Whether you’re a casual hiker or someone who regularly climbs mountains, hearing aids can greatly improve your experience in nature! Better hearing in nature can help you fully enjoy the sounds of birds and the crunch of leaves, plus it helps you have a safer hike since you’re more likely to hear a bicycle behind you or approaching wildlife.
Whether you’re a seasoned hearing aid wearer or getting ready to experience the sounds of hiking with hearing aids for the first time, check out our top tips for fully enjoying your time on the trail.
- Wear your hearing aids to hike!
You may be tempted to leave your hearing aids behind when you go hiking out of fear of losing them, sweating too much or just because you like the silence – don’t leave them behind! You can always take them out for a brief sit-down in silence during your hike, but you can’t experience all the sounds nature has to offer if you don’t bring your hearing aids along on your hike.
As for sweat – today’s modern hearing aids can withstand sweat. We recommend wiping your hearing aids down when you are done with a soft cloth.
If you’re afraid to lose your hearing aids on the trail, there are a few options. First, make sure you have visited your HearingLife location to have the fit of your hearing aids checked! They should not come out easily and if they are falling out, your hearing care professional should review the fit for you. You can also purchase a set of clips (such as the Oticon SafeLine) to attach to your hearing aids so that if they do fall out, they stay on the clip. - Wear a hat
A hat is a good idea to protect your hearing aids in case of rain, plus it will absorb some of your sweat. If you haven’t upgraded to the Oticon Real yet, which features wind noise stabilizer, thena hat can help cut back on the noise of wind. - Ask your hearing care professional for a hiking program
If hiking is a big part of your life, you may want to ask your hearing care professional for a special program for when you hike. You can activate different programs from your hearing aid app on your phone. Many people like to have background noise reduction turned off for hiking so they can experience all the little sounds of the trail. Turning the volume up for hiking also helps bring out the bird song, crunch beneath your feat and breeze in the trees.
When hiking with a partner, your usual hearing aid program may be a better choice so you can hear them from behind you or in front of you.
We hope the sounds of hiking are something you get the chance to experience fully this spring and summer – and for many years to come!
Need to schedule an appointment to check out the latest hearing aid technology, get an updated hearing assessment or a quick clean and check? Get in touch with us now.