Helmets and Hearing Aids
Summary: Hearing aids and cochlear implants can be hard to accommodate under a bike helmet, and sweat can cause
problems as well. We have suggestions, but do not recommend ever reducing the liner foam and the protection of the
helmet.
We are aware of several different problems that hearing aid users have when using helmets. Children are said to be hard
to fit when using a hearing aid. Adults complain that when they sweat while riding, the hearing aid is affected. Putting
a helmet on and taking it off can dislodge hearing aids, and they can be lost on rides. Those using bone-conductive aids
or cochlear implants have a different problem altogether.
We don't have good answers for most of those problems. If you do, please
send us an email!
Children
We do not know of any helmets made for children with space for cochlear implants or hearing aids. Since
the aids may vary considerably in size and shape, it would be difficult for a manufacturer to design specifically for
them.
Toddler helmet standards require more coverage than adult helmet standards, usually resulting in a helmet that covers the
ears. The solution may be to move up to a "youth" helmet in the smallest size. It will be cut higher and will leave the
ears untouched. It will require lots of fitting foam to adapt it to a small head. Even so, it may or may not have enough
room for a cochlear implant.
The fitting foam in a helmet (the squishy pads, not the rigid styrofoam) can be moved around to accommodate a hearing aid
without affecting impact performance. That may require the next size larger helmet, with more fitting foam used all
around. That in turn requires very careful strap adjustment to make sure the helmet will stay on the rider's head in a
crash. Removing any of the styrofoam (the rigid foam) to accommodate a hearing aid would compromise the impact
performance of the helmet in that spot. The thickness of the foam is a key element in reducing the shock of the
impact.
If the design allows separating the bulky part of the device further from the ear, it may be possible to locate it below
the helmet.
There are helmets on the market for children that have a ring-fit system, and do not use foam pads. The bike shop's
buzzword is "one size fits all." Depending on the configuration of the hearing aid, a ring-fit system may work better
than the adjustable foam pads. We have
a page on ring fit helmets.
Nobody will advise parents to hollow out an area of the helmet for the hearing device because that will compromise the
protection in that spot. Removing any of the stiff foam reduces impact protection. We are aware that when the child
cannot wear a helmet unless a parent reduces the foam to accommodate the hearing device, some parents do decide to remove
some foam. We don't recommend it. Drilling a hole to expose an ear mike is likely to be less problematical than hollowing
out an area for a larger device. The less foam removed, of course, the better. The danger is that the child will hit
where the device is, instead of some other location. Just removing foam might not provide protection to the area around a
cochlear implant. And a parent will have difficulty making the surface of the foam cutout as smooth as it needs to be to
avoid creating fracture points. Some manufacturers will occasionally modify a helmet to fit a cochlear implant, but will
not let us identify them. See Manufacturers below.
In the future, custom helmets made with 3D printing techniques based on individual head scans may solve this problem, but
for now they are cutting-edge technology. The only company selling them commercially at present is HEXR. You can read
about them on our
Helmets for 2020 page.
Adults
Most adult bike helmets are cut well above the ears except for skate-style helmets, which can come further
down and may impinge on a hearing aid worn behind the ear. Adult helmets do not impair hearing, and in some cases
actually make it more acute by the edge of the helmet reflecting sounds from the ground back into the ear. But any helmet
that does cover the ear will of course impair hearing.
Again, the fitting foam in a helmet (the squishy pads, not the rigid styrofoam) can be moved around to accommodate a
hearing aid without affecting impact performance. That may require the next size larger helmet, with more fitting foam
used all around. That in turn requires very careful strap adjustment to make sure the helmet will stay on the rider's
head in a crash. Removing any of the styrofoam (the rigid foam) to accommodate a hearing aid would compromise the impact
performance of the helmet in that spot. The thickness of the foam is a key element in reducing the shock of the
impact.
If the design allows separating the bulky part of the hearing device further from the ear, it may be possible to locate
it below the helmet.
Many of today's helmets have a ring-fit system, and do not use foam pads. The dealer buzzword is "one size fits all."
