You enjoy swimming and are all about going into the water. The pool is like your second home (when you were younger, everybody said you were part fish–that’s how often you wanted to go swimming). Today, the water sounds a bit… louder… than normal. And that’s when you notice you may have made a mistake: you wore your hearing aids into the pool. And you aren’t entirely sure those tiny electronic devices are waterproof.
Usually, this would be somewhat of a concern. Hearing aids are frequently designed with some level of water resistance in mind. But a device that resists water is a lot different than a device that’s waterproof.
Water resistance ratings and hearing aids
In general speaking, your hearing aids are going to work best when they are kept clean and dry. But some hearing aids are made so a little splash here and there won’t be a problem. It all depends on something known as an IP rating–that’s the officially designated water resistance number.
Here’s how the IP rating works: every device is given a two-digit number. The device’s resistance to dust, sand, and other forms of dry erosion is represented by the first number.
The second digit (and the one we’re really interested in here) represents how resistant your hearing aid is to water. The greater the number, the longer the device will last under water. So a device with a rating of IP87 will be really resistant to sand and function for about thirty minutes in water.
Although there are no 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 advanced technology inside them which can be damaged by moisture. Before you go for a swim or into the shower you will probably want to take out your hearing aid and depending on the IP rating, avoid using them in excessively humid weather. If you drop your hearing aid in the deep end of the pool, a high IP rating won’t help much, but there are other scenarios where it can be useful:
- You have a passion for water sports (such as fishing or boating); the spray from the boat may warrant high IP rated hearing aids
- If you have a heavy sweating issue
- If the climate where you live is rainy or overly humid
- There have been occasions when you’ve forgotten to remove your hearing aids before going into the rain or shower
This is surely not an exhaustive list. It’ll be up to you and your hearing specialist to evaluate your day-to-day life and identify just what type of water resistance is strong enough for your life.
Your hearing aids need to be cared for
Your hearing aid isn’t maintenance-free just because it’s resistant to water. You will need to keep your hearing aids dry and clean.
In some instances, that might mean obtaining a dehumidifier. But in most cases, a clean dry storage place will work fine (depending on where you live). And it will be necessary to completely clean and remove any residue left behind by certain moistures including sweat.
What should you do if your hearing aids get wet?
If there’s no such thing as a waterproof hearing aid, should you panic when your devices get wet? Well, no–mostly because panicking won’t help anything anyway. But you need to give your hearing aids sufficient time to dry out completely 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. At least, try not to forget to take your hearing aids out before you go swimming. The drier your hearing devices remain, the better.