Are Earplugs Bad for Your Ears?

As a manufacturer of custom-made earplugs, we get questions about earplugs and hearing almost every day. One of the most common is: “Are earplugs bad for your ears?” The short answer is “no, not with normal use.” In this article, we’ll explain exactly why.

Are earplugs bad for your ears?

First of all, we want to stress that wearing earplugs in itself is not bad for your hearing or your ears. In fact, if you choose the right type, your ears will actually be better protected. So you can use earplugs with complete peace of mind to sleep or wear them while riding a motorcycle. That said, there are a few situations in which irritation or discomfort can still occur. We’ll go through them below.

Hygiene

If you use your hearing protection regularly, it will get dirty after a while. Besides earwax, other things sometimes end up on the earplugs too, such as dust or sweat. As a result, plenty of bacteria can build up on the earplugs over time. If you’re prone to ear infections, these bacteria can make your symptoms worse. Another risk is a build-up of earwax, which can cause blockages and irritation.

This is easy to prevent, though, simply by cleaning your earplugs regularly. If you have custom-made earplugs, a little warm water and some kitchen paper is usually enough to get them clean. If the dirt is stubborn, however, we also offer a special cleaning spray.

By the way, it’s not advisable to use aggressive cleaning products. Apart from the fact that they can cause irritation in the ear canal, you also run the risk of damaging the earplugs.

So if earplugs are cleaned regularly, they are not bad for your ears. But what if you have foam earplugs or something else that’s hard to clean? In that case, make sure you replace the earplugs after a few days. If you don’t, you run the risk of irritation or infection.

Custom-made earplugs get dirty less quickly anyway, especially if you opt for the hard version.

Irritation in the ear canal

As you’ve already read above, earplugs can cause irritation in the ear canal, particularly if they aren’t cleaned properly.

Another cause of irritation is when the earplugs don’t sit correctly in the ear canal. For example, many users complain that standard foam earplugs aren’t comfortable to wear. There are standard earplugs available that are less unpleasant to wear, but even this type can cause problems, especially if you have a sensitive or unusually shaped ear canal.

With custom-made earplugs, the chance of experiencing irritation is the lowest. That’s because they are tailored exactly to the user’s ear canal. Even so, there’s a small chance that some irritation may still occur, particularly with sensitive ears. At Audinc, we’ve come up with a fit guarantee for exactly these kinds of exceptions. This means that, in cases of discomfort, we’ll make a few adjustments to the earplugs free of charge. And if that doesn’t solve the problem, we’ll make a completely new earplug.

Volume that’s too high

Although earplugs themselves aren’t dangerous, the sound they produce can carry some risks. If you use earplugs to listen to music and turn the volume up too high, there’s a chance that the hair cells in your ear canal will be damaged. This damage can then show up in the form of hearing loss and/or tinnitus.

With custom-made earplugs, however, this risk doesn’t apply, since they generally don’t produce any sound. The exception is our Bluetooth products, which let you make calls and listen to music. With these types of hearing protection, it’s of course important not to turn the volume up too loud. With our Isotunes earplugs, the volume is automatically limited anyway.

Earplugs are not bad for your ears

As you can read, earplugs are not bad for your ears with normal use. You can read more about earplugs and hearing damage in our knowledge base.