Swimming and Ear Health

While swimming is a great way to stay active and enjoy the summer, spending time in the water can sometimes lead to ear problems if you're not careful. At Mountain Audiology, we want to help you keep your ears healthy all summer long.

How Swimming Affects Your Ears

Your ears are naturally designed to protect themselves, but prolonged exposure to water can create the perfect environment for bacteria to grow. Water that becomes trapped in the ear canal can lead to irritation or infection, especially if the ear canal is scratched or already inflamed.

Swimmer's Ear

One of the most common ear conditions during the summer is swimmer's ear, also known as otitis externa. This is an infection of the outer ear canal caused by moisture becoming trapped inside.

Common symptoms include:

• Ear pain, especially when touching the ear

• Itching inside the ear canal

• Redness or swelling

• Drainage from the ear

• Muffled hearing or a feeling of fullness

If left untreated, swimmer's ear can become more painful and may require prescription medication.

Tips to Keep Your Ears Healthy While Swimming

Fortunately, there are several simple ways to protect your ears:

Dry Your Ears Thoroughly

After swimming, gently dry the outside of your ears with a towel. You can also tilt your head to each side to help trapped water drain out naturally.

Consider Earplugs

If you're prone to ear infections or spend a lot of time in the water, well-fitting swim earplugs can help keep water out of your ear canals.

Avoid Cotton Swabs

It may be tempting to use cotton swabs to remove water or earwax, but they can push wax deeper into the ear and even damage the delicate skin inside the ear canal, increasing the risk of infection.

Keep Hearing Devices Dry

If you wear hearing aids, cochlear implant processors, or other hearing devices, always remove them before swimming unless they are specifically designed for water use. Moisture can damage sensitive electronics and affect performance. After swimming, make sure your ears are completely dry before putting your hearing devices back in.

What About Earwax?

Earwax actually serves an important purpose—it helps protect the ear canal from water, dirt, and bacteria. Avoid trying to remove earwax yourself unless advised by a healthcare professional. Excessive cleaning can strip away this natural protection.

When Should You See an Audiologist?

While many swimming-related ear issues are minor, persistent symptoms shouldn't be ignored. Schedule an appointment if you experience:

• Ear pain lasting more than a day or two

• Recurrent swimmer's ear

• Sudden or ongoing hearing loss

• Ringing in the ears after swimming

• Drainage or bleeding from the ear

• Problems with your hearing aids after water exposure

Early evaluation can help prevent more serious complications and ensure your hearing stays at its best.

Enjoy the Water—Safely!

Swimming is one of summer's greatest pleasures, and with a few simple precautions, you can enjoy it while protecting your ear health. Whether you're spending time at the pool, lake, or ocean, taking care of your ears can help prevent infections and keep your hearing devices functioning properly.

If you have questions about protecting your hearing, are experiencing ear discomfort, or need your hearing aids checked after water exposure, the team at Mountain Audiology is here to help.

Schedule an appointment today and let us help you keep your hearing healthy all year long!

How Heat and Humidity Affect Hearing Devices

Summer brings sunshine, vacations, outdoor activities—and plenty of heat and humidity. While warm weather is great for enjoying the outdoors, it can be tough on your hearing aids. Moisture, sweat, and high temperatures can all impact how well your devices perform if they aren't properly cared for.

Here are a few ways summer weather affects hearing devices and what you can do to keep them working their best.

Heat Can Shorten Battery Life

High temperatures can reduce battery performance, causing hearing aid batteries to drain faster than usual. Rechargeable hearing aids may also experience shorter operating times if they're frequently exposed to excessive heat.

Tips:

• Never leave hearing aids in a hot car.

• Store them in a cool, dry place when not in use.

• Keep charging stations indoors, away from direct sunlight.

Humidity and Sweat Can Cause Moisture Damage

Humidity is one of the biggest challenges for hearing aid wearers. Moisture from the air—or from perspiration during outdoor activities—can seep into sensitive electronic components, potentially causing distortion, intermittent sound, or complete device failure over time.

If you spend time gardening, hiking, golfing, or attending outdoor events, your hearing aids may be exposed to more moisture than you realize.

Tips:

• Wipe your hearing aids with a clean, dry cloth at the end of each day.

• Leave the battery compartment open overnight (if your device uses disposable batteries) to allow moisture to escape.

• Consider using a hearing aid dehumidifier or drying container to remove excess moisture.

Outdoor Activities Increase Exposure to Dust and Debris

Summer activities often mean more exposure to pollen, dust, sunscreen, insect repellent, and sand. These particles can clog microphone openings and wax guards, affecting sound quality.

Tips:

• Clean your hearing aids regularly using the tools recommended by your hearing care provider.

• Apply sunscreen or bug spray before putting on your hearing aids.

• Remove your hearing aids before swimming or participating in water sports.

Be Prepared While Traveling

Whether you're heading to the beach or taking a road trip, it's always a good idea to pack a few hearing aid essentials.

