{"id":776,"date":"2023-10-20T18:20:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T18:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/?p=776"},"modified":"2023-10-20T18:20:48","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T18:20:48","slug":"how-can-you-prevent-swimmers-ear-when-wearing-hearing-aids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/how-can-you-prevent-swimmers-ear-when-wearing-hearing-aids\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can You Prevent Swimmer\u2019s Ear When Wearing Hearing Aids?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Swimmer\u2019s ear is an inflammation, irritation or infection of the outer ear canal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/swimmers-ear\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">caused by water retention<\/a>. The ear canal is a tube running from the ear&#8217;s opening to the eardrum. When you go for a swim at Torrance County Beach, water can become trapped in the ear canal, leading to bacterial growth.<\/p>\n<p>A couple of common risk factors for developing swimmer\u2019s ear include but are not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Humidity<\/li>\n<li>Using small objects (i.e., cotton swabs, fingers, etc.) to scratch or clean ears<\/li>\n<li>Dry ear canal skin<\/li>\n<li>Injured ear canal<\/li>\n<li>Excess earwax<\/li>\n<li>Swimming in unclean water<\/li>\n<li>Improper hearing aid care<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many cases of swimmer\u2019s ear present with a feeling of fullness and discomfort in the ear, muffled hearing and redness or inflammation. While many cases of swimmer\u2019s ear will subside in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/swimmers-ear\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seven to 10 days<\/a> with proper treatment, complications or severe symptoms are possible<\/p>\n<p>One way to protect against swimmer\u2019s ear is to practice safe hearing aid care and wear. When you place hearing aids in the ear after swimming in a high-bacterial environment, you run the risk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/swimmers-ear\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20351682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">of trapping bacteria and moisture in the ear canal<\/a>, leading to an increased risk of infection.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, you don\u2019t need to stop enjoying the many benefits of hearing aids, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/hearing-aids\/choosing-a-hearing-aid\/\">improved communication and tinnitus management<\/a>, to prevent swimmer\u2019s ear. Let\u2019s take a look at a couple of tips for preventing swimmer\u2019s ear without discontinuing hearing aid use.<\/p>\n<h2>Clean Your Devices<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Friends swimming in the ocean in summer\" src=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Three-young-kids-swimming-at-the-beach-768x513.jpg\" alt=\"Three young kids swimming at the beach\" width=\"358\" height=\"239\" class=\"wp-image-779 alignright\" srcset=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Three-young-kids-swimming-at-the-beach-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Three-young-kids-swimming-at-the-beach.jpg 1254w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 358px) 100vw, 358px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Cleaning your devices regularly can help prevent excess bacterial contamination in the ear canal. Check your device manual for specific cleaning instructions and contact your hearing aid specialist with any questions regarding device care and cleaning.<\/p>\n<h2>Wear Earplugs When You\u2019re Swimming<\/h2>\n<p>It is always wise to <a href=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/hearing-loss\/hearing-protection\/\">wear earplugs when swimming<\/a>. Earplugs will help prevent bacteria and water from entering the ear canal, reducing the risk of swimmer\u2019s ear.<\/p>\n<h2>Thoroughly Dry Your Ears After Swimming<\/h2>\n<p>After swimming, drain excess water from your ear canal by tilting your head to one side and then the other. Next, dry your outer ear with a clean, soft towel to remove all moisture without inserting anything into the ear canal. If you are prone to swimmer\u2019s ear, dry the ear canal with a blow dryer on the lowest setting held at least a foot from the ear. Remember that the hair dryer air should never feel hot.<\/p>\n<p>To prevent hearing aids from causing swimmer\u2019s ear, make sure to wait until your ear canal and outer ear are fully dry before placing your devices back in.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on protecting your ear health, contact <span class=\"company-name \">Torrance Audiology<\/span> today.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"related-posts\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/common-causes-of-temporary-or-permanent-tinnitus\/\" class=\"related-post\">Common Causes of Temporary or Permanent Tinnitus<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/active-listening-strategies-for-people-with-hearing-loss\/\" class=\"related-post\">Active Listening Strategies for People with Hearing Loss<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/tips-for-dating-with-hearing-loss\/\" class=\"related-post\">Tips For Dating With Hearing Loss<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Swimmer\u2019s ear is an inflammation, irritation or infection of the outer ear canal caused by water retention. The ear canal is a tube running from the ear&#8217;s opening to the eardrum. When you go for a swim at Torrance County Beach, water can become trapped in the ear canal, leading to bacterial growth. A couple&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":779,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=776"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":781,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/776\/revisions\/781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/torranceaudiology.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}