Hearing aids sometimes whistle due to feedback which occurs when sound that was meant to go into your ear canal bounces back into your hearing aid microphone. This causes the microphone to reamplify the sound and hence your hearing aids to whistle.
Advancements in hearing aid design (feedback cancellation features) have helped to reduce feedback in many situations, but these features don’t prevent feedback completely.
Feedback is perfectly normal when the hearing aids are reacting to the sound bouncing back from your surroundings, however there are certain situations where feedback is a sign that your hearing aids may need adjusting in some way.
Here are some reasons why your hearing aids may be whistling:
- Incorrect fitting: As your ears change shape over time, it may be that the ear moulds are becoming loose and don’t seal properly. This allows the sound to get away from your ear and bounce back into your hearing aids creating the feedback whistle. Make sure your hearing aids are fitting tightly but comfortable in your ear. Your audiologist can help with this if you are not sure.
- Volume is too high: This may also cause volume to re-enter your hearing aids. Turning the volume down can avoid the point at which feedback is created.
- Excess earwax: If the sound can’t get through to your ear canal due to excess earwax it may bounce back causing your hearing aids to whistle. You feel that this is a likely cause arrange to see your audiologist for an ear wax check. Steven Hale offers the latest in comfortable and safe microsuction ear wax removal procedures and he will check your aids for any wax and debris build up too.
4.Faults in your hearing aids. If your hearing aid are fairly old or they have been damaged in away, some of their internal working parts may need replacing and adjusting. The parts we replace r adjust most commonly include the tube that connects to the ear mould and the microphone – which can become loose of displaced. We can help to resolve these issues for you.
