Hearing Protection

You are at risk of hearing loss

• Hearing damage can take the form of temporary or permanent ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and loss of the ability to hear clearly.
• Hearing damage is irreversible. Once it happens, it’s permanent (in all but some very rare cases).
• Amplified music can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). A study in Great Britain found that 62% of regular club-goers have symptoms of hearing loss.
• The risk of hearing damage depends on: 1) how loud the music is; 2) how close you are to the speakers; 3) how long you are near the speakers; 4) previous hearing damage.
• You may be at greater risk if you have a family history of hearing loss.
• Some people shy away from foam earplugs because they distort the sound. Buying a pair of reusable high fidelity earplugs is an appealing option for lots of people.
• Hi-fi earplugs reduce decibels evenly across frequencies, meaning that they reduce the volume without muffling the sound or changing the experience.
• If you dance a lot or work in the music or nightlife industries, consider getting custom-fitted hi-fi earplugs to protect your hearing even more comprehensively

How to know if you may have hearing damage

• You hear ringing or a high-pitched tone in one or both ears.
• You’re sensitive to loud noises.
• You have difficulty hearing or understanding others when there is background noise.
• People sound like they’re mumbling or talking too quickly, and you have to ask them to repeat themselves.
• You need to turn up the volume on TV or media devices higher than other people do.
• You hear phone calls better through one ear than the other.
• If you have any of these symptoms, get your hearing checked by a hearing health professional. To prevent more damage, wear earplugs!
• Just because you don’t have active symptoms does not mean that you haven’t damaged your hearing.
• Many people claim that it’s “too late” for them to start wearing earplugs. If you can still hear at all, it’s not too late. People in the music industry routinely become hard of hearing in their 20s and 30s, deeply impacting their quality of life.

Be aware of your environment

• Sound levels in clubs can be as high as 115 decibels (dB), which can cause permanent damage within a few seconds.
• Standing in front of large sound systems for only a few minutes can permanently damage hearing. The further someone is from the speakers, the more time can elapse before loud sound becomes harmful.
• Extremely heavy bass played by an extremely loud sound system, like at a festival, can cause eardrum tearing if someone is close enough to the speakers. Always stay at least 10 feet away from speakers and avoid sitting in bass bins without construction-tier headphones on, if at all.
• Use real earplugs! Cotton and rolled up tissue paper may subjectively dampen the sound, but they only reduce volume by about 7 dB, which is not sufficient to prevent hearing damage.
• When possible, ask that sound levels be turned down if your ears hurt. Pain is often a sign that your hearing is in the process of being damaged.
• If you can’t have a normal conversation on the dance floor, don’t try to talk. Shouting into someone’s ear can damage hearing. (Tip: Push down your tragus [the flap covering your ear canal] to hear others a little better!)
• Alcohol and certain other drugs can lower your sense of pain and increase the risk of hearing damage.
• When dancing, take breaks from the music and periodically move to where sound levels are lower.

How to use foam earplugs

1. With clean hands, roll the earplug until it is as thin as possible.
2. Quickly insert the tapered end all the way into your ear.
3. Hold it in place for at least 30 seconds until it fully expands.
4. Release the earplug then gently push it in one more time to ensure a complete fit. The end should be even with the opening of your ear canal.
5. You can purchase high-quality reusable earplugs from us here.