Why do I need to protect my hearing?
Your hearing is connected to so many other processes in your brain, including your cognition and memory, so making sure your hearing is as good as it can be can help you stay healthy and happy for as long as possible. Even though hearing loss is one of the most common health conditions, it can be pretty difficult to notice in the earliest stages, so many people let their hearing get worse without realising. A mixture of good hearing protection and regular hearing tests are easy ways to help monitor your hearing and minimise hearing loss.
What is a dangerous decibel level?
Sound volume is measured in decibels or dBA. Long-term or repeated exposure to sounds louder than 85dBA has been shown to cause hearing loss. As you might expect, the louder the sound, the shorter the period of time before symptoms of hearing loss becomes apparent.1
A motorbike engine sits at around 90dBA but it may surprise you that listening to headphones at maximum volume can actually exceed this and reach 100dBA or more. Volumes around 70dBA, such as a toilet flushing, loud conversation etc., can all be tolerated for long periods of time without seriously affecting your hearing.
Hearing damage can start at around 85 decibels (dB) when you’re exposed to it for eight hours or more without hearing protection. After that, for every noise increase of 3dB the exposure time cuts in half. For example, you can only be exposed to 88dB sounds levels safely for four hours, 91dB for only two hours, and so on.
How can I protect my hearing?
The best way to protect your hearing is to avoid loud noise. But we know that this isn’t always so easy, especially if you work in noisy environments like construction sites and factories.
Employers should carry out a noise assessment and then determine the correct type of hearing protection needed; this will depend on several factors, including the level of noise and the amount of exposure an employee has to it. It’s also the employee’s responsibility to make sure they use the hearing protection provided.
But it’s not only workplaces that could damage ears. More young people are being affected by hearing loss because they are listening to personal music devices, and going to concerts, festivals and clubs with noise at damaging levels. While we wouldn’t want you to miss out on gigs, there are some things you can do to protect your ears – like not standing too close to speakers or, even better, using instant-fit earplugs or some custom hearing protection.
Wearing hearing protection is an easy way to help you protect your hearing. Hearing protection ultimately focuses on reducing the total volume that reaches your ears in both the short and long term without you having to worry too much about where.
Types of ear protection
Custom-fit hearing protection
Wearing high-quality hearing protection not only protects the ears in case of too much noise, for example while listening to music, motorcycling and frequent chores, it also contributes to the sound experience during these activities by preserving speech whilst minimising harmful noise.
Custom earplugs are bespoke plugs that are designed to fit the shape of your ear canal. Due to their bespoke fit means that you can wear them for longer than standard ear plugs with greater levels of protection and comfort.
Made from soft, medical-grade siliconeAlthough they’re a bigger initial investment, because they can be reused, they save money over the long term. You just need to remember to clean them regularly.
There are a variety of options, from general use to specialised in-ear earplugs for motorcyclists, swimmers, surfers, shooters, travellers, DIYers and those in need of a good night’s sleep.
Custom hearing protection is available from €125.
Swim/Surf
Perfect for swimmers, kayakers, surfers and all watersports enthusiasts - prevent ear infections and surfers ear by keeping water out comfortably.
Relax/Sleep
Intended for people who want to cut out background noise in order to be able to get a good night's sleep or to concentrate. For example, students and travellers, or people on shift work or those with a snoring partner.
Drive/Motorsport
For anyone with a passion for motorbikes or motorsport like F1. Irritating wind noise is reduced to a minimum so you can enjoy the roar of powerful engines to the full.
Music
The revolutionary filters ensure even attenuation that won't distort the sound of your favourite music all whilst keeping harmful noise to a minimum.
Party
For people who simply want to catch up with friends in a busy café and for fun-loving party-goers in various clubs and/or at festivals – the filters focus on optimal speech intelligibility.
Travel/Fly
Arriving well-rested at your destination? Set your relaxation button to the max with Travel hearing protectors while flying or using public transport
DIY/Work
Whether you want to muffle annoying noise when doing chores around the house or work in an industrial environment these plugs attenuate as much noise as necessary.
Comfort
Take the edge off a noisy office, busy street or a café whilst being able to stay engaged with your environment – perfect for those with noise sensitivity that do not want to block out the world.
Shooting/Hunting
Designed specifically to reduce sound pressure caused by gun shots, artillery fire and explosions whilst allowing speech to be heard.
Extra information
- High end membrane mesh filters
- Let’s the ear breathe
- Allows for situational awareness and communication
- 100% tested & certified
- Fully washable
- Attenuates low and high frequencies
- Reusable
- Portable carry case
For more information about any of these products, please ask a member of our in-store teams.
How to use earplugs
Below are some handy tips to insert and clean your earplugs.
How to insert custom ear plugs
- Wash your hands.
- Slightly pull your ear back and up – this will make it easier to insert them.
- Gently insert the plug into the ear making sure it fits correctly.
How to put in foam earplugs
- Make sure your hands are clean before you handle your earplugs.
- Roll the earplug into a narrow tube.
- Slightly pull your ear up and out a little bit – this will make it easier to insert them.
- Your ear canal will have opened up a bit, so it will be easy to gently insert the earplug, making sure it is well inside your ear, but not too far down that you have to force it.
- There should still be a small amount sticking out so that you can easily grip it to remove later.
How to clean earplugs
- Regularly removing the build-up of earwax and oil from your earplugs will make sure that they stay flexible and effective.
- Put your earplugs in warm water with a little soap added.
- Remove the dirt by gently rubbing them with your fingers or by using a soft cloth.
- Make sure you’ve washed off all the soap, and leave them to dry on a clean towel.
Hearing loss information hub
All about earwax
Online hearing test
References
1. Ding, Tonghui et al. “What is noise-induced hearing loss?.” British journal of hospital medicine (London, England : 2005) vol. 80,9 (2019): 525-529. doi:10.12968/hmed.2019.80.9.525