Earplugs / Muffs Give Very Little Protection

[TuneOut]

I think either my ear canal is small or the foam plugs are too large. I watched a video how to insert them properly but they just weren't going in easily. I couldn't seem to get a good seal and then my ears started hurting. I was wondering if I could be allergic to them but it seems others mentioned finding it uncomfortable. I don't like them and havent tried foam in ages. The ones I tried before were the useless plastic ones. I'm also afraid I'll push them in too far. (Way overthinking this I know).

Are you compressing them down enough before inserting? Are your ear canals really dry? Is the pain from the side of the canal or the eardrum? If it is truly because your ear canals are slimmer then you could look into these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I...6432&sr=8-4&keywords=earplugs+small+ear+canal

They are only NRR 30, though.

 

[linearb]

I think it's a big leap to go from a video about industrial noise exposure, to the conclusion that earplugs are, as a general rule, useless for concerts.

No one (who is well informed on the subject) will dispute that some concerts may be loud enough to cause some degree of dangerous noise exposure even if you're shielded, but there's a big question of dose and frequency. Anything you do on a given day is probably exposing your body to some amount of permanent damage, and noise adds up over a long period of time. The shortcomings of hearing protection in extreme noise environments are much more relevant to occupational exposure, which is likely to be 100 times as significant as concerts (unless you work in a band, or go out many times a week for years).

I am not encouraging people with existing problems to go to loud places recreationally, but I know a number of people who've had tinnitus for years who have continued to go to concerts and clubs, in some cases quite frequently (weekly), with no negative change in their tinnitus over years or decades.

There is also a night-and-day difference between a 95db outdoor show and a 120db show in a concrete basement.

 

[TuneOut]

I am not encouraging people with existing problems to go to loud places recreationally, but I know a number of people who've had tinnitus for years who have continued to go to concerts and clubs, in some cases quite frequently (weekly), with no negative change in their tinnitus over years or decades.

Linearb, are you saying that the people you know go with or without ear protection? How many people? And how bad is their tinnitus?

 

[linearb]

Linearb, are you saying that the people you know go with or without ear protection? How many people? And how bad is their tinnitus?

I had dinner with an old friend I hadn't seen in a while this week, and they reflected that their ringing/white noise was something they could hear over their home AC unit, but in general it's not upsetting to them. They go to a reasonably loud club on a weekly basis and said that it tends to amp up their tinnitus for a day or two, even with good earplugs, but that overall it hasn't changed over time. I think he had told me something similar, years ago.

I've heard other stories like that over the years but this just happened which is why it was on my mind.

 

[Zug]

I Know people who have Tinnitus and don't protect. I also know people who have sex with strangers and don't protect. I do, in both situations.

We should protect our hearing in situations that everyone else should. It's a personal option to do it, but that's how life goes. Choose your poison

Best,
Zug

 

[light rain]

Are you compressing them down enough before inserting? Are your ear canals really dry? Is the pain from the side of the canal or the eardrum? If it is truly because your ear canals are slimmer then you could look into these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00I...6432&sr=8-4&keywords=earplugs+small+ear+canal

They are only NRR 30, though.

Thanks. I actually wasn't doing it right. I was tilting my ear lightly up instead of straight back. So I managed to get it in properly but it does hurt the canal. I think if I were to use these things I'd go smaller. Don't know how people wear them a long time though - they freak me out.

 

[Hopeful1]

It's is not just a video it's made by an occupational therapist and he seems to know exactly what he's talking about and that seems to correlate experiences of many where ear plugs does little to protect the damage.

 

[DT_N_DA_CLUB]

Another thing to keep in mind if you wear glasses you could effect the seal. When I cut the grass I usually wear earmuffs and I noticed I needed to adjust my glasses so the ear piece doesn't get covered by the muffs.

 

[Hopeful1]

If people want to say is just another video and think ear plugs are fine, they do so at their own peril.

My 2 cents.

 

[Jiri]

@Hopeful1
An interesting and super depressing/saddening video for those with tinnitus. All the NRR badges feel now like a scam

1. "Research shows that hearing protectors are quite a bit less effective than the NRR would suggest." Ok, what research? Does anybody know? Then he throws in a random percentage for earmuffs "i.e." 25%. What?
2. I don't understand why companies would slap a logo "i.e." NRR 31 dB on their product when they must be aware that "realistically" this is not truth. Most importantly, however, why tf do they measure their products according to some "C" scale which is not weighted according to the human ear sensitivity?? So let's just then substract 7 dB. Shouldn't it be all about protecting exactly that? It looks to me like a false advertising.

I am not hating it just doesn't make sense to me, sorry.

It's all about protection (pretty damn important), isn't it? Then weigh safety products against the "A" scale that accounts for the sensitivity of the human ear and give the real NRR.