You’re having a Zoom call with your grandchild and you’ve been waiting for it all week! You’ll be able to catch up, check-in, and, laugh.
But when you get online you notice, to your sadness and frustration, that you can’t hear properly. Your hearing aids are in, but everything sounds muffled.
You’re incredibly discouraged.
Modern marvels muffled
Modern hearing aids are famous for their ability to produce crystal clear sounds. So when that doesn’t occur, that can be very frustrating. You should have clearer hearing when you’re using hearing aids, right? But your hearing aids aren’t helping your hearing. In fact, they’re making everything sound muffled. The problem might not be the hearing aid at all.
Why do my hearing aids sound muffled?
Ok, so, if the hearing aid is working correctly, why does everyone sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher? Well, there are a couple of things you can do to try to right the ship, as it were.
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 trouble. Amplification is muffled when earwax blocks your hearing aid’s ability to detect sound.
You may be able to determine if earwax is the issue by:
- Doing a visual check. Don’t simply put your hearing aid in without getting a good look at it. If you notice any earwax, try to clean it off.
- Turning the hearing aid on. If the start-up music and dings all sound fine, but speech is later muffled, the issue is probably with the microphone and not the speaker (and wax is the likely culprit).
It’s also possible that earwax has built up not on your hearing aid but in your ear. In those instances, make sure to clean out your ears in a safe way (a cotton swab, by the way, is not a safe way). The troubleshooting will have 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 accountable. In many cases, this could be a common ear infection. Sometimes, it could be an inner ear infection. In both situations, a hearing assessment is recommended.
Ear infections of various kinds and causes can create inflammation in your ear canal or middle ear. Your hearing will then sound muffled as this swelling blocks the transmission of sound. Normally, antibiotics will clear this kind of infection up. As soon as the infection has cleared, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Batteries
You just have to replace your battery. As hearing aids lose power, they sometimes start to sound, well, muffled (you can see why this would be something to keep an eye on). This is true even if your batteries are rechargeable. Sometimes, replacing the batteries with fresh ones can make your hearing aids sound crystal clear again.
Hearing loss
It might also be possible that your hearing loss has changed and your hearing aids need to be reprogrammed to compensate for that. Consider scheduling an appointment for a hearing test if you haven’t had one in the past year. While you’re here having your hearing aid adjusted we can also do an inspection and cleaning.
Don’t let it linger
If you try all this troubleshooting and your hearing is still muffled, it’s definitely worth taking some time to come in for a consultation. If the muffled sounds linger, you may find yourself wearing your hearing aids less (or cranking up the volume on your TV again). And all of that could begin causing hearing damage again.
Letting it linger is not a smart idea. Make an appointment with us so you can get back to hearing before that big family get-together. You’ll have more fun if you can actually hear what everyone is saying!
