If your ears hurt after wearing your headphones or hearing aids all day—or even for a couple of hours—there’s no cause for immediate concern. However, it can be helpful to find the root cause of the discomfort and make adjustments to reduce ear pain or discomfort.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why do my ears hurt after wearing headphones?” or noticed that your ears hurt after wearing hearing aids possible answers range from simple to more complex. And while there may be no one, single cause of this type of pain or discomfort, some of the most common reasons you may be experiencing ear pain from headphones, earbuds or hearing aids include:
Most earbud tips (the small, detachable piece of your earbuds that sit inside your ear canal) are made of silicone or foam. If you’re allergic to either of these materials, your earbuds could cause an allergic reaction, leading to irritated skin in your ear canal. If you’re experiencing skin irritation or an ear allergy, stop using your current earbuds and shop for replacement ear tips made of a non-irritating material.
Since earphones are often carried around, thrown into bags and generally exposed to a lot of elements in life’s various environments, they could also come in contact with irritants and debris. This is another reason why regularly cleaning your earphones is so important.
If you wear over-the-ear headphones, it’s possible for the headpiece to be too tight, which can constrict your head and cause headaches or ear pain. Simply loosening the band can help, or opt for a model that offers greater size adjustment.
In-ear earbuds often come with multiple tip sizes to ensure a proper fit. If your earbuds are causing pain, try a smaller size of ear tips so the device isn’t as tight in your ear canal opening. The same applies to hearing aids with silicone domes, which are available in multiple sizes. If your ears feel sore after using your hearing aids, make an appointment with your Miracle-Ear hearing care professional to talk about dome size options.
Regularly cleaning your headphones or earbuds will keep them hygienic and hopefully reduce ear pain due to built-up earwax, bacteria or debris. Wondering how to clean headphones? For a quick clean, just wipe down the surface of your device with a soft, lightly damp cloth.
For a more thorough cleaning, use the same soft, lightly damp cloth and a tiny bit of dish soap; wipe the surface of the headphones or earbuds. Use a cotton swab—or a cleaning tool designed specifically for the job, which you can purchase online—to remove earwax and other debris from removable earbud tips. Dry all components with a soft cloth, or air-dry as needed. You can also occasionally use an alcohol wipe to not only clean but sanitize your device—just don’t do this too often, as alcohol can begin to degrade headphone or earbud materials when used frequently.
Keep in mind that for cleaning hearing aids, you should never use water or liquid cleaning solutions, which can damage your devices.
Historically, using headphones with hearing aids wasn’t possible. But thanks to advancements in both hearing aid and headphone/earbud designs, there is some opportunity for using both devices at the same time, or for simple alternatives, thanks to Bluetooth technology. Just know that certain types of hearing aids are more compatible with certain styles of headphones, so it can be helpful to go into a store to try on various headphone styles. The process can take some trial and error to find the right fit for your particular needs. Find more information on specific hearing aids and headphone compatibility below.
ITE hearing aids are small and discreet, since the custom-molded devices sit inside the ear canal. So, can you use earbuds with hearing aids? Because of their size and where they sit in your ear, this type of hearing aid is only compatible with over-the-ear headphones—not earbuds. Bone-conduction headphones can also work with ITE hearing aids.
Many ITE hearing aids also come with Bluetooth technology, which allows you to stream audio from your phone, TV, computer or tablet directly into your ears—eliminating the need for bulky headphones.
BTE hearing aids have components that sit both in your ear canal and behind your ear. Because of this, they are not highly compatible with headphones, and they don’t work with earbuds. Occasionally over-the-ear headphones can work with BTE hearing aids, but it depends on the size of both your hearing aids and the earpieces on the headphones.
However, it’s important to choose a pair of headphones that doesn’t cover the microphone of your hearing aids, as this would inhibit their function. Your best bet with both BTE and receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids is to purchase a model with Bluetooth capabilities, and stream audio directly into your ears through your hearing aids.
Bone-conduction headphones don’t sit over or in the ear canal, like traditional headphones or earbuds. Rather, they loop behind your ear and the speaker sits in front of the ear, near the edge of your cheekbones.
They send vibrations through your head and jaw bones, into your inner ear rather than passing sound through your eardrums. This positioning makes them a great fit with ITE hearing aids. However, since this headphone style generally has a piece that loops behind the ear to secure the device, this style of headphones typically isn’t compatible with BTE or RIC hearing aids.
If none of the above tips alleviate your pain, and if you experience regular, persistent ear pain after wearing hearing aids, headphones or earbuds, visit a doctor or hearing care professional to discuss.
For ear pain related to hearing aids, make an appointment at your local Miracle-Ear hearing aid center. Our trained hearing care providers can look at fit, clean your devices, conduct hearing tests and help you get to the bottom of the issue.
