You’ve gone a long time – probably a little too long – dealing with hearing loss. The inability to hear properly brought you down, and you finally gave in and got a set of hearing aids. The first couple of days has been great! You can hear the TV without turning the volume all the way up, you can have conversations (even in a crowded restaurant!), and overall you’re starting to feel like your old self. But with hearing aids come the issue of how to deal with used batteries.
The following is a guide to the lifespan of your hearing aid batteries.
How hearing aids help you hear better
Hearing aids are the best treatment for a person suffering from hearing loss. They make sounds louder so you can enjoy conversations and other activities that require hearing. Using a microphone, amplifier, and speaker – all of which are powered by a tiny battery – the hearing aid receives sound and turns it into an electrical signal, which is passed on into your ear. Since most hearing loss involved damage to hair cells, which are the sensory cells that allow us to hear, hearing aids target the remaining undamaged hair cells with the amplified sounds.
How to get more life out of your hearing aid batteries
A hearing aid battery can last anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks, depending on the type of batteries and hearing aid you’re using. That being said, there are a number of ways to get more life out of your hearing aid batteries.
Temperature and dryness are two of the biggest factors that impact the lifespan of hearing aid batteries. You should always aim to keep your hearing aid batteries at room temperature (and not in a refrigerator) to get extra life out of them. When not in use, you should also leave the battery doors open on your hearing aids to keep the batteries dry and free from corrosion. A hearing aid dehumidifier is a safe place to keep your hearing aids while also getting rid of excess moisture, which will cause a lot of problems if allowed to go unchecked. If you don’t plan on wearing your hearing aids for some time, you should remove the batteries from the hearing aid and keep them in a safe, dry space.
How to get rid of hearing aid batteries the right way
The sad fact is that even if you do everything right, your hearing aid batteries will not last forever. But when it’s time to replace your batteries, you shouldn’t immediately throw them in the garbage. Hearing aid batteries are made from metals that can be toxic to the environment and should be disposed of carefully. Your best bet is to call your hearing specialist and find out if they have any battery recycling programs in place. If they don’t you can call up your local township offices or even an electronics store to find out the best way to dispose of your hearing aid batteries. Whatever the case is, it’s important that you give some thought to your batteries before you throw them away.
Also consider getting a rechargeable hearing aid, which only requires a new battery about once a year.
