However, it is the decibel levels that you’re exposed to constantly that can affect your hearing. Continuous exposure to 85 decibels or more can cause permanent hearing loss or damage, such as tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

Everyday activities such as mowing the lawn and even some of your children’s toys (some can reach 150dB) can have a knock on effect on your hearing. Whether it is using a noisy device or simply listening to music at a high volume, you could be incurring permanent hearing damage.

We live in a noisy world that is filled with chatter, traffic and sometimes industrial sounds. Some noises are within the home environment and some are outside. Wherever we go, we are surrounded by noises that could impair our hearing and this is why it’s so important to protect it. Once it has gone, it’s gone forever.

Women’s earplugs are designed to fit smaller ear canals and seal out the dangerous decibels while allowing you to hear sounds. So although you may be able to protect your hearing from dangerous noise levels, you will, sorry to say, hear the 200th ‘Mum, I want…’ of the day. On a more positive note, though, your teenager’s metal music could be drowned out.

You will find a fantastic range of women’s earplugs at Earplug Shop, including the JenGen Blue Tassel Earplugs that are reminiscent of those Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s wears.

Not only is the growth of technology increasing our risks of hearing damage and potential deafness, but also some working environments can have a serious effect as well as leisure sports and even holidays.

This however, can easily be combated; with the simple use of ear plugs that are especially design for a certain activity you will be protecting your ears effectively from damaging sounds. You will also be pleased to know there are ear plugs that have special filters that allow you to block the damaging noises and let the sounds you want to hear in.

When it comes to ear plugs there is a great range to choose form, depending on the brand you prefer and the activity you are going to wear them for. For instance if you will be going on holiday for Christmas flying ear plugs would be ideal for you as they will balance the pressure out, preventing your ears from popping and feeling ill when on the plane. Then there are ear plugs for children, designed specifically for smaller and more sensitive ears.

Take a look at the full collection of ear plugs today to see which ear plugs fit your preferences.

Are disposable or reusable earplugs better for me?

It all depends on your preferences are. If you want to have one pair of earplugs that you have to clean for hygiene reasons then reusable earplugs are the best choice for you. However, if you are a bit clumsy and tend to lose things or you don’t like the fuss of having to constantly clean your earplugs then disposable is the right choice for you.  A great time and money saver when it comes to disposable earplugs is to bulk buy them. This way you will be not have to be constantly buying them to protect your ears at all times.

What is the difference between disposable and reusable?

Apart from stating the obvious, but I’m going to anyway; disposable earplugs are designed to be thrown away after a single use and reusable earplugs are designed to be use time and time again, the main difference is the material they are manufactured in. Disposable earplugs are generally manufactured using foam, whereas reusable earplugs are normally made from silicone. Most reusable earplugs use a non-allergenic soft medical grade silicone, with a majority of them being waterproof, suitable for swimming and water sports.

Do I need custom fit earplugs or mouldable or pre-mouldable?

Custom fit earplugs are designed to fit every shape of ear and generate an extraordinary level of protection. There are the more expensive type of earplug, but tend to last longer than traditional earplugs making them cost effective. Mouldable earplugs are designed to mould to the shape of your ear whereas pre-mould earplugs are already moulded to a certain shape and size, which can be ideally suitable for children. These earplugs tend to last around 4 years.

What should I be looking for in earplugs?

What you look for in an earplug depends on what uses you going to get out of it. What do you need the earplugs for? Is it for a gig/concert or for swimming? However the main factor you should look for in earplugs is the NRR (noise reduction rating).  Depending on the level of noise you want to block or reduce, depends on the NRR level you need.

“You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound, which may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing. Set your iPod volume to a safe level before that happens. If you experience ringing in your ears, reduce the volume or discontinue use of your iPod.”

They made a very good point that we may not realize noise levels are high when we become used to the sound. If you think about the way our bodies work and how we have built-in mechanisms meant to keep us safe, this is an interesting flaw.

You can’t look in direct sunlight without feeling discomfort nor touch a stove when it’s hot and not pull your hand away quickly. You can get used to bright light, but you’ll probably never be able to look directly in the sunlight. And, although different people tolerate different heat levels, you’ll probably always flinch and pull your hand away from intense heat.

Certain strong odours cause us to cover our noses and mouths (chemicals, etc.) because something is telling us the source of the smell must not be good for our respiratory system. We would never be inclined to eat something that smells foul (well, certain cheeses aside).

Apparently, though, our sense of hearing doesn’t quite work as well. We lose sensitivity to loud sounds the more we are exposed to them. This is likely partial hearing damage in the works.

So, my question is, what noises do you hear in your world? Is your office at work loud? What about the traffic noise outside your home or office? Are you a commuter who takes the train? Does it sound noisy on the platform? Do you work with noisy equipment or machinery? Do you have oodles of children in your home with squeaking, squealing toys?

