Tom Cruise and Judge Judy calls them ‘snoratoriums’ and it seems this new snoring room has become a celebrity craze that is sweeping the world. Some celebrities have even taken the idea of a snoratorium to another level. It’s been told that due to Tim Burton’s snoring he lives in a separate (but adjoining) home to his wife Helena Boham Carter.

According to Jim Toy, principle at False Creek Design Group Ltd. they have been seeing an increase in demand for adjacent sleeping quarters, or smaller areas built off the master bedroom “for, among other things, the snoring issue.” What’s even more astonishing, it was reported in a 2007 survey from the U.S. National Association of Home Builders, that they expect over 60% of upscale homes to have ‘dual master bedrooms’ by 2015. Designer Tom Sheerer recently told House Beautiful:

“It used to be his-and-hers bathrooms, his-and-hers closets, and his-and-hers offices. Now, everyone wants a snoratorium.”

Sounds like an expensive way to battle out the war on snoring. However, at Earplug Shop we have a great selection of sleeping earplugs that is a great alternative to a snoratorium and a lot more cost effective too.

It’s been said that 30-50% of people snore at one time or another and that is just in the United States! So, now’s the time more than ever to get those sleep and snoring earplugs. Take a look below to view some of the earplugs we have available for you:

Mack’s SafeSound Earplugs for Her

JenGen Blue Tassel Earplugs

Etymotic Research ER-20 High-fidelity Baby Blue Earplugs

Mack’s Dreamgirl Sleep Mask – Another great sleeping accessory.

It’s easy to take our hearing for granted and sometimes we tend not to think about the damage we could be causing it when doing the most normal of activities. This is especially true when it comes to children. They have very sensitive hearing and are prone to ear infections such as grommets and swimmer’s ear. There are many occasions when it can be vital for a child to wear appropriate ear protection such as earplugs including:

Swimming

At Earplug Shop we have a great selection of children’s earplugs that are suitable for swimming and other water activities, including these Pluggies Swim earplugs, by Alpine. Not only are these earplugs waterproof to create a barrier against water, they’re also double flanged thermo plugs to provide the ultimate fit.

Travelling

When it comes to travelling children can experience a lot of discomfort in their ears. However, with a pair of Cirrus Healthcare EarPlanes Kids earplugs, discomfort will be a thing of the past. The beauty of these earplugs is that they can also help children to sleep on the plane, blocking out the loud noises that are preventing them from nodding off. Can you think of anything more ideal when on a long haul flight?

Sleeping

Loud noises during the night are normally the main culprit when it comes to your child having a disrupted night, which can have a negative effect on their sleeping pattern. However, wearing a pair of earplugs for sleeping could be the solution. Sleeping earplugs for children can block out the loud noises and allow your child to sleep peacefully throughout the night. We suggest your child should wear a pair of Mack’s pillow Soft Kids size earplugs; they are doctor recommended and are also great for protecting their ears when swimming.

Facts about ear plugs

•    Earplugs reduce noise levels, they don’t block out ALL of the sound
•    Custom fit earplugs provide the best in comfort and are generally the most discrete, but not always the best option
•    There are earplugs available at Earplug Shop that block out harmful noises, yet allow you to hear speech
•    Earplugs can be used to relieve discomfort
•    Never share earplugs
•    You should wear earplugs if noise levels exceed 80dB
•    Tinnitus is not curable, but can be prevented by wearing earplugs

New Year’s Eve in London is one of the biggest annual events. Everyone congregates together not only to see the new year in, but also to see the mesmerising fireworks. New Year instantly gets us thinking about celebrating whilst watching fireworks, but a firework display can be extremely dangerous to see. These displays of vibrant colours produce a noise level so high it can cause serious damage to our ears, even deafness.

A firework display can reach up to 140dB, a staggering 55dB louder than the considered ‘safe sound’.

London is one of the most popular places to go to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the London firework display is infamous across the world. As soon as we turn on the television to watch Big Ben countdown to midnight, we are greeted with a magnificent firework display that never fails to blow us away.

This year will see fireworks launched off the London Eye, which will fill the skyline across the capital. Last year the display attracted a crowd of approximately 250,000 people, but this year is set to be even bigger. For 2011, BBC Radio One DJ Nihal will be warming up the crowds ahead of the London Eye fireworks with a live set.

If you are attending this year’s event, a pair of noise ear plugs could be exactly what you are looking for. Here are a few we recommend for you:

Moldex Spark Plugs Pack of 10 Pairs – perfect for a group

Moldex Rockets x 1 Pair Without Lanyard – comes with a very convenient compact case

Moldex Spark Plugs Pocket Pack – fits nicely in your pocket

If having to watch countless children programmes on TV with your little ones isn’t bad enough, Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka have now come to life and are doing a live performance tour around the country. It has been named the ‘biggest family event to hit the UK this summer’ and I’m going to have to sit through an hour of sing-sing with them.

I will have to be bringing some noise reduction ear plugs, not only to drown out the impossible singing, but also the tens of thousands of screaming toddlers. The level of noise that a group of toddlers can come out with can be incredible, I’m sure it could cause some sort of hearing damage, but if it lowers the noise of Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka amoungst others, my day will be a lot more pleasurable.

The music played by instruments is normally a pleasant sound we love to hear on a daily basis. Depending on the melody and notes played, music can relax and sooth us, get us ready for a night out on the town and can even comfort us whether being played as background noise or to tune into our inner feelings.

But, with the summer here and kids at home they tend to occupy themselves by annoying you with irritating instruments. Here is a list of the ones we dislike the most. It’s time to reach out for some ear plugs!

At No. 6: The Recorder

There’s nothing more grating than hearing a room of primary school pupils playing a recorder – the sound is tuneless and can have a painful effect on your ears.

At No 4: The Ocarina

While it might sound fine with a skilled player, more often than not, it’s used by novices who are borderline tone-deaf. Now a new generation is buzzing to play the ocarina thanks to Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Parents out there if you a have a Zelda fanatic in the house, it might be time to buy some noise reduction ear plugs!

At No 3. The Harmonica

The harmonica, popular because it is cheap to buy, easy to blow a tuneless …melody? and irritate family and friends in an instant. It is a great instrument if you know how to play it and can play it well, but for those who need some practice, practice in a room far, far away from us.

At No. 2: The Drums

Your child’s first instrument tends to always be a drum set. You haven’t bought them; your next door neighbour hasn’t either. No, it’s your friends and family members who think it’s funny to buy a drum set top send you mad. Kids love it, its loud, but most of it it’s annoying.

At No. 1: The Vuvuzela

Well enough said. Over June and July we have been subjected to the constant noise of swarming bees, but even though the World Cup is over people are still playing these wondrously annoying plastic horns. Please, please, stop!

From the first person to mass produce the highly annoying (in my opinion) vuvuzela, he is ready to branch out into a new industry, ear plugs. Neil van Schalkwyk must have had some sense knocked into him, having had enough of the sound of the vuvuzela, he now wants to block out the ringing (tinnitus) from his ears.

With the vuvuzela’s reaching an astonishing 140 decibels it is not suprising that people have had growing concerns about the damage it could do to your hearing. 

Neil van Schalkwyk spoke to the Telegraph commenting:

 “We have adapted the vuvuzela to make it a little quieter but there are still those who don’t like the noise so we wanted to offer them some form of protection.

“The earplugs will block out the noise and will also prevent the wearer suffering hearing damage.”