Depending on the configuration of the hearing aid, a ring-fit system may work better than a model with adjustable foam
pads. We have
a page on ring fit helmets.
As with children, we can not advise you to hollow out an area of the helmet for the hearing device because that will
compromise the protection in that spot. Removing any of the stiff foam reduces impact protection. We are aware that when
you cannot wear a helmet unless you reduce the foam to accommodate the hearing device, some riders do decide to remove
some foam. The danger is that you will hit where the device is, instead of some other location. Just removing foam might
not provide protection to the area around a cochlear implant. And you will have difficulty making the surface of the foam
cutout as smooth as it needs to be to avoid creating fracture points. It might be easier to modify the
Bontrager/Trek WaveCel inner layer, but that again involves compromising protection.
Hearing aid loss during cycling is a problem for some. Putting on a helmet or taking it off can dislodge a hearing aid,
and not every rider is immediately aware of that. Some hearing aids have a lost device location feature tied into Apple
phones. We don't know how well that works. It might be possible to have an ear piercing you could anchor your hearing aid
to. Our own solution has been loss protection insurance.
Manufacturers
Most manufacturers do not want to modify helmets for special needs. There is no magic involved when
removal of the protective foam liner is the only practical method, and that leaves an area where the helmet's protection
is reduced. If the wearer hits in that area and is injured, the possibility of a lawsuit is ever present. The
manufacturer can at least make the foam removal area smooth enough and properly shaped to avoid creating fracture points.
But doing the work at a distance requires photos and measurements of the wearer's head and devices, and the modification
may not work the first time. All current helmet manufacturers are for-profit companies, and they could not make any money
on individual modifications. At least one does "a couple of them a year" but we can't name them or direct you to a
contact.
Sweat damage
For the adult sweat problem you can do some creative shaping of the soft fitting foam to try to
channel sweat away from the ears, or use a thick cotton headband to absorb sweat. The cotton band will have to be swapped
for a dry one when it saturates. In either case, do not cut the styrofoam liner, which compromises the impact performance
of the helmet in the spot where you remove the foam, and refit the helmet straps with the sweatband in place to be sure
it will stay on your head in a crash.
We have been told that there is one company that makes a "waterproof" hearing aid. There used to be a latex cover for a
hearing aid to protect it from moisture.
Is air noise a problem?
Many hearing aids have wind filters that help with wind noise while riding. They may dull
the treble sound. There are various wind deflectors you can find online. The first ones we saw were from a company in
South Africa in 2006, called Slipstreamz Spoilers. They are a pair of plastic pieces that bend the side straps of a
helmet to stick out from the head. The company claimed that this improved hearing by setting up a wind burble away from
the ear. We tried Slipstreamz, on both ears and on one ear, and did not hear an improvement. But on our helmets the
straps lie flat along the face, and if they were out further in the airstream we don't know what effect Slipstreamz would
have had. We did not like the way the plastic bends the strap, since the strap's basic adjustment would be affected. It
would seem a lot simpler just to extend the plastic to do the wind redirection if that is really an effective method, and
not interfere with the way the strap should lie flat on the face. We have heard from at least one user who says the
reduction in wind noise was significant, so your mileage may vary. We can't find Slipstreamz any more, but there are
others including Wind-Blox, Cat-Ears
and Windfree.
Email feedback we have received
There are answers for cyclists with hearing aids. One solution is to wear a
sweatband positioned so that it fits between the head and the hearing aid, protecting the hearing aid from perspiration.
You might have to replace the soaked sweatband with a dry one after a while, but I've found that one sweatband of a type
that is not too absorbent will do fine all day. I rode across Iowa twice in summer heat and found this method to work
well. On one of those trips I used small plastic booties that are made to cover behind-the-ear hearing aids, sort of a
condom for hearing aids. It worked well. It is not easy to get on and off, so I left the covers on both of my BTE aids
for several days. They protected the aids from rain, sweat and greasy fingers, which cyclists always get from handling
their chains and tires, etc. An Internet search will turn up the protectors I've mentioned here. Of course, it always
helps to have a short haircut.
David in Tacoma, Wash.
Again, if you have more info on this subject, please email us.