Hello, I have Paradise 90r aids. I stream music while running. Will sweat damage them? Should I get ear buds instead? Thanks.
Moisture in general is not good for hearing aids. Gear for Ears (https://www.gearforears.com/) makes slip on covers that you can use to protect the HA.
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The Paradise 90r have an IP68 rating so you should be fine.
From the p90r manual
These hearing aids are classified IP68 (depth of 1 meter
for 60 minutes) and designed to be used in all daily life
situations. Therefore you do not have to worry about
getting the hearing aids exposed to a rain shower or
sweat. However, these hearing aids are not intended to be
used in water activities that includes chlorinated water,
soap, salt water or other liquids with a chemical content.
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I’m really confused. It says sweat is fine but then salty water isn’t. Doesn’t our sweat contain salt?
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Great question. What I believe they are trying to convey is not to wear the HAs into the ocean, a saltwater or chlorine pool, etc.
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I spoke with my audi, she recommended either use buds or a dryer such as Phonak Charge and care. They have seen some problems with excessive sweating such as daily exercise. I ordered the Charge and Care from them. Easier than having another device to care for and remember the charger when travelling.
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I’m in the UK and seems that this charge and care box isn’t available here, yet! Google comes up with nothing!
It is $155 USD here.
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@psternklar Thanks for checking on that. Looking at the case it seems it’s is a nonheating dryer. Uses active ventilation & an UV light.
Now I wonder if it’s compatible with the KS10s.
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I put my aids in a hearing aid dryer to be safe. But if you’re worried about sweat what do you do when it rains. I’ve never removed my aids when it rains. Maybe I should in a downpour assuming I remember to
IP rating and hearing aids is such a misleading concept
(A) it is a one time test
(B) it is in clean, fresh water
Sweat is a daily occurrence for hearing aid users and contains oils and salts that can corrode the hearing aids more quickly.
The various seals that hearing aids have also may have issues over time and give way. I remember this being a big problem when I used to fit signias aquaris hearing aids, which were marketed as waterproof. If the hearing aid seals weren’t changed every 6 months they would fail.
So always wipe down your hearing aids after exercise and use the drying equipment you are provided. If you do a lot of exercise or sweat a lot, be prepared to need to have a service more regularly.
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On one of the Audiology Online lectures on Phonak Paradise, the speaker (transcript) said, “And the IP rating is going to be six eight. So water resistant and dust tight. And of
course our lithium-ion rechargeable batteries really give your patients such reliability
with that fully encapsulated case. When we look at our repair rates for rechargeable
hearing aids as compared to the other models, the repair for moisture for
rechargeables is below 2% where I think it’s pushing 8% or maybe even double digits
for the traditional disposable batteries.”
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I received the Phonak Charge and Care. Same size as regular charging case. Silent in operation. May be overkill but will not harm anything. Thanks all for the feedback.
Some have made the problem too big here. I will encourage you and say that I have been wearing hearing aids since birth. At first, hearing aids were not resistant to moisture, like sweat, and as a child I often sweated when I exercised, or did some sports. Often moisture would fall into the microphone and the hearing aid starts making a sound uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
It helped to dry on a home heater after which they would be like before again.
Over time, filters began to appear on hearing aids that allow them to not be bothered by sweat. Thanks to these filters I enjoy them even more.
These filters should be replaced over time at your dealer or audiologist where you purchased your hearing aids. Because these filters become clogged over time, it depends on the conditions, usually due to a combination of dust and moisture. Now there are also home appliances that are used for cleaning, it can be purchased through ebay. Something like a vacuum cleaner.
No worries, your hearing aids are resistant to running, and all kinds of sports. Just don’t take a bath or shower. They will withstand it but it is questionable how long that waterproof seal can withstand.
Moisture is still a problem in hearing aids. but it was not because the apparatus was wet, like rain. sweat etc. Already the cause is due to condensation. for example, you are in a room or a place where it is hot, and you enter a room where it is air-conditioned, so the room is cold and condensation occurs in the hearing aid. cleaning at the dealer, ie a person who has special equipment for cleaning and drying inside.
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I would never wear them in the ocean. Besides everything else salt water is corrosive.
I have a pair of Phonak Paradise P90 and both the specifications and my audiologist said they are IP68 rated. I explicitly asked if I can keep them on when exercising and was told I can. So now I have used then while running and sweating a lot for about six months without any issues.
Realistically any moisturizer can be a problem for aids. Ite aids maybe more so than bte aids because they’re constantly subjected to body moisture. Fortunately aids are protected by a hard outer plastic shell which helps. Still I’ve invested in a hearing aid dehumidifier which I use every night or as often as I remember to use it. I switched over to bte hearing aids about 20 years ago due to my progressive loss and I have experienced pretty much zero moisture problems. It was more prevalent with Ite aids. Still better safe than sorry
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