There are many benefits to hitting Mississippi Greenway with friends and family. According to one study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine in 2018, “Benefits [of hiking] may be immediate, such as decreased blood pressure, decreased stress levels, enhanced immune system functioning, and restored attention, or transpire over time, such as weight loss, decreased depression, and overall wellness.
If you wear hearing aids, you can still reap the benefits of hiking; you may just have to do a little extra preparation. We review some tips for hiking with hearing aids below.
Protect Your Devices from Humidity
There are a few ways humidity can impact your devices when hiking: through rain or through sweat.
You can protect your hearing aids from rain by wearing a waterproof jacket with a hood or a rain hat that protects your ears.
If you’re a heavy sweater, consider investing in a hearing aid model that has little contact with your skin and hair. If you already own a hearing aid, you can invest in sweat-protective cover for your devices.
Protect Your Devices from Heat
You may not be hiking in extreme heat, but even on a semi-warm day, if you’re hiking in the sun, you’ll want to protect your hearing aids. Choosing a shady trail or wearing a sun hat are good options to protect your devices.
Protect Your Devices from Loss
You don’t want to lose your hearing aids anywhere, but especially not on the trail where they could be easily stepped on or lost forever. You can buy a clip or cord that attaches your hearing aids to your clothes so if they do fall out, they’ll still be connected to you.
Programming Your Devices for the Trail
If you’re an avid hiker, you may want to consider upgrading your devices to ones that have a wind noise reduction feature. Many of today’s hearing aids offer a variety of programs that would serve you well on the trail. Turning up the microphone and down the noise reduction setting usually results in a better listening experience while hiking. You can talk to your audiologist to have them change these settings for you.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Center for Hearing & Speech today.
