A digital hearing aid adjusts power to a processor or other modules to conserve battery life. The digital hearing aid receives and measures audio signals from an environment. If a magnitude of the audio signals is less than a predetermined threshold, the digital hearing aid starts a timer. If the audio signals are below the threshold for a predetermined period as measured by the timer, the digital hearing aid adjusts power to the processor or other modules. The digital hearing aid may also adjust clock rates and sampling rates of the processor. If the digital hearing aid detects audio signals above the threshold, the digital hearing aid restores power to the processor or other modules.