Can Earplugs Change the Shape of Ear Canals?

[butterfly75]

I've been wearing earplugs frequently recently, even all night. I'm worried about them widening the ear canals, because then even more sound would enter. I used to wear "slim" earplugs, and they were very tight when I first wore them, but then I started to notice they were letting in more sound so I bought a set of earplugs with a higher noise reduction.

These were very difficult to put in, in the beginning, just as the slim ones were, but now they fit into my ears much easier and smoother. I've tried to use the slim earplugs again, that were so difficult to insert in the beginning, and very uncomfortable, and slipped right in and they hardly blocked out any sound.

I can't wear ear muffs for long periods, so my only option is earplugs. Can the ear canals be widened by long-term earplug use?

 

[TuneOut]

What kind of earplugs are these? Is it the same pair that no longer fits or multiple pairs of the same kind? Could it just be that your ears are becoming accustomed to the sensation and so they don't feel as tight?

 

[fishbone]

Possibly ask an ENT this question....

 

[butterfly75]

What kind of earplugs are these? Is it the same pair that no longer fits or multiple pairs of the same kind? Could it just be that your ears are becoming accustomed to the sensation and so they don't feel as tight?

Thanks for the reply. I'm just using the Mack's brand. Two different kinds. The one that is too loose is the one with the lower noise reduction. It was always hard for me to insert the ones with the higher noise reduction, but now they seem to fit just like the ones that are now loose, so I'm afraid they're going to become too loose too. I probably shouldn't have worn earplugs to sleep for multiple nights, but now I'm afraid I've altered the form of my ears.

 

[DefNFlaky]

Yes, but a couple nights without earplugs will bring your ear canal back to it's normal shape.