can be damaged easily. The thing that causes more damage than anything else is water, and with that, humidity.

The problem is that we can't see humidity, but it can cause irreparable damage to your hearing aid. It is important to try and avoid exposing your hearing aids to humidity as far as possible. Let us take a look at why and how humidity impacts hearing aids.

What Do We Mean by Humidity?

Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air. Think about those days where the air feels so hot, heavy and moist, but there is no rain. That is high humidity. It means that there is a lot of moisture in the air. It also makes us sweat a lot more and this in itself can create more problems for the hearing aid.

The reason for humidity not being very good for hearing aids is quite simple: electronics and moisture do not mix well, and that goes for hearing aids.

It Is Not Just High Humidity That Is Bad

It would be natural to assume that if high humidity is bad for hearing aids, low humidity would be good for hearing aids, right?

Low humidity – where the air is very dry – can also be bad news for your hearing aids if you do not take care. High humidity encourages moisture to collect from condensation. In low humidity, things can dry out, become brittle and be more prone to snapping and breaking. 

The Internal Parts of the Hearing Aid Are Complex

As we mentioned above, the internal parts of your hearing aid involve complex parts working together to produce great quality sounds. The core part of this is a signal processing chip. This helps with some of the brilliant things that a modern hearing aid can provide a wearer, including:

  • Anti-feedback
  • Noise reduction
  • Digital streaming of sounds
  • Targeted listening

High humidity can damage these important parts and stop the above features from working as they should. Imagine dropping your hearing aid into a bowl full of water – high levels of humidity in the air will have the same sort of effect on your hearing aid.

How Do You Manage Humidity?

You can’t do anything about the humidity in the air, but there are things that you can do to look after your hearing aids in these conditions. 

For starters, there are water-resistant hearing aids available. These do not mean you can go swimming in them but will generally stand up against a sweaty workout or an unexpected rainstorm. 

If you live in a humid area, consider purchasing a room or whole-house dehumidifier to reduce the amount of water vapor inside. Not only will your hearing aid benefit, but so will your health and other electronics in your home will be protected.

When storing your device, don't forget to leave the battery door open. Condensation can evaporate on its own when the battery and inner elements are exposed to air by leaving the door open.