You’re having a Zoom call with your granddaughter and you’ve been waiting for it all week! You’ll be able to get caught up, check-in, and, laugh.
But when the call starts, you are mortified to realize, you can’t hear what your loved ones are saying. You’re wearing your hearing aids but things still sound muffled.
You can’t believe how frustrated you are.
Modern marvels muffled
It’s well known that you can attain crystal clear sound with modern hearing aids. So when that doesn’t happen, that can be really frustrating. You’re supposed to have clearer hearing when you’re using hearing aids, right? But, lately, every time you’ve turned your hearing aids on, everything has sounded muffled and distorted (and that’s certainly not an improvement over your regular hearing). The hearing aid itself may not even be the issue.
Why do my hearing aids sound muffled?
So why do voices sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher if your hearing aids are functioning correctly? Well, there are several things you can do to correct the issue.
Earwax
You’d be rich if you had a nickel for every time earwax caused trouble. Earwax may have accumulated against the microphone and that may be the source of your problem. The earwax inhibits your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound and, thus, the amplification is muffled.
You might be able to determine if earwax is the problem by:
- Visually look over your hearing aids. In other words, take a good look at the hearing aid before you put it in your ear. If you notice any earwax, try to remove it.
- Power-up the hearing aid. The issue is likely to be the microphone (probably wax accumulation) and not the speaker if all of the start-up sounds are normal when you power-up the hearing aid.
Conversely, it’s possible that earwax in your ear and not on the hearing aid is the problem here. In those instances, be certain to clean out your ears in a safe way (a cotton swab, by the way, is not a safe way). The troubleshooting will need to continue if the muffled sound lingers even after you’ve cleaned your ears and your hearing aid.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to consider if earwax isn’t responsible. In many cases, this could be a common ear infection. Or it might be an inner ear infection. Both are worth making an appointment for an evaluation.
Swelling of the ear canal and middle ear can be the outcome of both kinds of infection. This swelling blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, the sound you’re hearing is muffled. Management may include some antibiotics. Once the infection clears, your hearing should return to normal.
Batteries
It’s also altogether possible that your hearing aid batteries are in need to be charged. Hearing aids can sound muffled when the batteries are drained so make sure you check for that. Even if you have rechargeable batteries this can still be true. It’s possible, in many instances, that your hearing aids will be crystal clear again after you replace the batteries with new ones.
Hearing loss
It might also be possible that your hearing loss has changed and your hearing aids need to be adjusted to compensate for that. Consider making an appointment for a hearing examination if you haven’t had one in the last year. While you’re here having your hearing aid adjusted we can also do an inspection and cleaning.
Don’t let it linger
It’s certainly a good idea to come see us for a consultation if you’ve tried all this and your hearing aid is still muffled. You might find yourself leaving your hearing aids in a drawer and turning your TV up again if you don’t solve this muffling issue. Your hearing could then start to sustain further damage.
Letting it linger is not a wise plan. Schedule an appointment with us so you can get back to hearing before that big family get-together. You’ll enjoy yourself more if you can actually hear what they’re saying!