In our digital world, headphones are everywhere. Whether listening to music, audiobooks and podcasts, taking a call hands-free or connecting to a Zoom meeting at work, we increasingly need headphones to connect to the world. If you’re a hearing aid user, you may wonder if you can comfortably wear headphones and hearing aids simultaneously.
What Headphone Style Works With My Hearing Aids?
It is possible to wear hearing aids and headphones at the same time, but depending on what style of hearing aid you wear, your options may be limited. As a rule, you don’t want the headphones to come in contact with your hearing aids.
There are three main styles of headphones:
- In-ear headphonesare popular but present the biggest challenge with hearing aids
- On-ear headphonesgo over the head and rest just over the ear
- Over-ear headphones look similar to on-ear headphones but have larger ear cups covering the whole ear
If you wear in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids and all the parts are entirely within the ear canal, you have lots of options. You could wear on-ear and over-ear headphones. Earbuds may be challenging, however, for some of the larger designs of ITEs.
Bigger behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids have fewer options. On-ear headphones work with some designs, but on others, they may press into the hearing aid and cause discomfort behind the ear or headaches. Over-ear headphones may be much more comfortable.
Can I Stream Audio to My Hearing Aids?
Your hearing aids themselves may be an alternative to headphones. Most modern hearing aids have Bluetooth® capabilities by default, and they can wirelessly connect to your favorite devices, such as your smartphone, television or tablet. You’ll usually enjoy clearer audio quality this way, since the sound doesn’t need to go through two sets of speakers to get to you. Ask your audiologist or consult your hearing aid app to see if your hearing aids have Bluetooth and how to pair them.
Can I Wear Headphones Without My Hearing Aids?
You may be able to remove your hearing aids and just use headphones, but that mostly depends on the severity of your hearing loss. Just be mindful of keeping volume levels reasonable. If you turn the volume up past 60% of the maximum level, those are potentially damaging noise levels and could impact your residual hearing. Additionally, if you feel you need to turn the volume levels up that high to hear properly, it may be time for a new hearing test to reevaluate your hearing loss.
Call Prescott Ear, Nose, Throat & Allergy if you have any questions about fitting headphones comfortably with your hearing aids, streaming with Bluetooth or need a new hearing test. We’d be happy to discuss more with you.