I’m Sandra, owner of Horend Goed and wife of Robert. The other day I was out and about again with our two dogs: Welmoet Bumpie, the Golden Retriever who really doesn’t retrieve anything, and Cornelis Dribbel, our stubborn Corgi. We live beautifully on the West Frisian seawall, but there is one disadvantage: there is always wind.
And you can tell. What I normally walk through the meadows in twenty minutes takes me half an hour on such a day. For me it feels like twenty steps forward and five backward. Spot makes himself small and bravely faces the storm. Bumpie, meanwhile, fiddles through life. You know dogs (and people) like that: full wind? We give it some extra speed! Well, so I haven’t. Certainly not on a bicycle. Anyway, to each his own.
So that wind is not mellow. It rattles so hard in your ears that it feels like 110 dB is thundering directly into your eardrums. No conversation possible, just noise and clacking. And then I thought, oh yes, this is exactly complaint number one among people with hearing aids in this kind of weather.
Hearing aid and wind: not an easy combination
If you wear a hearing aid, that wind is often picked up even better. Especially with an open fitting – a thin tube or speaker in the ear with a dome that does not close off completely – the wind blows right through. The microphones of your hearing aid record not only speech, but also these air currents. And that sounds anything but cozy.
Many clients then say, “That never bothered me before my hearing aid.” And that’s partly true: You probably just didn’t hear things as sharply anymore. With a hearing aid, you suddenly hear everything again – even the things you’d rather not hear. Wind is a notorious example of this.
And honestly: it’s also irritating. You come in with a complaint, then you want a solution. We can fly to the moon and telephones are tiny, but a hearing aid that always filters out wind noise unfortunately does not yet exist.
What manufacturers do against wind noise
Fortunately, manufacturers are not sitting still. There are now very clever techniques that suppress wind noise.
- Oticon has advanced wind suppression that is especially pleasant outdoors.
- Phonak offers “Speech in Wind,” where both hearing aids work together and preserve speech as much as possible.
- Resound has options in the app to adjust settings yourself, useful if you’re often out and about.
- Widex is known for their Wind Noise Attenuation, an algorithm that specifically detects and filters out wind noise.
But … getting rid of wind noise altogether? That remains technically difficult.
Tips for outdoors with wind and hearing aid
Until then, we often help clients with practical tips:
- Turn slightly away from the wind when you talk.
- Wear a hat or hoodie, it makes a surprising difference.
- Let us check if your hearing aid has the correct wind settings.
- See if a different dome (slightly denser or just venting) makes a difference.
- And always update the software: manufacturers improve their algorithms regularly.
Our own experience at the table
At Horend Goed we often see it: someone comes in and says, “This wind, it’s driving me crazy!“
Then together we look at what hearing aid is available, what settings are possible, and whether there are any clever tricks to improve wearing comfort. Sometimes it’s a simple adjustment. Sometimes it’s just part of the type of hearing aid someone is wearing. But always there is something to try.
And then those Corgi ears….
As I write this, Spot is sitting next to me. He can just turn his ears so the wind doesn’t blow full on them. Handy, isn’t it? If people could do that, maybe wind noise would never be a problem. Though I wonder what that would look like – and how a hearing aid would still stay on neatly. Let’s leave that to the imagination.
Conclusion
Wind and a hearing aid are not always the best of friends. But there is something you can do about it: with smart technology, good settings and a little creativity, you can make it a lot more bearable.
So the next time you’re biking or walking through the polder and the wind is howling around your ears, remember: you’re not the only one. And there are solutions. We at Horend Goed like to think along with you – so that you can continue to enjoy everything you hear despite the wind.
