Why Your Hearing Aids Might Be the “Clogged Feeling” Culprit

Hello to our wonderful Mornington Peninsula community! If you’ve been wandering around Mt Eliza feeling like you’re living underwater—or perhaps like you’ve suddenly started broadcasting your own voice from inside a hollowed-out wine barrel—you aren’t alone.

That frustrating, “clogged” or “stuffed-up” sensation is one of the most common complaints we hear at Stay Tuned Hearing. Often, our clients come in worried they have a stubborn ear infection or a massive build-up of wax. While those are definitely possibilities, there is a very high chance the real culprit is a sneaky phenomenon known as the Occlusion Effect.

The Science of the “Stuffed” Ear and Hearing Aids

When you speak, chew, or even walk, your vocal cords and bones create low-frequency vibrations that travel through your skull. In a “normal” open ear, these vibrations simply leak out of your ear canal like steam from a kettle.

However, when we pop a hearing aid or a custom earmold into that canal, we’re essentially putting a lid on the kettle. Those low-frequency sounds get trapped, bounce back toward your eardrum, and can actually boost the sound pressure of your own voice by a staggering 20 to 30 decibels.

This is what specialists call “Ampclusion”—a fancy portmanteau for the combination of physical occlusion (the plug) and the hearing aid’s amplification (the volume).

Mistaken Identity: Is it My Ear or My Aid?

Because this sensation feels so much like physical pressure, it is frequently mistaken for other medical conditions:

• Earwax (Cerumen) Impaction: While wax can certainly block sound and create fullness, it’s a constant feeling. If the “clogged” feeling only happens when you talk or chew, it’s likely the hearing aid.
• Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD): This often involves popping or crackling sounds and is related to pressure changes.
• Middle Ear Fluid (Otitis Media): This usually causes a more uniform “muffled” hearing experience and can sometimes feel like water is sloshing around inside.
• TMJ (Jaw Issues): Since your jaw joint sits right next to your ear canal, jaw inflammation can mimic ear fullness.

The “Baby Jeannie” DIY Diagnostic

At Stay Tuned Hearing, we use a systematic protocol to find the source of the problem. You can actually try a version of this at home to see if your hearing aid is the “culprit”:

1. The Silent Test: Put your hearing aids in but keep them turned off.
2. The Phrase: Repeat the phrase, “Baby Jeannie is teeny tiny” (it’s full of low-frequency sounds that trigger the effect).
3. The Result:
   • If your voice sounds “hollow” or “boomy” while the aid is OFF, the problem is physical occlusion—the fit of the device is trapping sound.
   • If the voice only sounds weird when the aid is ON, the issue is amplifier-based—your settings might just be a bit too “boomy” in the low frequencies.

How We Get You “Un-Stuffed”

The good news? You don’t have to just “get used to it” if it’s driving you crazy. Modern technology has some incredible ways to clear the air:

• Venting: We can adjust the size of the “vent” (the little hole in your hearing aid) to let those trapped sounds escape. Even a 1mm or 2mm change can make a massive difference.
• Deep-Fitting Shells: Sometimes, seating the hearing aid deeper into the “bony” part of your ear canal actually reduces the vibration, making your voice sound natural again.
• Own Voice Processing (OVP): Some of our latest 2025 and 2026 models, like the Signia platform, use high-tech sensors to detect when you are talking and instantly turn your own volume down while keeping everyone else clear.

• • If the voice only sounds weird when the aid is ON, the issue is amplifier-based—your settings might just be a bit too “boomy” in the low frequencies.

Stay Tuned to Your Comfort

Don’t let a “plugged-up” feeling keep your hearing aids in the bedside drawer. Whether it’s a simple wax clear-out or a high-tech adjustment to your Own Voice Processing, we’re here to help you hear the Mornington Peninsula clearly.

Ready to feel “un-clogged”? Come visit us at Stay Tuned Hearing in Mt Eliza. We’ll help you find the perfect balance between hearing the world and feeling like yourself again.