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 catch-up with your beloved family members.
But when you log in you realize, to your horror and disappointment, that you can’t hear very well. Your hearing aids are in, but everything sounds muffled.
You’re incredibly disappointed.
Modern marvels muffled
It’s well recognized that you can achieve crystal clear sound with modern hearing aids. So when that doesn’t happen, that can be very depressing. You’re supposed to have better hearing when you’re using hearing aids, right? But your hearing aids aren’t improving your hearing. Actually, they’re making everything sound muffled. The problem might 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 properly? Well, there are a few things you can do to fix the problem.
Earwax
If I had a dime for every problem that earwax has caused (in general, not me personally), I’d be a rich (but still cranky) man. Earwax may have accumulated against the microphone and that may be the source of your problem. Amplification is muffled when earwax hinders your hearing aid’s ability to pick up sound.
Here are some indications that earwax may be the issue.:
- Power-up the hearing aid. If the start-up songs 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).
- 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.
Conversely, it’s possible that earwax in your ear and not on the hearing aid is the issue here. Be sure, in those situations, you safely clean out your ears (cotton swabs are not recommended). If the muffled problem persists once you’ve cleaned up your hearing aid and your ears, you’ll need to keep troubleshooting.
Infection
Infection will be the next thing to think about if earwax isn’t responsible. In many cases, this could be a standard ear infection. Or it may be an inner ear infection. Both are worth setting up an appointment for an assessment.
Ear infections of various kinds and causes can generate swelling in your ear canal or middle ear. This inflammation blocks the transmission of sound and, therefore, the sound you’re 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 start to sound, well, muffled (you can see why this should be something to keep an eye on). This is still true even if you have rechargeable batteries. Sometimes, replacing the batteries with new ones can make your hearing aids sound crystal clear again.
Hearing loss
It could also be feasible that your hearing loss has changed and your hearing aids need to be adjusted to compensate for that. Consider scheduling an appointment for a hearing exam if you haven’t had one in the last year. Not only will you be able to be certain your hearing aids are correctly 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 your hearing is still muffled, it’s certainly worth taking some time to come in for a consultation. You may find yourself putting your hearing aids in a drawer and cranking your TV up again if you don’t solve this muffling problem. And all of that could start renewed hearing damage.
Letting it linger is not a smart idea. If you can’t clean out some earwax and get hearing again, schedule a hearing test with us right away and get everything taken care of before your next family event. If you can actually hear what they’re saying you’ll you’ll have a lot more fun.
