Help! What to do when your Hearing Aid Whistles

A whistling hearing aid is guaranteed to drive you to distraction. This isn’t a problem you should put up with, but the answer is definitely not to stop wearing the device. Instead, know these simple fixes, which may fix the problem. If the whistle remains, then your hearing care provider will be able to help.

Rule out ear wax

Whistling is a form of sound interference. If amplified sound can’t travel cleanly down to your eardrum, then the sound waves may ebb and flow, which causes interference. A common cause of impedance of a smooth signal is humble earwax. When wax deposits build up deep inside the ear canal, this can create the turbulence you hear as a whistle.

The good news is your hearing aid is functioning perfectly and the answer is to clean your ears. Do this carefully using an ear cleaning solution or consult your physician for a deeper clean. (Never use cotton swabs, as these only force the wax deeper.)

Volume set to ‘max’

Do you need the volume set to ‘max’ in order to hear?

Unfortunately, this is likely to create ‘howl round,’ a form of intrusive sound interference. It isn’t that the device is faulty, more that it’s being asked to perform at the limits of its capability.

Try turning the volume down, to see if the problem resolves. If the howling disappears but you are still struggling to hear, this can be a sign your hearing has altered and it’s time for another hearing test.

Poorly fitting earmold

The shaped-plug that sits in your ear canal is called the ear mold. This should form a perfect seal, so the sound is piped direct into the canal. Weight loss or gain, or damage to the ear mold can mean a less than perfect fit.

A poorly fitting ear mold then causes sound interference, which is what you hear as whistling. It’s worth taking a few moments longer to fit your device each morning, paying particular attention to carefully inserting the ear mould so that it sits correctly.

Alternatively, speak to your hearing specialist about being fitted for a new ear mold.

Hardened tubes

Depending on the type or style, a fine plastic tube may connect the body of the hearing device to the ear mold. This plastic tube is designed to be flexible, so that it moves with you and doesn’t tug on the ear mold. However, over the months and years, wear and tear can cause the tubing to harden and become more rigid. This can then pull on the ear mold, dislodging it out of position.

This is easily fixed because it just means purchasing a new length of plastic tubing to replace the original.

It’s great when you can fix the whistle yourself, but this doesn’t mean you have to. If you’ve tried these fixes or you don’t feel able, then your hearing practitioner is keen to help.