Wearing hearing protection in noisy environments is an important preventative measure you can take to preserve your hearing. But from muffs to molds, there are several types of options available today. How should you determine which one is right for you? Dr. Stacy Chalmers, Au.D. helps point you in the right direction. Watch more Q&As, then schedule your appointment with BNA at our Pontiac or Bloomington, IL locations.
Neil in Pontiac asks, “How should I choose between the different types of hearing protection?” Well there are a few different styles available. There are different noise reduction ratings on the packaging that can help you determine how much sound they’re blocking. So you definitely want a type of hearing protection that you’re comfortable with and that you can tell is effective when you have it in. Some people prefer the foam and feel like it provides a better seal. The muffs are a little more foolproof. Muffs can be used over the ear plugs, too. That’s called ‘double protection,’ but it’s not actually doubling the amount of protection. Though, it does add about 5 decibels of attenuation. They do also make filtered hearing protection if you still need to be able to communicate with people around you. There are also electronic types. There are also custom ear plugs that can be made, which we help people with a lot by taking a mold of the ear, and then those are sent away and a custom-molded earpiece is built for the person’s ear. So whatever type of loud noise you’re in, whether it’s a concert or heavy construction, there is definitely an option that can be suited to your needs. I’m Dr. StacyChalmers from Bloomington-Normal Audiology, and we’re ‘hear’ for you.