5 Reasons Why Your Hearing Aid Is Whistling & How To Fix It

An abrupt whistling sound in your hearing aids, called feedback, can be caused by a number of issues. The usual causes include earwax blockages, broken tubes, the volume being too high and even wearing a scarf. Luckily, these can be easily fixed either by yourself or at your hearing healthcare provider. Hearing clinics can take care of repairs or adjustments that need to be made to your hearing aids using more advanced equipment.

Here are some of the most common causes of hearing aids whistling and how to fix it.

Inserting your hearing aids into your ears properly can take some practice. When you put your hearing aid into your ear incorrectly, it can cause the amplified sound to leak out of the ear. This leads to the sound traveling back to the hearing aid microphone where it gets amplified again, creating a feedback loop. So if you hear whistling in your hearing aids, try taking them out and reinserting them, ensuring they are placed properly in your ears. 

If your hearing aids aren’t fitting well or you have difficulty inserting your hearing aids properly, contact your hearing healthcare professional. They can adjust the fit of your hearing aids.

Hearing aids work by transmitting sound into the ear canal. If there is a buildup of earwax it can block the ear canal so the sound has nowhere to go. This makes the sound bounces back into the hearing aid, causing a whistling sound due to the feedback loop described above.

You can get your ears cleaned by a professional to remove excessive earwax. They can also have your hearing aids checked for any clogged receivers or vents so they are in optimal condition.

Over time, your ears may change shape which can affect the fit of your earmolds. This means that sound can leak away from your ear and enter back into your hearing aid causing them to whistle. To fix this, you can go to your hearing healthcare professional and ask to get new earmolds fitted to your ears.

Like earmolds, tubes can also deteriorate over time causing the same unpleasant feedback. To fix this, you can replace the tubes on your hearing aids.

There are other causes for whistling in your hearing aids. It can happen from wearing hats, scarves, and other head coverings changing the feedback path of your hearing aids. These can result in your hearing aids making whistling sounds. Even giving someone a hug can result in short beeps or whistles. 

To avoid this, you can turn down the volume on your hearing aids or remove your scarf or hat.