Replacing batteries is a necessary part of wearing most hearing aids. Hearing aid battery life depends on several factors. The first is the size of the battery. There are 4 different battery sizes listed in size order from smallest to largest: 10, 312, 13 and 675. As the battery gets larger the life span also increases. There have recently been improvements in the lifespan of rechargeable hearing aid batteries also. If you have a rechargeable battery, then you do not have to change the battery on a regular basis. Most of the newer tyles of rechargeable batteries should last at least 3 to 5 years. Some of the previous versions of rechargeable batteries only lasted about 1 year and then needed to be replaced.
The second factor is the amount of hearing loss and the amplification needed. Mild hearing losses require only a small amount of amplification from the hearing aids while a severe hearing loss would require a significant amount of amplification from the hearing aids. The more amplification that is needed means more draw on the battery for the hearing aids to be able to produce that amount of amplification. Also, it is very common that each ear on an individual has a slightly different hearing loss. No two ears are exactly the same. Therefore, even when one individual is wearing a set of hearing aids, each hearing aid may send different amplification to each ear causing different amounts of battery drain for each hearing aid. The hearing aids may not produce the low battery warnings at the same time because of that. It is recommended however, to change both batteries at the same time since the other hearing aid will likely need the battery replaced within a few hours anyway.
A third factor of hearing aid battery draw is the amount of features in the hearing aids and how they respond to different environments. Some hearing aid technology is very active and is making changes in the hearing aids for the individual many times per minute. The types of environments that an individual is in throughout the day can change the battery draw amount. If an individual spends a day in a quiet environment, the battery draw would be much less than that of an individual that spent the day in a large crowded environment with a lot of noise. The hearing aids are very active in that crowded environment, therefore spending more battery power to process the information.
The fourth factor affecting hearing aid batteries is whether or not the hearing aids have Bluetooth and other wireless connections. The hearing aids that are constantly connected to Bluetooth devices, or are used for phone call/media streaming will require a lot more battery power. Overall, the connections and clarity gained by the increased technology and wireless connections are well worth the time spent changing a few extra batteries per year.
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