Bring:

• Extra batteries or your charging cable

• A cleaning cloth and brush

• Wax guards or domes (if applicable)

• A protective carrying case

• A drying kit for overnight moisture removal

Having these items on hand can help you avoid interruptions to your hearing while you're away from home.

Schedule a Summer Check-Up

If your hearing aids have been exposed to heat, humidity, or heavy use this summer, consider scheduling a professional cleaning and performance check. Regular maintenance helps extend the life of your devices and ensures you're hearing your best all season long.

At Mountain Audiology, we're here to help you protect your investment and enjoy clear hearing year-round. Whether you need a device cleaning, troubleshooting, or simply have questions about caring for your hearing aids, our team is happy to help.

Enjoy your summer—and don't let the weather interfere with better hearing!

Summer Sounds: Protect Your Hearing While Enjoying the Season

Summer is one of the best times of year to get outside, spend time with family, and enjoy everything our beautiful region has to offer. Whether you're attending outdoor concerts, mowing the lawn, riding motorcycles, boating, or watching fireworks, summer also brings increased exposure to loud noises that can put your hearing at risk.

Common Summer Activities That Can Affect Your Hearing

Many popular summer activities produce sound levels high enough to damage hearing over time, including:

• Lawn mowers and leaf blowers

• Chainsaws and power tools

• Motorcycles and ATVs

• Fireworks

• Outdoor concerts and festivals

• Boats and personal watercraft

Repeated exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can gradually damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear. Unfortunately, once these cells are damaged, they do not regenerate.

Easy Ways to Protect Your Hearing

The good news is that hearing loss caused by noise is often preventable. Here are a few simple tips:

• Wear properly fitted earplugs or earmuffs when using loud equipment.

• Keep a safe distance from speakers at concerts and events.

• Turn down the volume when using headphones.

• Give your ears regular "quiet breaks" after spending time in noisy environments.

• If you experience ringing in your ears after an event, consider it a warning sign that your ears have been exposed to excessive noise.

Don't Ignore the Signs of Hearing Loss

If you've noticed that conversations seem muffled, you frequently ask others to repeat themselves, or family members complain that the TV volume is too loud, it may be time for a hearing evaluation.

Early detection allows us to identify hearing changes before they significantly affect your communication and quality of life.

Enjoy Every Sound This Summer

At Mountain Audiology, we're committed to helping you hear your best all year long. Whether you need a comprehensive hearing evaluation, hearing protection, or want to discuss treatment options, our team is here to help.

This summer, enjoy the sounds you love—while taking steps to protect your hearing for years to come.

Ready to schedule your hearing evaluation? Contact Mountain Audiology today and let us help you keep hearing life's best moments.

Celebrate the 4th of July Safely: Don't Forget to Protect Your Hearing!

The Fourth of July is one of our favorite holidays—a time to gather with family and friends, enjoy cookouts, attend parades, and watch spectacular fireworks light up the night sky. While these celebrations are full of fun, they can also expose your ears to dangerously loud sounds.

How Loud Are Fireworks?

Fireworks can reach 150–170 decibels, which is much louder than the safe listening level of 85 decibels. Even a single loud blast can potentially cause permanent hearing damage or trigger tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

Who Should Be Extra Careful?

Everyone should protect their hearing, but it's especially important for:

• Young children

• Older adults

• Anyone who already has hearing loss

• Hearing aid users

• Veterans and others with noise-related hearing damage

Tips to Protect Your Hearing

🎆 Wear hearing protection. Foam earplugs or earmuffs can significantly reduce harmful noise levels.

🎆 Keep your distance. The farther you are from the fireworks launch site, the lower the sound intensity.

🎆 Protect children's ears. Properly fitting earmuffs are an excellent option for infants and young children.

🎆 Don't stand too close to the action. Follow all safety barriers and enjoy the show from a safe viewing distance.

🎆 Give your ears a break. If you're attending multiple celebrations or concerts this weekend, spend some quiet time afterward to let your ears recover.

What If You Notice Hearing Changes?

If you experience muffled hearing, ringing in your ears, ear pain, or difficulty hearing conversations after the holiday, don't ignore it. Sometimes hearing changes improve, but other times they can indicate permanent damage. The sooner you have your hearing evaluated, the better.

We Wish You a Safe and Happy Independence Day!

This Fourth of July, celebrate with family, friends, and fireworks—but remember that protecting your hearing today helps preserve it for years to come.

From all of us at Mountain Audiology, we wish you a safe, healthy, and Happy Fourth of July!

What is Listening Fatigue?

The summer months often bring more social demands (e.g. backyard barbeques, graduations, weddings), so we wanted to raise awareness of listening fatigue. This type of fatigue occurs when we strain to hear and interpret sounds and then experience mental, physical and/or emotional exhaustion as a result.

When we have hearing loss, our brain has to work harder to “fill in the gaps” of missed words. The longer this mental strain continues, the more it can negatively impact our ability to perform tasks or participate in activities.

Research indicates that prescription hearing aids can significantly reduce the mental effort needed to understand speech. By mitigating listening fatigue, hearing aids allow users to engage more comfortably, leading to increased social participation and a better quality of life.