From changes to your body temperature, dry eyes or runny noses, the weather can have a number of impacts on our wellbeing – and this includes your hearing! From time to time, you may notice your hearing becoming muffled, or it sounds like everyone is whispering, when in reality, something with the weather has caused your hearing ability to wane. If you’re looking for more resources on why this occurs or what you can do to combat it, continue reading.
Cold Weather Impacts
Our human body contains fat, and the main responsibility of it is to protect our internal organs, nerves and bones from the cold weather. Unfortunately, human ears do not have this fat layer, which causes them to be more sensitive to cold weather. The ears contain thousands of nerves that aid their proper functioning.
When your ear perceives sound, thousands of nerve endings convert it into electrical impulses. These nerves are susceptible to damage during cold weather, which explains why they may act up in winter. When the temperature drops, the ear goes into overdrive to protect itself. This begins with the thickening of the ear canal as a protective barrier.
Additionally, if you’re using hearing aids, you may experience some technological issues when the temperatures begin to drop. Low temperatures drain hearing aid batteries. Additionally, the risk of condensation within your device is high and can destroy vital internal components. This is why you need an audiologist to check your hearing aids when the temperatures get significantly lower.
Warm Weather Effects
It is time for swimming at the beach or pool and wearing light, airy clothing. However, your ears may not take the excess warmth and increased infections from water activities well. Itchy inner ears, a sensation of draining liquid and hay fever often characterize it. This is a common complaint in summer, but a medical professional must confirm whether it is bacterial or fungal.
For hearing aid wearers, moisture and your technology do not play well together. Apart from the excessive earwax buildup in the summer, moisture further clogs your devices. You can prevent this by taking better care of your hearing aids and keeping them as clean and dry as possible in the season.
Mild Weather and Your Hearing
Spring is a welcome season for many Americans after a long winter. The flowers bloom, and people enjoy the outdoors more as the days get longer. Apart from all the positivity attached to spring, it may not always hold good news for your ears. Muffled hearing can be resolved by yawning and swallowing allow any trapped air to escape – restoring your regular hearing ability.
For individuals wearing hearing aids, the risk of clogging the device with earwax can increase in spring. During this time of the year, your ear produces more wax as a protective mechanism against allergens.
If you notice your hearing or hearing devices acting up because of the weather, consider reaching out to your audiologist to better address why this is occurring. They can run diagnostic testing, discuss results and recommend any beneficial treatments.
