Remember when you were a kid, if you didn’t wear a hat in the winter and someone flicked your ear, how much it would hurt? Well, it still would. So, keep your ears covered this winter. Actually, you probably don’t need to be concerned about having your ears flicked at this point; there are, however, other excellent reasons for protecting your ears from cold weather.
Warm and dry is the way to go.During the winter months, the risk of ear infections tends to be higher than at other times of ear. Those ear infections can be both quite painful and potentially dangerous to your hearing. Keep cold air from blowing into your ear canal by wearing ear muffs, a head band, a scarf, or a hat that has ear flaps. That takes care of the warm. Where does the dry come in when it’s frosty outside? If you’re out exerting yourself, a good deal of perspiration can build up under whatever ear protection you’re wearing. Once you uncover your ears, be sure to dry them thoroughly.
Watch out for “surfer’s ear.”No, “surfer’s ear” isn’t an old Beach Boys song; it’s a condition that gets its name from surfers sitting out on the water, waiting for waves, with cool air blowing into their wet ears. People who perspire under winter ear coverings, remove the and then stay outside with exposed ears are susceptible to it, as well. Essentially, the bone surrounding the ear canal, in an attempt to protect the middle and inner ear from the cold, will develop growths that decrease the width of the ear canal. In addition to keeping out some cold, those growths can trap moisture and earwax, which can lead to ear infection and/or conductive hearing loss (hearing loss that happens because sound doesn’t have a clear path to the inner ear. The good news about surfer’s ear is that it can be treated surgically.
Noise can be cold and cruel.Those of us in the hearing health profession make a big deal out of telling you to avoid noise during the summer. But there can be noise risks during winter, as well. For instance, just as your lawn mower can be potentially damaging to your ears, a snow blower can, too. In fact, they can reach 100 decibels (15 decibels higher than the point at which inner-ear damage can begin after prolonged exposure). Wear some foam earplugs or headphone- style hearing protection when using a snow blower; don’t rely solely on ear muffs or a hat.
A word about hearing aids.You probably already know that electronics can be erratic in cold weather. The sensitive, sophisticated electronics inside a hearing aid are particularly vulnerable; most hearing aids sit outside the ear canal and are only protected from the cold by a thin shell of plastic. Leaving hearing aids inside while you’re clearing snow or having a snowball fight with the grandkids is a good way to protect a very significant investment. Even if you keep your ears covered, the perspiration that builds up underneath ear protection can get inside your hearing aids, causing trouble just as it can during summer. So, if you don’t absolutely have to wear your hearing aids while exerting yourself outside during cold weather, definitely leaving them indoors. If find that your hearing aids have perspiration build-up, remove the batteries, use a soft, dry cloth to wipe the battery compartment and the outside of your hearing aids, and then place them in a hearing-aid dehumidifier overnight. There are very effective, reasonably-priced dehumidifiers available that can spare you the expense of repairs or replacement.
