Do your hearing aid batteries seem to drain faster than they ought to? There are numerous reasons why this might be happening that might be surprising.
So how far should the charge on my hearing aid battery go? The typical hearing aid battery lasts anywhere between 3 and 7 days.
That’s a really wide range. So wide, in fact, that it’s unpredictable and leaves you in a serious situation.
You could be on day 4 at the grocery store. Out of the blue, you can’t hear anything. You don’t hear the cashier.
Or, you’re out for dinner with friends on day 5. Suddenly, you find yourself feeling very alone because you can no longer hear the conversation.
Maybe you go to your grandchild’s school to watch a play. You can no longer hear the children singing. Wait, it’s only day 2. Yes, they even occasionally die after a couple of days.
It’s more than inconvenient. You have no idea how much juice is left and it’s causing you to miss out on life.
Here are 7 possible causes if your hearing aid batteries die quickly.
Moisture can drain a battery
Did you know that humans are one of the few species that release moisture through their skin? You do it to cool down. You do it to remove extra sodium or toxins in the blood. Your battery could be exposed to even more moisture if you live in a humid or rainy place.
The air vent in your device can become plugged by this extra moisture which can result in less efficient functionality. It can even interact with the chemicals that generate electricity causing it to drain even faster.
Avoid battery drain related to moisture using these steps:
- Get a dehumidifier
- Open up the battery door before you store your hearing aids
- If you’re storing your hearing aids for an extended period of time, take out the batteries
- Keep your hearing aids in a spot where moisture is minimum
State-of-the-art hearing aid functions can drain batteries
Even a decade ago, hearing aids were a lot less helpful for people with hearing loss than current devices. But these added features can cause batteries to drain faster if you’re not watching.
Don’t stop using your favorite features. But be aware that the battery will drain faster if you spend all day streaming music from your phone to your hearing aids.
Noise-canceling, Bluetooth, multichannel, tinnitus relief — all of these extra features can drain your battery.
Batteries can be impacted by altitude changes
Going from a low to high altitude can deplete your batteries, particularly if they’re on their last leg. Be certain that you bring some spares if you’re in the mountains or on a plane.
Perhaps the batteries aren’t really drained
Many hearing aids will alert you when the batteries need to be changed. Generally, these warnings are giving you a “heads up”. They aren’t telling you the battery is dead. On top of this, sometimes an environmental change in humidity or altitude briefly causes the charge to dip and the low battery alarm will sound.
You can stop the alarm by removing and resetting your hearing aid. You may be able to get several more hours or even days out of that battery.
Handling the batteries incorrectly
You should never pull off the little tab from the battery if you’re not ready to use it. Always wash your hands before handling your hearing aids or batteries so you don’t get hand oil or dirt on them. Keep your batteries out of the freezer. This may increase the life of other batteries but that’s not the case with hearing aid batteries.
Simple handling errors like these can make hearing aid batteries drain faster.
Buying a year’s supply of batteries isn’t a good idea
It’s often a practical financial choice to buy in bulk. But as you get toward the end of the pack, the last several batteries most likely won’t last as long. It can be a waste to buy any more than 6 months worth.
internet battery vendors
We’re not claiming it’s automatically a bad idea to buy things on the internet. You can find lots of bargains. But some less honest individuals will sell batteries online that are very close to the expiration date. Or even worse, it has already passed.
Both alkaline (AA, AAA, etc.) and zinc hearing aid batteries have expiration dates. You wouldn’t buy milk without looking at when it expires. You shouldn’t do that with batteries either. Make sure that the date is well in the future to get the most use out of the pack.
If you buy your batteries at a hearing aid center or pharmacy, the expiration date will be on the packaging, but if you’re going to shop online make sure the seller states when the batteries will expire. Make sure you look for reviews to be certain you’re purchasing from a trustworthy source.
The batteries in hearing aids no longer drain quickly
Hearing aid batteries may drain more quickly for several reasons. But by taking little precautions you can get more energy out of each battery. And if you’re thinking of an upgrade, think about rechargeable hearing aids. You dock these hearing aids on a charger each night for an entire day of hearing the next day. Every few years, you will have to change the rechargeable batteries.