It’s a good idea to have a think and determine whether you should be protecting your ears from hearing damage. One marker is to make sure you can hear someone talking at a normal voice level. If you or the other person needs to raise their voice in order to be heard, there’s a good chance the decibel levels in your environment can eventually cause permanent hearing damage.

As well, noise pollution can be stressful. So, while rustling of papers, phone conversations and office equipment noises may not be loud enough to cause damage, the stress from the constant noise may be an issue.

There are many noise earplugs, foam earplugs and reusable earplugs that can help protect your ears, even if your ears don’t realize they need protection.

Tinnitus is a condition in which the person suffering hears ringing in their ears. It’s an internal ringing that causes distraction, sleep disturbances and sometimes pain. For some, tinnitus is mild and merely annoying. For others, the symptoms can become so frequent and painful that it truly interferes with their lives.

Tinnitus most often occurs as a result of age-related or noise-induced hearing loss. On occasion, certain medications such as courses of antibiotics, cancer drugs and aspirin can cause temporary tinnitus. Build-up of earwax may also cause tinnitus.

For the latter cases, the symptoms usually clear when the medications are ceased (if they can be) or when the earwax is removed. For age-related or noise-induced tinnitus, tinnitus is usually permanent.

There are some ways tinnitus can be relieved. As we just learned in our last blog, not all of these suggestions are as effective as others.

1. Hearing aids: They amplify hearing to serve as a distraction from the internal ringing.
2. Avoid further damage or excessive noise with noise-reducing earplug (musician’s earplugs, foam earplugs)
3. Avoiding stimulants (Likely not, see our previous blog)
4. Background or white noise (another distraction method); can use custom earphones to “drown” out the ringing yet protecting your ears from further damage
5. Therapy to help with relaxation
6. Medications for relaxation, depression or anxiety

Treating tinnitus has no “one-size-fits-all” approach, so it’s important to work with your healthcare provider and find the appropriate treatment for your tinnitus so you don’t have to continue suffering. Above all, continue to stay apprised of all the latest research. As we learned with our last blog, what was advised yesterday may not be the best means to treat tinnitus.

For a long time now, the common belief in the medical industry was that caffeine irritated the symptoms of tinnitus, leaving many practitioners advising tinnitus patient to limit or cease their caffeine consumption. Now, we might be finding out that this was useless advice.

It seems in a recent study funded by Deafness Research UK and published in the International Journal of Audiology, caffeine withdrawal does not seem to alleviate tinnitus symptoms; moreover, it may even increase symptoms and irritate the condition.

Participants were chosen that suffered from tinnitus and drank at least 150 mg of caffeine every day in either tea or coffee. The study was double-blinded so the participants did not know which days they would receive caffeine and which days they would not. They were asked to record their tinnitus symptoms at the beginning, middle (where caffeine withdrawal would be complete) and end.

Though this is a preliminary study and one that needs further evidence to support the theory that caffeine withdrawal is a poor treatment method for tinnitus, the importance of the study rings clear (pun intended).

If we’ve been advising 15% of the UK to quit drinking coffee or tea when 85% of them once enjoyed the beverage, we’re giving false advise that perhaps further diminishes their quality of life. If you really loved sky-diving and ended up with some strange itchy skin rash, and your doctor told you to quit sky-diving, you’d be a little upset to find out it was for no good reason when the rash didn’t clear.

For now, there is no cure for tinnitus and the best piece of advice is to wear earplugs to prevent tinnitus and keep it from getting worse. As well, many tinnitus patients find custom earphones and a personal music device to be quite soothing as complete silence often brings on painful tinnitus episodes as the brain searches for sound.

You’ve probably heard of the effect stress has on your heart health. You may have even heard about stress making you more susceptible to colds, flu and infection due to its ability to decrease immunity. Did you know that it could be making you fat?

Yes, chronic stress and the constant dumping of cortisol (stress hormone) into your system can make you gain excess abdominal fat. Not only that, but when you are stressed, you tend to eat more or eat sporadically. You might even crave sugar, which naturally releases pleasure hormones. Unfortunately, it also makes us gain weight like crazy.

So, if you’ve made a New Year’s resolution to reduce weight this year, you might consider dealing with the stress in your life first. As mentioned, it’s nearly impossible to avoid all stress. The key is to find ways to reduce the negative effects of stress.

