Earplugs: Difference between revisions

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====Why earplugs?====

There is absolutely no doubt that exposure to noise levels in excess of 100 db causes cumulative ~~{{wikipedia|~~hearing damage}}. Worse yet, this is hearing loss that you can never recover. Once it goes away, it's gone forever. Eventually you are likely to develop {{wikipedia|tinnitus}}, a constant 'singing' or 'whistling' in your ears that overlays everything you hear. No fun.

There is absolutely no doubt that exposure to noise levels in excess of 100 db (common in motorcycling) causes cumulative hearing damage. Worse yet, this is hearing loss that you can never recover. Once it goes away, it's gone forever. Eventually you are likely to develop {{wikipedia|tinnitus}}, a constant 'singing' or 'whistling' in your ears that overlays everything you hear. No fun.

~~One solution is a pair~~ of ~~custom fitted~~ earplugs ~~made by an {{wikipedia|audiologist}}~~. These are cast out of space age polymers from molds made in your own ears and contain a tiny valve that allows low level sounds to be heard, while at the same time cutting out everything that's above a given sound pressure. ~~You can still hear sirens, horns, and so forth, but~~ the wind noise ~~is pretty much gone~~. (And that constant wind noise really tires you out. Try it and see.)

Lots of experienced riders say that earplugs make riding less tiring and stressful. They let you focus better on riding. They minimize the wind and exhaust noise that can really soak up your attention. (And that constant wind noise really tires you out. Try it and see.)

People have ~~had differing luck with the custom-made ones. If you decide~~ to ~~go this route, make sure you wear your helmet when getting the mold made~~. ~~Another thing some people~~ do is ~~coat them in something~~ (~~Duke uses neosporin~~, ~~others use Vaseline~~) ~~which helps with sealing. All this makes a lot of people just stick with regular foam plugs~~.

People who have never worn earplugs are concerned that they won't be able to hear things they need to hear while wearing them. What plugs do is remove a lot of noise (wind, exhaust blat) that you don't need to hear, but still let in sirens, horns, and so forth.

Most riders use disposable store-bought plugs and are quite content with them. They can be found in the pharmacy section of many stores, or in larger quantities inexpensively online (see below).

You can also get a pair of custom fitted earplugs made by an {{wikipedia|audiologist}}. These are cast from molds made in your own ears and contain a tiny valve that allows low level sounds to be heard, while at the same time cutting out everything that's above a given sound pressure. People have had differing luck with the custom-made ones. If you decide to go this route, make sure you wear your helmet when getting the mold made. Another thing some people do is coat them in something (Duke uses Neosporin, others use Vaseline) which helps with sealing. All this makes a lot of people just stick with regular foam plugs.

====Earplug survey====

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 ====Why earplugs?====
-There is absolutely no doubt that exposure to noise levels in excess of 100 db causes cumulative {{wikipedia|hearing damage}}. Worse yet, this is hearing loss that you can never recover. Once it goes away, it's gone forever. Eventually you are likely to develop {{wikipedia|tinnitus}}, a constant 'singing' or 'whistling' in your ears that overlays everything you hear. No fun.
+There is absolutely no doubt that exposure to noise levels in excess of 100 db (common in motorcycling) causes cumulative hearing damage. Worse yet, this is hearing loss that you can never recover. Once it goes away, it's gone forever. Eventually you are likely to develop {{wikipedia|tinnitus}}, a constant 'singing' or 'whistling' in your ears that overlays everything you hear. No fun.
-One solution is a pair of custom fitted earplugs made by an {{wikipedia|audiologist}}. These are cast out of space age polymers from molds made in your own ears and contain a tiny valve that allows low level sounds to be heard, while at the same time cutting out everything that's above a given sound pressure. You can still hear sirens, horns, and so forth, but the wind noise is pretty much gone. (And that constant wind noise really tires you out. Try it and see.)
+Lots of experienced riders say that earplugs make riding less tiring and stressful. They let you focus better on riding. They minimize the wind and exhaust noise that can really soak up your attention. (And that constant wind noise really tires you out. Try it and see.)
-People have had differing luck with the custom-made ones. If you decide to go this route, make sure you wear your helmet when getting the mold made. Another thing some people do is coat them in something (Duke uses neosporin, others use Vaseline) which helps with sealing. All this makes a lot of people just stick with regular foam plugs.
+People who have never worn earplugs are concerned that they won't be able to hear things they need to hear while wearing them. What plugs do is remove a lot of noise (wind, exhaust blat) that you don't need to hear, but still let in sirens, horns, and so forth.
 Most riders use disposable store-bought plugs and are quite content with them.  They can be found in the pharmacy section of many stores, or in larger quantities inexpensively online (see below).
+You can also get a pair of custom fitted earplugs made by an {{wikipedia|audiologist}}. These are cast from molds made in your own ears and contain a tiny valve that allows low level sounds to be heard, while at the same time cutting out everything that's above a given sound pressure. People have had differing luck with the custom-made ones. If you decide to go this route, make sure you wear your helmet when getting the mold made. Another thing some people do is coat them in something (Duke uses Neosporin, others use Vaseline) which helps with sealing. All this makes a lot of people just stick with regular foam plugs.
 ====Earplug survey====