It’s important to care for your hearing aids by handling them gently and routinely keeping them dry, so it may seem counterintuitive to wear them while working out. With proper care, hearing aids can help enhance your workout experience and even keep you safe.
Hearing Aids and Working Out
There are a few reasons you should still wear your hearing aids while working out. Depending on your workout of choice, they can help you be a better teammate and even be a tool for keeping you motivated and getting the most from your workout.
Reasons to wear them:
- Personal safety: gyms can be loud, crowded and distracting, with heavy equipment requiring care and attention. Your hearing aids can better help you hear your surroundings and be aware of any potential dangers. However, the loud music in gyms can also be damaging to your hearing, as exposure to loud noises over time can cause hearing loss. You can talk to your hearing specialist about appropriate settings to balance your ability to hear and your noise exposure. If your workout of choice is running or walking, you can hear traffic or other hazards.
- Better communication: If your preferred method of staying active is participating in team sports, it’s important to be able to communicate with your teammates. It could otherwise be hard to hear over other activity background noises. Your hearing aids can also help you stay engaged and hear the instructor during workout classes, and working out can even be a social activity.
- Listening to music: Many people enjoy listening to music while working out. Hearing aids often offer Bluetooth® technology, allowing you to stream your favorite music directly through your hearing aids.
It’s important to remember to care for your hearing aids during and after any physical activity, such as walks at Bear Creek Park, to prolong their effectiveness and lifespan. You should clean your hearing aids daily, regardless of your physical activity. Your doctor may have provided you with a cleaning kit when you purchased your hearing aids. Otherwise, you can purchase a kit online.
It’s also important to remember to dry your hearing aids following any situation where they would have gotten wet, including working out. Moisture can damage the inner parts of the hearing aids, rendering them dysfunctional.
While working out, it may also be useful to consider wearing a hearing aid clip. These devices attach to your hearing aid on one end and clip to your clothing on the other. Hearing aid clips prevent your hearing aid from getting lost if they happen to fall out during physical activity.
If you have questions about hearing loss or would like to schedule a hearing test, contact Oregon Ear, Nose & Throat Center.