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Can Hearing Aids Lead to Headaches?

A distraught senior man sitting on his couch suffering from a headache because his hearing aids were not properly adjusted.

Everyone’s hearing loss condition is unique and hearing aids are manufactured to compensate for those individual conditions. If your hearing aids are giving you headaches or any other type of discomfort, whether you’ve been using them for years or you’re a new user, there’s a solution.

If your hearing aid is properly adjusted it will meet your personal needs and fit in your ear comfortably. If this isn’t the situation, you should make certain you have the appropriate type of hearing aid and that it’s been precisely adjusted.

Your hearing aid requires adjustment if you notice any of these signs

Headaches can be the outcome of improperly adjusted hearing aids. Typical, inadequate adjustment or improper use is the reason. If this is the situation, the following issues might occur:

  • Feedback noise. Your hearing aid may pick up and amplify background noise, like wind, which can also trigger annoying, high-pitched feedback sounds.
  • Poor sound quality. Poorly adjusted hearing aids can boost the volume of high intensity sound causing a loud irritating feedback that can harm your ears. And low intensity sound can get lost with hearing aids in this condition.
  • Headaches and tinnitus. Hearing aids that are picking up loud sounds and further amplifying them can be painful to your ears and can trigger not only headaches but also tinnitus. Typically, this means the settings are too loud.

Over-the-counter hearing aids

Even though you can go to a local store and get a less expensive personal amplification device (over the counter hearing aid), these devices won’t be programmed for your personal hearing loss requirements.

Improving your hearing demands more than just amplifying sounds because hearing loss is unique to the individual. There are lots of cases of hearing loss in which individuals lose the ability to hear a specific frequency. In order for a hearing aid to allow people to hear clearly in different environments, they will need accurate adjustment.

Having your hearing aid professionally adjusted

Having your hearing aid professionally adjusted is the best way to make sure your device is fitted properly. Custom-fitted hearing aids will be fabricated just for you using molds of your ears. Once the right fit is obtained, it will be necessary to adjust the hearing aid settings so you can differentiate unwanted noise and the sounds you want to hear.

Your hearing aid should also make automatic adjustments, which will allow you to hear background sounds in various environments without interference. In order to make sure you get the best hearing aids for your personal needs, you might need to come in more than once. And with significant hearing loss, your brain will need to become accustomed to hearing again in stages, so your hearing aid will have to be programmed in stages.

Contact us for an appointment if you think your hearing aid might need a tune-up.

References

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hearing-loss/symptoms-causes/syc-20373072
https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing-aids#hearingaid_08

The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.