Swimming

When swimming regularly if you do not wear ear plugs you could run the risk of contracting swimmer’s ear. Swimmer’s ear is an outer ear infection, which sees your skin inflame making it painful to touch.

Swimming ear plugs are ideal for those who want to spend a lot of time in the water without running the risk of infection. They are also brilliant for those who want to concentrate on their swimming technique.

Gym

If you are a gym fanatic the noise emitted by large machinery and the music played in the room can cause serious discomfort in your ears. Research has shown that gym-goers are more likely to turn up the volume on their personal music devices while working out to drown out the noisy environment, which can cause further damage.

Noise ear plugs are the ideal solution for gym goers to drown out surrounding noises without damaging your hearing. They are also superb to use when wanting to maximise your concentration levels, giving you the chance to focus on your ambitions.

Uncle Derek is going to a lot of concerts recently, watching bands like Kings of Leon (I think he might be going through a mid life crisis).

• Present Idea: Musician Ear plugs, band t-shirt, whistle and a CD.

Aunty Margaret has been saying she wants to go on a diet after Christmas along with some gentle exercise.

• Present Idea: Home workout DVD, swimming ear plugs, water blocker for the nose and a work out vest.

Cousin Tim loves his motorcycle and watching extreme sports.

• Present idea – Extreme sports DVD, motorcycle ear plugs, Biography of Erik Weihenmayer

Cousin Frank has recently moved to the country to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but has got a bit of a pest problem.

• Present idea – Country cooking book, shooting ear plugs, vegetable seeds, gardening tools.

Cousin Gemma is a lover of old fashion films and vintage (a bit of a fashionista).

• Present Idea – The Red Shoes DVD, Vintage jewellery, JenGen ear plugs – just like the ones Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

I can’t believe I hadn’t have thought about that sooner, but I always make a connection with swimming with summer and not winter. It may still be autumn, but it feels like winter, I have been wrapping myself up warm, had the fire on and copious amounts of hot drinks, like I’m sure most of you have as well.

As I am going to be going swimming on a regular basis (in the run up to Christmas) I have bought some swimmer’s ear plugs to protect my ears from getting any infections (I really don’t fancy having an ear infection or worse swimmer’s ear for Christmas). I have swimming to be the best form of exercise for me, it works every muscle in my body and I don’t  even feel like I am exercising, the only downside is that spending a lot of time in the water can create problems for your ears, like swimmers ear.

Using ear plugs like Mack’s Aqua Block Ear plugs will help reduce the risk of causing damage to your ears and will also increase your concentration allowing you to perform better when in the pool. there are many advantages of swimming and there are many advantages to wearing swimming ear plugs.

However, if you are being really strict with yourselves and are swimming 3 times a week or more, you could be running the risk of swimmers ear. It is commonly found in children, but it is more common than you think in adults.

The build up water in your ears can quite quickly turn into an infection and that is why it is always safer to opt for ear protection like ear plugs.  The selection of swimming ear plugs has recently been extended; offering a wider range than ever before. Ear plugs like the Cirrus Healthcare ClearEars ear plugs are incredible for swimming as they absorb the water, quickly and conveniently drawing water from the ear.

So when you are planning to next jump into the pool, get yourself a pair of ear plugs to help protect your ears from infections like swimmers ear, which could also lead to permanent hearing loss.

The second reason however, is to prevent any infection of the external ear canal such as swimmer ears, or it’s medical term ‘otitis externa’. People normally perceive this to be an infection conceived when swimming in polluted water such as a lake, but it is more commonly found in children or adults who spend a majority of time in chlorinated water, such as a swimming pool.

The chlorine in the swimming pool can dry out the skin of the ear canal, which can encourage bacteria and cause an infection or fungal conditions. Swimmer’s ear can be extremely painful and in more serve cause can make the ear extremely sensitive to touch. It isn’t a dangerous condition, but it can cause serious discomfort and the ear can become swollen which can cause hearing problems.

Fortunately by wearing suitable ear plugs while swimming you can prevent the condition from occurring. Silicone ear plugs are the ideal solution for preventing swimmer’s ear or otitis externa as they give a more custom fit, are easy to clean and have a long life expectancy.

There are many types of swimmers ear plugs available they can be mouldable, pre-moulded, re-usable and are also available to bulk buy. In my experience with my children I have found that bulk buying them is the best option as children tend to misplace objects on a regular basis and to ensure hygiene on a regular basis it is a lot more hassle free to throw them out after one use.

