As a manufacturer of custom-made earplugs, we get questions about earplugs and hearing almost every day. We are also regularly asked the question ''are earplugs bad for your ears?". The short answer to this is 'no, not with normal use'. We will explain exactly how this works in this article.
Earplugs bad for your ears?
First of all, we want to emphasize that wearing earplugs in itself is not bad for hearing or ears. In fact, if you choose the right variant, your ears will actually be extra protected. You can therefore sleep with peace of mind with earplugs or put them in while motorcycling. However, there are some cases where irritation or discomfort may still occur. We will list these below:
Hygiene
If you use your hearing protection regularly, they will get dirty after a while. In addition to earwax, sometimes other things get on the earplugs, such as dust or sweat. As a result, after a while many bacteria will grow on the earplugs. Should you be prone to ear infections, these bacteria can make the symptoms worse. Another risk encountered is the accumulation of earwax, which can cause blockage and irritation.
However, this is easily prevented by cleaning the earplugs regularly. Should you have custom-made earplugs, some warm water and kitchen paper is usually sufficient to get the earplugs clean. However, should there be stubborn dirt, we also have special cleaning spray available.
By the way, it is not recommended to use aggressive cleaning agents. In addition to the fact that these can cause irritation in the ear canal, they also risk damaging the earplugs.
Therefore, if earplugs are cleaned regularly, they are not bad for your ears. However, do you have foam earplugs or something else that is difficult to clean? Then make sure you replace the earplugs after a few days. If you don't do this then you run the risk of irritation or inflammation.
By the way, earplugs that are custom-made are less likely to get dirty, especially if one chooses the hard variety.
Irritation in the ear canal
As you read above, earplugs can cause irritation to the ear canal, especially if they are not cleaned properly.
Another cause of irritation is when the earplugs do not sit properly in the ear canal. For example, many users complain that standard foam earplugs are not comfortable to wear. However, there are also standard earplugs available that are less uncomfortable to wear. Still, even this variant can cause complaints, especially if you have a sensitive or abnormal ear canal.
Custom-made earplugs are the least likely to experience irritation. This is due to the fact that they are precisely tailored to the user's ear canal. Nevertheless, there is a small chance that there will still be some irritation. Especially with sensitive ears. At Audinc, the fit guarantee has been devised for such exceptions. This means that in cases of discomfort we will make some adjustments to the earplugs free of charge. Should this not solve the problem we will make an entirely new earplug.
Volume too high
Although earplugs themselves are not dangerous, the sound they produce can pose some risks. If one uses earplugs to listen to music at too high a volume, there is a chance that the cilia in the ear canal will be damaged. This damage can then manifest itself in the form of hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
With custom-made earplugs, however, this risk is not an issue, as they generally do not produce sound. With the exception of our bluetooth products, which allow one to make calls and listen to music. With these variants of hearing protection, it is of course important that the volume is not set too loud. With our Isotunes earplugs, the volume is automatically limited.
Earplugs are not bad for your ears
As you can read, earplugs - when used normally - are not bad for the ears. You can read more about earplugs and hearing damage in our knowledge base.