As the weather turns colder, wet and windy conditions can affect both your hearing and the performance of your hearing aids.

Here are Warwick Hearing Specialists' top tips so that you can protect your ears and keep your hearing aids working well throughout the autumn and winter months.

1. Why do my ears pop when I have a cold?

When you have a cold, your nose and throat can become blocked and swollen. This can affect a small tube that connects your middle ear to the back of your nose. When pressure changes, you may feel your ears pop, crackle or feel blocked.

2. Why does my hearing become muffled when I'm ill?

A cold can sometimes cause fluid or congestion behind the eardrum. This can make sounds seem quieter, as though you're listening underwater. It often improves when the cold clears.

3. Look after your hearing aids in wet weather

Autumn and winter mean more rain, damp and condensation. Try to keep your hearing aids dry. If they get wet, do not put them on a radiator or use a hairdryer. Follow the manufacturer's drying instructions.

4. Cold weather can affect hearing-aid batteries.

Very cold temperatures can sometimes reduce battery performance. Keep spare batteries somewhere dry and at normal room temperature, and make sure rechargeable hearing aids are fully charged before going out.

5. Don't put cotton buds inside your ears

Cotton buds do not usually remove wax properly. They can actually push wax further down the ear canal and irritate the skin. Your ears normally clean themselves naturally.

6. How do you know if earwax is causing a problem?

Wax can sometimes build up and cause blocked hearing, muffled sounds, a feeling of fullness, tinnitus or hearing aids whistling. If you think wax is the problem, it's better to have the ear checked rather than putting objects inside it.

7. Hearing aids can help during Christmas gatherings

Christmas means family gatherings, restaurants and parties — often with lots of people talking at once. Hearing aids can help, but positioning yourself close to the person you're talking to and facing them can also make conversations easier.

The Warwick Hearing Specialists clinic is based in Warwick on the ground floor at 6 New Street, CV34 4RX, with wheelchair access and New Street Car Park directly opposite. The team also offers flexible booking via phone, online, or walk-in—designed to make care as convenient and inclusive as possible.

To book an appointment, visit www.hearingspecialists.co.uk, call 01926 962 013 or visit in person at 6 New Street, Warwick, CV34 4RX.

Warwick Hearing Specialists sponsors Warwick Nub News.