The good news about hearing loss in small children is that it can be treated if it is caught early, preferably before they are 3 months old, however some are not treated quickly enough. Hearing loss in children can occur due to a number of reasons such as:

• Born prematurely
• Stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit
• Had high bilirub requiring a transfusion
• Had frequent ear infections
• Exposed to very loud sounds even for a brief duration.

Children are very sensitive when it comes to loud sounds and being exposed to deafening noises. Even at an extremely young stage of life hearing is imperial for children’s learning. The best way to protect your children’s hearing is to use earplugs designed specifically for them. These earplugs cannot be used for babies, but are ideal for young children who are learning to swim and who are exposed to damaging noises.

When my children were growing up, I made sure they always wore these children earplugs to prevent them from getting any infections such as swimmers ear. Children’s hearing is extremely important and I felt I had to make sure they were protected in times when it was very loud such as days out when we went to see plays.

Perhaps. According to Deafness Research UK, some power tools can reach decibel levels that would require hearing protection at the workplace. Unfortunately, people at home may not take this seriously. If you’ve never had a job where hearing protection was required, you might not know about the risks of noise-induced hearing loss.

If you are exposed to decibel levels above 85 for an extended period of time, you may be damaging your ears. Tiny little hair like cilia line the inner ear. They are responsible for receiving noise vibrations and sending these signals to the brain where they are interpreted. When loud noises damage these cilia, they cannot be repaired by the body. Overtime, this can lead to permanent, irreversible hearing damage.

Some power tools can reach over 90 decibels, meaning exposure to these tools may cause hearing damage if proper measures aren’t taken to reduce the damaging decibels.

Deafness Research UK lends the following advice for DIY folks and others who may be exposed to loud noises during leisure activities:

• Use earplugs. Earplugs can be unobtrusive and will not block out the sound of

music or conversation. In fact, by blocking the excess noise, they can improve

your ability to make out conversation and music. If worn correctly, earplugs can

reduce sound levels by between 15 and 35 dBA. Special earplugs are available

for musicians.

• Take regular breaks from the music or other noise source. Aim for at least ten

minutes’ break every hour.

• Give your ears time to recover after exposure to excessive noise. Exposure to a

100 dBA sound for around two hours requires at least 16 hours of rest for the

ears if the hearing loss is not to become permanent. A minority of people are

more sensitive and a longer period of rest may be required.

• Avoid standing too close to the speakers or other noise source.

• Don’t go to noisy places too often, and try less noisy pastimes.

Other leisure activities may require earplugs as well. There are many different types of earplugs to protect your hearing so you can enjoy your activities for many years!

Motorcycle Earplugs

Shooting Earplugs

Musician’s Earplugs

Swimming Earplugs

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.

Why is it that the ear infection always occurs at the weekend when the doctor is away playing golf? Those urgent or emergency care visits certainly add up, don’t they? I’m still paying on one from the last holiday!

Simple measures such as purchasing ear plugs for swimming or an ear canal drying aid in case you forgot the earplugs can help prevent many of the painful, irritating symptoms of swimmer’s ear and save you money down the road.

Swimmer’s ear is an outer ear infection that is a result of getting the ear canals wet repeatedly. The wet conditions are a perfect medium for bacteria that then cause the infection. Swimmer’s ear can also lead to an inner ear infection that can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort as well as frighteningly high temperatures. This is most common in children. Children with repeated ear infections may end up with permanent hearing damage.

Initially, you or your child may have a little itching in the ear canal, which may be a bit pinker than normal. Redness and discomfort will follow as well as drainage. The ear will continue to become redder, inflamed and the discharge will become more opaque and potentially have an odour. If you touch the ‘tragus’ of the ear (the little bump on the front of the ear, there will be noticeable pain. Hearing may be muffled.

If left untreated, an outer ear infection has a big potential for becoming an inner ear infection. Fever and bloody discharge are always a reason to ring the doctor.

Purchasing children’s swimming earplugs will ensure that your child’s small, precious ear canals are protected from the water. You should not use adult-sized earplugs because your child’s ear canals are smaller. If the earplug is too large, they will not properly seal the canal. Your child may find adult earplugs uncomfortable as well making compliance an issue.

For the avid swimmer, custom earplugs are a good idea. If your child or you swim regularly or competitively, the investment in specially moulded earplugs designed to fit your ears only offers the very best protection. They will fit more comfortably and seal out all water. An impression of your ear is taken (tickles a bit, but otherwise a comfortable process) and the kit is sent back to the ProGuard facility where your custom earplugs are designed and shipped back to your front door.

There are many different types of swimming earplugs, one of which is sure to fit your needs and protect your or your child’s ears and hearing!

Cheers for now!

Meghan