Special recommendations: Ear protection

Maybe the first thing to do when severe hyperacusis appears, is to use ear protection until the initial critical state could decrease.

There are basically two types of protectors: earplugs and earmuffs. Many of them are used indifferently to protect the ears against dust, water, wind, cold or noise. However, some of them are specially designed to attenuate noise.

Among earplugs, there are the following types*:

* Foam earplugs (roll-down).- very effective, comfortable and cheap

* Foam earplugs (push-in).- like the previous one but no roll-down required

* Silicone earplugs. - for general use

* Silicone earplugs with a filter (or attenuator). – specially designed for musicians. They are also known as Hi-Fi earplugs, due to their ability to reduce noise while preserving sound quality.

* Silicone earplugs with a filter (custom molded).- mainly for musicians. They are also Hi-Fi earplugs.

* Wax and cotton earplugs.- with similar results to foam earplugs

* Moldable silicone earplugs.- specially for swimming

Earmuffs are usually made from acrylic, plush, or nylon material, or a mixture of them, and include a head band, sometimes made of metal. Here some examples*:

In my particular case and having tried with almost all of those types of ear protection, I prefer foam earplugs due to their easy use, the little risk of inflammation in ear canal and the possibility of shortening their size in order to get a mild noise protection according to the context. Sometimes earplugs along with earmuff must be worn in very noisy areas.

However it is very important to say here that over protection of the ears should be avoided, because it may cause a worsening of the hyperacusis and tinnitus. After a critical stage has gone, it is necessary to expose the ears to normal environmental sounds little by little.

It was very difficult for me to start weaning my ears from ear protection, because I used to wear it all the time, even in my own home and while I was sleeping. Finally, I could leave them, and now at home I keep my ears plugged only at very specific moments. In a next post I will describe how I could achieve this goal.

Here are some of the best-known brands in the field of earplugs and earmuffs (click on the name to go to the respective web page):

MACK’S (only earplugs)

HEAROS (only earplugs)

ETYMOTIC (musician earplugs)

ENSORCOM (musician earplugs)

ALPINE (musician earplugs)

PERFECT-FIT (custom molded earplugs for musicians)

THUNDER (one of the best earmuffs)

E-A-R by Aearo (now belonging to 3M) (earplugs and earmuffs)

3M (earplugs and earmuffs)

E.A.R. Inc. (earplugs and earmuffs)

STEELPRO (earplugs and earmuffs)

To see a video about how to fit earplugs and earmuffs, click here.

* The NRR (Noise Reduction Rating - expressed in decibels) of any of these products may vary considerably (mostly from 12dB to 30dB), depending on their shape (or design), their size and/or their materials.