We have many clients that will fall asleep watching television on their couch and wake up later with hearing aids still in their ears, which is fine. You may think that means there is no risk to sleeping with hearing aids, but it depends entirely on how you sleep. If you are propped up in a recliner, you will be fine. The risk only comes from having your hearing aids pressed by resting your head on a pillow while lying down.
Falling asleep with your hearing aids on its own is not detrimental to your hearing health. You will want to make sure that the hearing aid fits securely on your ear so they don’t get lost and try not to make it a habit of going to bed with them on.
You may think that you have to always wear your hearing aids to sleep so you can hear an alarm to wake you up or warn you of a fire. If you feel you must sleep with your hearing aids in, speak with your hearing health care provider first.
It is important to understand if there are other alerting devices or accessories that may be a better option for the safety concern or challenge you are looking to overcome. There are many devices such as bed shakers, vibrating or flashing alarms and alarm clocks that may be better suited to your unique situation than sleeping with your hearing aids in.