You’ve been looking forward to this all week: a Zoom call with your grandchildren. You’ll be able to catch up, check-in, and, have a laugh.
But when the call begins, 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 discouraged you are.
Modern marvels muffled
Modern hearing aids are celebrated for their ability to provide crystal clear sounds. So when that doesn’t happen, that can be very depressing. Hearing aids are designed to help you hear better, right? But, lately, every time you’ve used your hearing aids, everything has sounded muffled and distorted (and that’s certainly not an improvement over your normal hearing). The hearing aid itself might not even be the problem.
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 might have built up against the microphone and that could be the source of your problem. Amplification is muffled when earwax blocks your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound.
You may be able to tell if earwax is the problem by:
- Doing a visual inspection. Don’t simply put your hearing aid in without taking a good look at it. Clean it completely if you see any earwax.
- Turning the hearing aid on. If the start-up songs and dings all sound normal, but speech is later muffled, the issue is probably with the microphone and not the speaker (and wax is the most likely reason).
It’s also possible that earwax has built up not on your hearing aid but inside of your ear. 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 have to continue if the muffled sound lingers even after you’ve cleaned your ears and your hearing aid.
Infection
So, if earwax isn’t the problem, the next likely culprit will be an infection. This could be a normal ear infection. Or it may be an inner ear infection. Both are worth making an appointment for an evaluation.
Inflammation of the ear canal and middle ear can be the result of both kinds of infection. This inflammation blocks the transmission of sound and, consequently, your hearing is muffled. Normally, antibiotics will clear this kind of infection up. Once the infection goes away, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Batteries
You just need to replace your battery. Hearing aids can sound muffled when the batteries are drained so be sure to watch for that. Even if you have rechargeable batteries this can still be true. Sometimes, switching out the batteries with new ones can make your hearing aids sound crystal clear again.
Hearing loss
If you’re still having trouble hearing, don’t ignore the possibility that your hearing loss has changed. Consider making an appointment for a hearing exam if you haven’t had one in the past year. Not only will you be able to make sure your hearing aids are properly programmed, but we will also be able to do a professional clean and check on your device.
Don’t let it linger
If you try all this troubleshooting and nothing really helps, it’s certainly worth taking some time to come in for a consultation. If the muffled sounds linger, you could find yourself wearing your hearing aids less (or turning up the volume on your TV again). And all of that could start causing hearing damage again.
So, don’t let it linger. 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!
