Key Takeaways
- Hearing aids often produce a whistling or squealing sound called feedback.
- Hearing aids can squeal when sound escapes the ear canal, bounces back into the microphone, and gets re-amplified.
- Feedback is common in everyday situations, like putting on a scarf, hugging, or handling your hearing aids.
- Squealing hearing aids also signal issues like a poor fit, dirt buildup, or the need for maintenance.
- Nano Hearing Aids provides FDA-registered OTC hearing aids that start at just $297 and are ideal for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss.
6 Reasons Why Your Hearing Aids are Squealing or Whistling
These days a lot of hearing aids come with a feedback cancellation feature, but the feedback doesn’t always get totally canceled.
Here are some of the top reasons causing your hearing aids to squeal or whistle:
1. A Poor Fit
The shape and the inside of your ear can change over time just like the rest of your body. Losing or gaining weight can also affect your ears. If this happens, the earmolds of your hearing aids will get loose, and won’t properly seal.
The surrounding sounds will keep leaking out and coming back into the hearing aids, causing the whistling sound or feedback.
You can fix this problem by getting new or custom earmolds that perfectly fit your ears. You can also visit your hearing care professional to find the perfect fit. At Nano, we provide our hearing aids with multiple dome sizes to ensure the tight yet comfortable fit.
Nano Hearing Aids are FDA-registered, Class I devices. These OTC hearing aids are designed for individuals over 18 years of age with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment. Nano won the Top ENT Solution Provider 2023, has 24/7 customer care, and has an affordable price compared to others.
2. Very High Volume
Turning up the volume of your hearing aids too much, it might help you hear a bit better, but it can also cause feedback since it can force the surrounding sound to re-enter your device.
You can turn down the volume of your hearing aids to avoid the point that the sound gets too loud and causes feedback.
3. Dislodged and Blocked Microphones
If the microphones of your hearing aids are displaced or loose, or if they’re covered with debris or earwax, it can cause a whistling sound. Here’s how it happens:
- Loose microphones can pick up sounds that escape from the ear canal and then re-enter the device. This creates a loop where the sound is amplified repeatedly, resulting in a high-pitched squealing noise.
- On the other hand, blocked microphones can cause sound to bounce back into the microphone instead of being transmitted clearly into the ear. The resulting reverberation can produce feedback.
You can solve this by asking your hearing care professional to fix any loose parts of your hearing aids.
You can also clean the holes of the hearing aid microphones gently by using a wax pick or hook. Check out our Accessories page for a hearing aid cleaning kit.
4. Broken Tubing
The tube connected to the earmold can shrink or harden in the case of some hearing aids. When that happens, the tubing begins to drag the earmold and causes it to not have the perfect fit anymore - causing feedback. You will need to get a new tube to solve this problem.
5. Earwax in the Ears
Earwax (also known as cerumen in medical terms) is something that normally gets produced in our ear canals to keep the ears safe and healthy.
But if there’s too much earwax build up, your ear canal can get blocked. This prevents the sound from your hearing aids from getting through. The sound then bounces back into the hearing aids, causing them to create feedback or whistling.
Excessive earwax can also block your ears, making it harder to hear sounds from your hearing aids and potentially causing earaches or hearing damage. It can also clog earmolds and damage parts of your hearing aids. Regularly clean your ears to avoid these issues and keep your devices working properly.
6. Improper Settings
Sometimes the reason behind whistling or feedback might not be the hardware of the hearing aids, it can be the settings.
If a hearing aid is not properly configured, it can create a similar level of feedback problem to damaged or faulty hearing aids.
Though you can try adjusting your hearing aid by yourself, it's better to get it adjusted by your hearing care professional.
Other Causes
Other trivial causes of hearing aid feedback are:
- Hugging other people
- Wearing scarves, hats, or other head coverings
- Excessive jaw movement like chewing
In these cases, it’s not really a problem. Just get on with it, and the whistling sound will fade away by itself.
Hearing Aid with Feedback Cancellation Features
These days, a lot of hearing aids - both OTC and prescription types - come with the feedback cancellation feature.
This feature monitors the part of the sound signal that returns to the microphone for causing the feedback and removes it with a counter-sound before it can get re-amplified.
Your hearing aid will then get adjusted automatically based on the anticipated feedback sounds - resulting in no whistling or squealing noises.
At Nano Hearing Aids, all our models come with feedback management. One such model is the Nano First Ear Plus ITE.
At $347, the Nano First Ear Plus ITE comes as a very affordable hearing aid that doesn’t even require a hearing test or audiologist's consultation before purchase.
Its sporty in-the-ear design ensures comfort for long-term use, and it comes with three dome sizes to fit different ear canals. The easy volume control and advanced feedback cancellation provide a clear, natural listening experience, free from distracting noise.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why does my hearing aid whistle or squeal?
Hearing aids can whistle or squeal when sound escapes your ear and re-enters the microphone, often due to poor fit, high volume, or blocked parts.
How can I stop my hearing aid from whistling?
You can stop your hearing aids from whistling by checking for a snug fit, cleaning the device and your ears regularly, and ensuring proper volume settings. Consult a professional for repairs if needed.
Can earwax cause feedback in hearing aids?
Yes, earwax can block the ear canal and earmolds, causing sound to bounce back and create feedback. Regular ear cleaning can help.
What is feedback cancellation in hearing aids?
Feedback cancellation technology neutralizes sounds that cause feedback before they are amplified, preventing whistling noises.
Why choose Nano Hearing Aids for feedback issues?
Nano devices, like the First Ear Plus ITE, feature advanced feedback cancellation, a comfortable design, and multiple dome sizes to ensure a perfect fit—all at an affordable price of $347. The ITE model also has a dehumidifier in its magnetic charging case.