How to Reduce Hearing Aid Noise From Fans

Overamplified background noise discourages many hearing aid users, and can interfere with your ability to understand conversations while wearing your hearing aid. All of the advances made in hearing aid technology focus on improving a person's ability to understand speech when background noise is present. Continuous noise---like fan noise---can be difficult even for modern computerized digital hearing aids to control. Fan noise is a high pitch noise; high pitches are what hearing aids are designed to amplify. High pitch hearing is essential to understanding speech; you can't turn down the high pitches in your hearing aid without compromising clarity of speech. However, there are some proven methods of reducing fan noise from your hearing aids without missing out on what you really want to hear.

Instructions

Noise Reduction

• 1

  Purchase digital, programmable hearing aids. If your hearing aids were made prior to 2003, consider upgrading to newer technology. The noise reduction and noise recognition programs in newer hearing aids can help to greatly reduce fan noise without compromising sound quality and speech understanding.

  When a continuous noise is present, like a fan, advanced hearing aids measure the intensity and direction of the noise in order to reduce the noise for your comfort. Some hearing aids will turn themselves down to reduce the fan noise; others will turn off a portion of the hearing aids microphone to remove the fan noise.

• 2

  Push buttons---most digital hearing aids have a button on the aid itself---accessible by fingertip while the aid is worn in or behind your ear. Other styles come with a remote control. These buttons allow you to access different programs within your hearing aids memory. Most digital hearing aids with "multi-memory" have a program designed to boost noise reduction. If a fan noise is particularly loud, annoying, or interfering with what you're trying to hear, push the program button on your hearing aid or remote. You will hear one to four beeps in your ear when you push the button. Wait a moment and see if the fan noise changed. Try pushing the button again, listen for any change in the fan noise. By trial and error you'll find a program that offers the greatest reduction of fan noise.

• 3

  Turn your hearing aid down. Nondigital hearing aids won't have a program button, but they'll have a volume control. Use the little wheel---accessible by fingertip while the aid is in or behind your ear---to turn the volume of your hearing aid down. Only turn the volume down enough to reduce the fan noise. Some digital hearing aids offer a volume control via remote control: This too can be used to lower your hearing aid's volume just enough to reduce the fan noise.

• 4

  Make an appointment to have your hearing aids adjusted by the hearing health care provider who sold you your hearing aids. The programs inside your hearing aid can be changed to provide more noise reduction for fan sounds. Just tell the specialist about the fan noise, when and where it bothers you the most, and they'll make the appropriate changes. Your hearing health care provider can also explain the programs, buttons, remote, volume control and other options on your hearing aid so that you better understand how to adjust them yourself when you want to reduce a fan noise.

• 5

  Retrain your brain. Background noises like fans do become more tolerable the longer you've worn hearing aids. Whether it's the first time you've worn a hearing aid, you've worn hearing aids for many years and recently upgraded, or have had hearing aids for many years but only wear them part-time, your brain needs time to adjust. Our brain naturally blocks out or focuses away from background noises. When your hearing has been lost and then restored via a hearing aid, it takes your brain some time to relearn normal hearing functions. Even when upgrading, new hearing aids will process sound differently, making the new signal foreign to your brain. The fastest way to get used to hearing aids is to not reduce or turn down noises---unless the sound is painfully loud.

  According to the Better Hearing Institute, recent studies show the effectiveness of listening training programs to enhance auditory rehabilitation for adults with hearing loss. Programs are available via CD-ROM or through your hearing health care provider's office.