Are Your Hearing Aids Constantly Falling Out? Here are 6 Tips to Keep Them Securely in Your Ears.

Hearing aids are amazing pieces of technology that help you hear better and communicate with people easier. One of the downsides is that they sometimes fall out of your ears. This can create some anxiety, especially if you are outside of your home. Here’s some advice on how to keep your hearing aids from falling out.

6 Tips to Keep Your Hearing Aids Fitting Securely in Your Ears

1. Test whether your hearing aids tend to fall out during certain activities.

Do you notice that your hearing aids usually fall out of your ears during a certain time of day? Maybe it’s when you’re eating, speaking, or working out - sweat from your ears can loosen hearing aids and cause them to fall out. This indicates that your hearing aids are poorly fit, and you’ll either need a different size hearing aid dome or a customized earmold. If you have other dome sizes, try those out before seeking help from your hearing aid provider. If you need different hearing aid domes or would like a customized earmold, get in touch with us at Pure Sound Hearing.    

2. Examine the inserts that you are placing in your ears.

If your hearing aids keep falling out of your ears, it may be due to the size of the removable foam or silicone earpiece. If the earpiece is too big, it will be challenging to insert them into your ear canals and they’ll slide out. If the earpiece is too small, rapidly moving your head or even leaning forward will cause it to fall out. The foam tips should be switched out every 2-3 weeks; silicon tips should be replaced every 4-6 months. If they have not been replaced for a long time, this might be the problem. If the ear molds were customized to fit your ears, you may need to be re-fit. As you age, the size of your ears changes so it’s not an unusual request.

3. Pay attention to the way you insert your hearing aids.

In some instances, hearing aids may loosen from your ears because you are not inserting them properly. Be sure to insert hearing aids properly and in the correct ears for customized-fit devices. The hearing aid should fit evenly, and right up against the ear canals, or against the outer ear lobe if the hearing aids are larger. If they don’t slide in comfortably, use a mirror to look and check to make sure they are going in properly. Read through the owner’s manual, or ask your hearing instrument specialist for advice. 
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4. Clear out earwax.

If you don’t find any problems with your hearing aids, maybe earwax build-up is causing your hearing aids to fall out. Earwax build-up can push your hearing aids out of your ears. Safely clean your ears. Do NOT use Q-Tips or anything small that can be inserted into the ear. The irrigation and suction methods or a curette tool may be used by a professional to clean your ears out. With the irrigation method, a syringe containing warm water is held to your ear and the water flows behind the obstruction and pushes it out of the ear. The suction method uses a suction machine to clear the wax from the ears. A curette tool is a thin metal hook that is gently scraped in the ear canal to scoop out the earwax. 

5. Use hearing aid accessories.

If you have an active lifestyle, you may have a challenging time keeping your hearing aids on after exercising or engaging in a long activity. This is particularly true if you end up sweating during the exercise/activity. Try using an accessory such as a clip, headband, or strap. 

6. Maybe you need new hearing aids.

If you’ve had your hearing aids for more than five years, they may not fit anymore because the shape of your ears has changed. Everyone’s ears tend to become larger and stretched out as they age. The ear molds on your hearing aids should be replaced every 5-7 years.

These are just some of the most common causes as to why hearing aids slip out of the ears. If none of these reasons apply to you - or you are still having difficulties after figuring out the cause of your hearing aids falling out of your ears - schedule an appointment with one of our hearing instrument specialists at Pure Sound Hearing.   

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