Understanding your hearing aid batteries life-span

One of the most annoying things that can happen with hearing aids is when you hear the tinny voice say “Low Battery.” But a lot of factors play into how quickly your hearing aid batteries are used. The quality of your hearing aid batteries can affect a lot of things: how long the batteries last before needing to be changed, the overall performance of the hearing aid, the sound quality of speech and even the quality of streamed audio.

To help you get the most out of your batteries, we’ve gathered together some things that can influence hearing aid battery life:

1. Your hearing loss. The greater your hearing loss, the stronger the amplification the hearing aids need to provide. The harder your hearing aids work to provide amplification, the faster the battery drains.

2. How often you use your hearing aids. Just like your cell phone battery drains the more you text or use social media apps, the quicker your hearing aid batteries will drain the more you use your hearing aids. More specifically, the number of hours and days you use your hearing aids play into how long you can go before changing batteries.  

3. What you do with your hearing aids. Hearing aids at their simplest provide you with the ability to hear lost frequencies better. When you add on cool capabilities such as wireless streaming of phone calls, music and movies, you also increase the battery drain. Wireless streaming can increase the drain rate by up to 300 percent. Furthermore, if you use FM or looping technology, you could see a 100 percent increase in drain rates.

4. If your hearing aids include tinnitus technology. Tinnitus can be an ongoing bother for many. Today’s hearing aids often include tinnitus technology designed to help provide relief from tinnitus symptoms. This is typically done by using sound to mask the symptoms. When your hearing aids work to battle tinnitus, they are adding to their overall workload, thereby increasing the use of the hearing aid batteries.

5. The weather. As the seasons change and bring hot and cold temperatures, humidity or snow, your hearing aid batteries may function differently. Two big weather factors that can impact battery life include humidity and temperature.

• Low humidity can cause higher battery drain due to batteries drying out faster.
• High humidity can result in moisture issues that lead to swelling, leakage and reduced battery life.
• Low temperatures can shorten battery life as voltage can dip and deplete earlier, especially for users who work outside in the winter months. [A side note: Our hearing aids can function in -40 degrees Fahrenheit]
• High temperatures can affect battery performance when temperatures start to hit between 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit and/or when humidity is greater than 50 percent.

6. How far above sea level you are. Your elevation can impact hearing aid battery life. Higher altitudes may cause batteries to reach their endpoints sooner due to reduced oxygen in the environment. Users living in higher altitudes will most likely experience faster battery drains, and if you are flying with a battery that is already low, you may see it drain faster.  

7. Did you remember to take the battery out at night? Leaving batteries in your hearing aids when not wearing them drains their life faster. Remember to remove before drying overnight or when not in use. 

If you have more questions about hearing aids batteries, please reach out to us today!

This blog was originally published by Starkey Hearing Technologies on www.starkey.com/blog.