Can You Use Hearing Aids During an Ear Infection?
Surprisingly, about 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. Most individuals think of ear infections as a childhood illness, something that impacts mainly young kids. And it’s accurate that ear infections are more common in children, but they also happen frequently in adults.
For adults with hearing impairments or hearing loss, ear infections can be particularly inconvenient, as they can interact with hearing aids in some unpleasant ways. Also, when hearing aids aren’t correctly maintained, they can become a vector for ear infection-causing diseases.
So is it a bad plan to use hearing aids with an ear infection? Overall, the answer is yes, but you may not want to. Ear infections can cause significant swelling and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids might exacerbate those symptoms. But individuals who use hearing aids can take a few steps to treat and possibly prevent ear infections.
Can an ear infection be caused by hearing aids?
You may be questioning if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing impairment. Technically, the answer is no. But in order to get the full picture we have to view it in greater detail.
The vast majority of all ear infections are a result of viruses or bacteria that then infect the inner ear. There are quite a few paths that bacteria and viruses can take on their way to becoming an infection. Often, a previous illness, like a cold or sinus infection, will lead to an infection of the inner ear. In other cases, fluid buildup might result in an infection. And it’s also certainly possible for viruses and bacteria to infect the inner ear through simple transmission.
This can happen with some frequency to people who use hearing aids. Your hearing aid accumulates this bacteria or virus and then gets inserted directly into your ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is crucial for this reason. So the virus or bacteria is really the cause of the infection, not the hearing aid itself. But your device might play a role in transmission.
Contact between hearing aids and ear infections
So what is the level of interaction between hearing aids and ear infections? To know what to expect, it’s useful to look at the most common symptoms of an ear infection. In general, ear infections will present with the following symptoms:
- In some instances, temporary hearing loss
- Pain in the ear
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Inflammation and swelling
- Fluid draining from the ear
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
Not everyone will experience every symptom, of course. In most circumstances, your infected ear will hurt and there will likely be obvious inflammation around the inner ear. For people with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. That’s because the hearing aid goes inside the infected ear (at least some of it). Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids might cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can prevent drainage. Your infection and discomfort may last longer if fluid is stuck in your ear. This will also increase the pressure (and pain) you feel in your ears. When you are wearing your hearing aid, pressure can be even more uncomfortable.
This increased moisture can also impede the operation of your hearing aid. So your ears are in more pain and your hearing aid doesn’t really work as well as it should. This means that you will have a horrible time wearing your hearing aid while you have an ear infection.
Strategies to wearing hearing aids with an ear infection
So what can you do if your hearing aids are bothering you while you have an ear infection? There are a number of steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing ear infections and to address the discomfort that an ear infection might cause. Here are a few of those steps:
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a while if you have significant or lasting pain. You can use alternative methods of communication with friends and family, like texting, in the meantime.
- Talk to your hearing specialist: If your ears begin to feel better, but the discomfort from your hearing aids doesn’t go away, think about 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 happens less often.) If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for some instruction.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: You should speak with your doctor sooner than later if you suspect you might be developing an ear infection. The sooner you treat the ear infection, the less severe or prolonged your symptoms may be.
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means routinely cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears dry and clean. Don’t try to stick any object in your ear, however, including cotton swabs. With a cotton swabs, your risk of developing an ear infection increases because you could push earwax and debris further up into your ear canal. You’re attempting to accomplish the exact opposite.
You most likely depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you get around your world more easily and have better communication with your family and friends. That makes it really hard to give up your hearing aid even for short periods. However, you will have a speedier recovery from your ear infection if you take a break from wearing them until you heal up. This will help you get back to feeling better quicker.
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.
