Wind noise can be a real pain for hearing aid users. The fact that popular models such as behind-the-ear and receiver-in-the-canal hearing aids are most susceptible to wind noise means that it’s essential for users to find helpful strategies to hear better on windy days.
How Does Wind Affect Hearing Aids? 
If you’re walking around your neighborhood or taking a stroll through Bear Creek Park and a gust of wind hits your hearing aids, it creates turbulence as it passes by the microphone. This creates a loud, unpleasant noise that can be annoying and make it difficult to focus on other sounds around you.
Can I Take Out My Hearing Aids When It’s Windy?
You might think that the best solution to dealing with irritating wind noise is to remove your hearing aids when out and about on windy days. However, hearing aids help orient you to your surroundings and make communicating with those around you easier. Ideally, you want to wear them during all waking hours of the day unless you’re going to be in the water.
Instead, there are several ways you can reduce the effect of wind noise while still wearing your hearing aids.
Ways to Minimize Wind Noise
Consider one or several of the following to minimize annoying wind noise in your hearing aids:
- Use hearing aid accessories like sleeves, windscreens or wind hoods that block some of the wind from your microphone, making it easier to hear.
- If you don’t have accessories, you can try pulling down a cap over your ears and hearing to help block the wind.
- Upgrade your hearing aids to a pair with wind noise reduction programs that can sense wind and automatically adjust their settings to improve your hearing experience in windy conditions.
In Search of The Right Pair of Hearing Aids?
Whether you’re a longtime hearing aid user looking to upgrade or have recently been diagnosed with hearing loss and are trying to figure out how to choose the right hearing aid, it’s important to consider your environment. We all know that Oregon can have its fair share of windy days, so finding hearing aids that work best in those conditions is essential to enhancing your listening experience.
To learn more about your hearing aid options or to schedule an appointment with one of our expert providers, call Oregon Ear, Nose & Throat Center today.