You’ve been looking forward to this all week: a Zoom call with your son and daughter-in-law. You’ll have a great time and get caught up with your cherished family members.
But when you get online you realize, to your horror and disappointment, that you can’t hear properly. Your hearing aids are in, but everything sounds muffled.
You’re incredibly discouraged.
Modern marvels muffled
It’s well recognized that you can achieve crystal clear sound with modern hearing aids. So when that doesn’t occur, that can be really frustrating. You’re supposed to have clearer hearing when you’re using hearing aids, right? But, recently, every time you’ve used your hearing aids, everything has sounded muffled and distorted (and that’s certainly not an improvement over your regular hearing). The problem may not be the hearing aid at all.
Why do my hearing aids sound muffled?
So why do voices sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher if your hearing aids are working correctly? 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 dime for every time earwax caused trouble. The problem with your hearing aid could be a build-up of earwax against the microphone. The earwax impedes your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound and, hence, the amplification is muffled.
Here are some signs that earwax may be the problem.:
- Turning the hearing aid on. If the start-up songs and dings all sound normal, but speech is later muffled, the issue is likely with the microphone and not the speaker (and wax is the most likely reason).
- Visually inspect your hearing aids. Don’t simply put your hearing aid in without taking a good look at it. Clean it thoroughly if you notice any earwax.
It’s also possible that earwax has built up not on your hearing aid but inside of your ear. Be sure, in those cases, you safely clean out your ears (cotton swabs are not recommended). The troubleshooting will need to continue if the muffled sound persists even after you’ve cleaned your ears and your hearing aid.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to think about if earwax isn’t responsible. This could be a common ear infection. Sometimes, it may be an inner ear infection. Both are worth making an appointment for an assessment.
Ear infections of various kinds and causes can generate inflammation in your ear canal or middle ear. This inflammation blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, your hearing is muffled. Typical, antibiotics will clear this kind of infection up. Once the infection clears, your hearing will usually go back to normal.
Batteries
It’s also altogether possible that your hearing aid batteries need to be changed. As hearing aids drain, they sometimes begin to sound, well, muffled (you can see why this would be something to keep an eye on). This is true even if you have rechargeable batteries. It’s possible, in many situations, that your hearing aids will become crystal clear again after you switch out the batteries with new ones.
Hearing loss
If you’re still having difficulty hearing, don’t dismiss the possibility that your hearing loss has changed. Think about 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 reprogrammed 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 certainly worth taking some time to come in for a consultation. If your muffled hearing lingers, you might find yourself wearing your hearing aids less (or turning up the volume on your TV again). And all of that could begin causing hearing damage again.
Letting it linger is not a smart plan. If you can’t clear out some earwax and get hearing again, schedule a hearing examination with us today and get everything cleared up before your next family event. If you can actually hear what they’re saying you’ll enjoy yourself a lot more.
