It might be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. The common notion is that ear infections are something that normally affect children. Ear infections are definitely more common in kids but adults do get them too.
For adults with hearing impairments or hearing loss, ear infections can be particularly inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some uncomfortable ways. Hearing aids can also shelter germs that could lead to an ear infection if they are not properly cleaned and maintained.
So, you may be wondering: Can I use hearing aids while I have an ear infection? You can, but it might not be something you want to do. Hearing aids could intensify the discomfort and inflammation caused by an ear infection. But people who use hearing aids can take a few steps to manage and possibly prevent ear infections.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
You might be wondering if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing loss. The technical answer is no. But more detail is needed to understand the whole story.
The vast majority of all ear infections are due to viruses or bacteria that then infect the inner ear. There are a number of paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. In some circumstances, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection might be caused by fluid buildup in other situations. It’s also completely possible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
For people who wear hearing aids, this can be a frequent occurrence. Your hearing aid collects this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Proper hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. In other words, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your hearing aid does play a part in this transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to examine the most common ear infection symptoms. Generally speaking, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Temporary loss of hearing in some cases
- Pain in the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
- Dizziness or vertigo
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
Needless to say, everybody will experience the symptoms in their own way. In most circumstances, your infected ear will hurt and there will most likely be obvious swelling around the inner ear. These symptoms can have an adverse interaction with hearing aids for people with hearing loss. That’s because the hearing aid goes inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Your hearing aids could cause added discomfort as they irritate the tender inflamed infected ear.
Also, with a hearing aid that goes mostly inside the ear canal, fluid drainage can be obstructed. When fluids cannot drain, your discomfort may become prolonged. The pain and pressure in your ears will be increased because of this. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more uncomfortable.
The functionality of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the extra moisture. So your hearing aids aren’t working at peak performance and your ears are in pain. Which means that wearing hearing aids when you have an ear infection can be a downright miserable time.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
You may now be thinking: my hearing aids bother me when I have an ear infection… but what can I do? There are several steps you can take to lower your risk of getting ear infections and to manage the discomfort that an ear infection may cause. Here are a few of those steps:
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should talk to your doctor sooner than later if you think you might be developing an ear infection. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will decrease the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Practice good ear hygiene: It’s important to keep your ears dry and clean and regularly clean your outer ear. However, you should never stick any object inside of your ear and that includes cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can drive earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your chance of developing an infection. You’re trying to accomplish the exact opposite.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears begin to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t recede, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Making sure your devices are clean can help to ensure they aren’t transferring bacteria and viruses to your ears (or, at least, that it occurs less often.) If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for some instruction.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: If the pain is prolonged or significant, it’s all right to take a break from wearing your hearing aid until your ears feel better. During this interim period, you can adopt other ways of communicating with your loved ones (such as texting or writing messages on a piece of paper, and so on).
Hearing aids are likely an essential part of your daily life. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. That makes it very difficult to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recover from your sickness more quickly and more comfortably. This will help you get back to feeling better sooner.
Ear infections are relatively common. But you should still seek treatment if you detect symptoms. Contact us if you’re wondering how your hearing aid use will be affected by an ear infection.
