It may be a surprise to many people that roughly 20% of all ear infections happen to adults. The common idea is that ear infections are something that usually impact kids. Ear infections are certainly more common in children but adults do get them too.
Ear infections can be particularly unpleasant for individuals who have hearing loss because they can interact with their hearing aids. Hearing aids can also harbor germs that could result in an ear infection if they are not properly cleaned and maintained.
So, you may be wondering: Can I use hearing aids while I have an ear infection? In general, the answer is yes, but you might not want to. Ear infections can cause considerable inflammation and discomfort in the ear, and your hearing aids may exacerbate those symptoms. However, there are some steps that people who use hearing aids can take to help avoid and manage ear infection symptoms.
Do hearing aids cause ear infections?
You might be wondering if your hearing aid is the cause of your ear infection if you’re an adult with hearing loss. The technical answer is no. But more detail is needed to understand the whole story.
The vast majority of all ear infections are caused by 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. In some circumstances, the inner ear becomes infected after an earlier illness (for instance, a sinus infection or a cold). An infection might be caused by fluid buildup in other instances. It’s also entirely possible that a virus or bacteria directly infected the inner ear by physical transmission.
This can occur with some frequency to individuals who wear hearing aids. The virus or bacteria latches onto your hearing aid and, when inserted, gains access to the inner ear. Correct hearing aid cleaning and maintenance is essential for this reason. Essentially, the hearing aid itself doesn’t cause the ear infection, the virus or bacteria does. But your hearing aid is involved in this transmission.
How ear infections interact with hearing aids
So, how do ear infections and hearing aids interact? The best way to anticipate what to expect is to look at the most common ear infection symptoms. Here are some of the most common symptoms of ear infections:
- Pain in the ear
- Swelling and inflammation
- Discharge of fluid from the ear
- Tinnitus (a ringing in the ears)
- Temporary loss of hearing in some situations
- Dizziness or vertigo
- A feeling of fullness or pressure in the ears
Needless to say, everybody will experience the symptoms in their own way. Typically, you will have obvious inflammation of the inner ear and ear pain in the infected ear. For individuals with hearing loss, these symptoms can interact unfavorably with your hearing aids. That’s because your hearing aid will most likely (at least in part) reside within the ear canal. Because the ear canal is inflamed and tender, your hearing aids may cause extra discomfort.
Additionally, any in-the-canal hearing aid can stop drainage. Your infection and discomfort might 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 unpleasant.
The functionality of your hearing aid can also be impacted by the extra moisture. So your hearing aids aren’t functioning at peak performance and your ears are in pain. This means that you will have a terrible 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 annoying you while you have an ear infection? You can reduce your risk of getting an ear infection and address any discomfort that an ear infection might cause by taking a few steps. Those steps include the following:
- Practice good ear hygiene: This means regularly cleaning your outer ear and, generally, keeping your ears clean and dry. However, you should never stick any object in your ear and that includes cotton swabs. Using cotton swabs can push earwax and other debris further into your ear, increasing your risk of developing an infection. This is the exact opposite of what you’re likely trying to do.
- Talk to your healthcare provider: If you suspect that you have an ear infection, talk to your doctor as soon as you can. Treating a hearing aid as soon as possible will reduce the chance of it becoming severe or prolonged.
- Regularly clean your hearing aids: Keeping your device clean can reduce the risk of transmitting bacteria or viruses to your ears. If you don’t know how to clean and sanitize hearing aids, talk to us for some instruction.
- Take breaks from wearing your hearing aids: You can take a break from your hearing aids for a few days if you have significant or lasting pain. You can use alternative methods of communication with family and friends, 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 recede, consider talking to us to see if you can get a better fit on your devices.
You probably depend heavily on your hearing aid every day. They help you navigate your world more easily and have better communication with your friends and family. Which means that these little devices can often be hard to give up, even for a short time. However, taking a break from your hearing aids while you have an ear infection can help you recover from your illness more quickly and more comfortably. That means you can get back to enjoying what you hear faster.
It’s not uncommon for individuals to get ear infections. But you should still get treatment if you notice symptoms. If you have questions about how ear infections might impact your hearing aid use, give us a call today.