PixelCatchers via Getty Images
Your hearing aid is a lifeline to the rest of the world. Noise cancellation and sound amplification are two essential ways for your reliable hearing aid can help with mild to severe hearing loss. What is not practical is the short battery life of hearing aids; Replacing those little button cell batteries can be a pain, especially if you’re dealing with batteries that die in a matter of weeks or even days. One thing you should always think about is replacing the hearing aid itself; some models offer longer battery life than others. We’ve rounded up the best options for you in the handy guide below.
You may have stumbled upon the five-minute rule while trying to find ways to get the most out of your hearing aid battery and other hearing aid accessories. Is this an effective trick to extend battery life? And also, how does it work? Let’s go.
What is the five minute rule for hearing aid batteries?
The five-minute rule for hearing aids can be a simple tip to extend the battery life of your hearing aid by a few extra days. But how exactly does it work?
Most hearing aids, especially affordable over the counter or Over-the-counter hearing aids from trusted brands like MDHearing, are powered by a replaceable coin cell battery that you can purchase at most retail stores and hearing aid suppliers.
Today, these batteries are powered by a zinc-air system. All you need to know about this hearing aid technology is that a chemical reaction occurs when air enters the battery case (through tiny perforations or holes in the surface) to produce water. ‘energy. That’s why your replaceable hearing aid batteries are factory sealed with a protective film that must be peeled off before use.
The five-minute rule for hearing aid batteries is a simple way to extend the life of your batteries by a few extra days. The next time you need to replace the battery in your hearing aid, here’s what to do:
- Do not remove the protective film from the new hearing aid battery until you are ready to replace the old one.
- After removing the protective film, don’t do it immediately insert the new battery. Instead, wait five to seven minutes.
- Waiting five minutes before inserting the new battery leaves enough air in the battery to fully activate the battery’s power centers.
In case you’re wondering how legit this tip is, one study found that this tactic can extend battery life by up to two or three days. We also double-checked the science behind zinc-air systems: Since air is the positive active material that activates these batteries, this tip for extending the life of your hearing aid batteries is verified.
What is the best type of hearing aid?
Hearing aids come in all shapes and sizes, with different battery types and locations for to get used to. The main types of hearing aids you are likely to encounter:
- Behind the ear (BTE): BTE hearing aids fit over the top of the ear, with most of the electronics in a plastic housing behind. With their largest design, they provide optimal sound amplification compared to other models.
- In the ear (ITE): ITE hearing aids are custom made to fully fit the outer ear. These devices have longer battery life and typically come with more features, such as volume control, than smaller models.
- Receiver in channel (RIC): RIC hearing aids (as well as the smaller receiver-in-the-ear, or RITE, devices) are similar in design to a BTE, but with a connecting wire in place of the BTE tip. This gives more room to the ear canal and allows for a more comfortable fit.
- Completely in channel (CIC): CIC hearing aids are the smallest, with a custom shell that fits the ear canal. These are the least visible, but they don’t offer many features or the most powerful sound amplification.
Rechargeable or replaceable batteries for hearing aids
Whether or not the five-minute rule for hearing aid batteries applies to your device depends on the type of battery it uses. Many popular hearing aid brands use rechargeable batteries, which are usually made of lithium-ion and last up to 24 hours on a single charge. These can be more expensive than replaceable batteries, but the advantage of rechargeable batteries is that they generally need to be replaced once a year – just make sure you charge them every night.
Replaceable batteries will need to be replaced much more frequently than a rechargeable battery, but the advantage is that they are a cheaper alternative. It’s the hearing aids that use these button batteries that can benefit from the five-minute rule, extending the life of your battery by up to 72 hours.
Grub5