7 Top Tips on Reducing Stress:

1. Exercise reduces stress by releasing pleasure hormones and using up excess fats and glucose dumped into your system during stressful situations.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to offer your body antioxidants that fight free radicals produced by stress hormones.
3. Practice yoga. Not only will you get the fat burning and toning benefits, but also yoga helps you find your centre and help you deal with stressful situations better.
4. Turn down the noise! More and more studies are showing that noise pollution (traffic, equipment, office noise, noisy classrooms, industrial noise etc.) causes a great deal of stress making it difficult to concentrate and feel at peace. Use noise earplugs to reduce the stressful effects.
5. Get your 8 hours of sleep! Sleep is the body’s maintenance time! Use foam earplugs and sleep mask to ensure a good night’s sleep.
6. Listen to music. Use custom earphones to listen to soothing music or music that lifts your mood.
7. Aromatherapy. Use essential oils such as lavender in aromatherapy warmers to infuse the soothing scent. Lavender actually helps your brain release serotonin (calming hormone).

I hope you find your New Year a little more peaceful!

One of the latest hot topics in the world of “what man-made thing” to avoid is PVC or polyvinyl chloride, and being a highly popular plastic, it is tough to avoid. You can find PVC in pipes, siding, roofing and a number of other plastic products.

Is the harm in touching the PVC or the damage it may incur over years of exposure? Not necessarily. The real problem is in the manufacturing of PVC. Toxins emitted from the production have been found to increase the risk of the following:

• Cancer
• Endocrine disruption
• Endometriosis
• Neurological damage
• Birth defects & impaired child development
• Reproductive and immune system damage

As well, the environmental impact is great. PVC cannot be recycled, so it ends up in landfills where it may be accidentally combined with other substances that increase the toxic nature of PVC. In addition, the material wears more quickly than other, more expensive materials used in building and construction.

Though the main area to target when it comes to avoiding products with PVC is the construction industry (over 75% of PVC use), we may have to take smaller stabs at ridding the world of PVC production and use. The construction industry is taking into account the long-term cost and environmental impact of PVC, but what will we do with all the PVC that’s currently in use in homes and buildings?

Earplugs are small, so it’s not as though they are creating a huge impact, but it’s good to know that companies like Moldex are doing their part. And you can too. Every time you make a purchase that is PVC-free, you are helping protect our environment and diminishing the ill health effects of PVC manufacturing. This is especially true if many earplugs are being used such as seen with use of industrial earplugs.

As well, many users report that earplugs made with urethane or silicone such as Moldex, Heartech or Mack’s earplugs are more comfortable to wear as PVC may irritate some ear canals.

Whatever you choose, make sure you do protect your ears. Hearing damage can occur at decibel levels of 85 or higher. Even common noises such as traffic or yard equipment can reach much higher levels. Foam earplugs can also be used to help you sleep well at night or drown out stressful noises.

Zoe Williams of The Guardian proceeded to give us an earful (pun intended) as she spun the topic into a debate about the merit of artistic eccentricities and the potential bogus nature thereof. If I understand her correctly, she contends that many supposed artists or rather, people who strive to be artistic, use their chosen career as an excuse to be careless and participate in potentially self-harming activities such as drinking too much or using drugs. She indicates “genius proceeds from incredibly hard work,” and I beg to differ.

I believe “success” proceeds from incredibly hard work, but genius is something rather innate. Either you have it, or you don’t. Potentially, there are many geniuses that have come and gone and we’ve probably never heard their name. For whatever reason, their genius wasn’t recognized, probably because they never put the work in to find the success that would have resulted in fame.

Along that same vein, can we really say that one artist or another was an alcoholic because they were artists? Or that they were artists because they were alcoholics? Will alcohol bring out the artist within any of us? Would an artist’s creative mind become lacking if they quit drinking? Personally, I don’t think that drinking has much to do with artistic abilities, but the reasons behind excessive drinking might.

True, as Ms. Williams indicated, “self-harm among real people more often than not coincides with self-esteem and depression issues.” Edgar Allen Poe was known to be an alcoholic. He was also extremely depressed (if you don’t believe me, re-read The Raven). Historically, many gifted writers, musicians and artists have been depressed; Kurt Cobain, for instance. And many who suffered from depression suffered from addiction. More than likely, the depression leads to the addiction.

Why are so many artists depressed? Does a creative mind lend itself more towards the darker side of the human psyche? Some artists, I suppose, do have to be a little off kilter to give it a go in their field. The term “starving artist” is certainly not antiquated.

So, I’m not sure that creative genius relies on a drink, drug or self-mutilation, but that which gives them their talent may also be their Achilles heel making them more susceptible to negative coping mechanisms. And we do sort of forgive them for their indulgences.

Sure, we have plenty of supposed artists that claim to be depressed or use their self-proclaimed artist status as an excuse for their recent public display of extreme intoxication. One cannot just don a pair of custom musician’s earplugs and call oneself an artist, after all!

So, while I’ll read “The Tell-tale Heart” with extreme admiration for Poe’s creative, depressed and drunken mind and I’ll listen to “Lithium” and feel sorrow for Cobain’s torturous mind that led to his art and his death, when it comes to the posers, I’ll kindly grab my foam earplugs and tune out the blarney.