Wearing Earplugs Seems Trendy Right Now, But The Benefits Go Way Deeper Than Just An Aesthetic Choice

I love when something that's actually good for us becomes super trendy. The internet can be such a wasteland of depressing information, and if I can't help being emotionally dependent on an algorithm, then it might as well feed my brain something beneficial to my life. I mean, positive peer pressure just works, because we've seen this over the years with the emerging popularity of skincare routines, reading books, and most recently: wearing earplugs.

I've been seeing earplugs everywhere online — from TikTok ads to influencers having sponsorships with the companies that manufacture them. Personally, I've recently noticed way more concert-goers sporting hearing protection as an essential accessory to their outfit. Although I'm intrigued by these "concert plugs" that claim to protect your ears while still serving looks — could it be a marketing scheme that focuses so much on aesthetic that it misses the mark on the real-life benefits? How worried should I be about losing my hearing anyway? Are earplugs really that important?

To answer these questions, I spoke with Dr. Emily Taylor, an audiologist who specializes in hearing loss, hearing protection, hearing aids, and ear cleanings.

She told BuzzFeed, "Over time, we are all losing some hearing. We have no way to combat hearing loss due to aging. Noise exposure-induced hearing loss is the only kind of hearing loss that is preventable. It’s the only one we have control over. Even just one incident in a very loud scenario could cause permanent damage. One major side effect to noise exposure is tinnitus, which you can help combat by protecting your ears. The main causes for hearing loss include noise exposure, genetics, age, certain medications, infections, or illnesses such as meningitis.”

Yikes — I had no idea I could be one front row seat at a concert away from causing permanent damage to my hearing. Once the 'hair cells' in your ears are damaged, they don't grow back. The possibility of a future where I can't listen to Taylor Swift or eavesdrop on conversations in public is bleak. Before adding earplugs to my Amazon cart, I needed to know if it was okay to go for cheap ones or if I should drop the cash for an expensive brand.

Dr. Taylor explained that it isn't just the marketing and its higher price point that makes concert earplugs stand out, but that they're actually beneficial for the experience itself at loud events.

"For concerts, I would recommend earplugs specifically designed for music because they come with a filter. All the concert plugs have a filter so the sound is coming in, but the volume is adjusted across the frequency range, whereas with a foam plug (or any plug without a filter), you’re going to get a ton of bass-y and high frequency sounds. Foam earplugs aren't good for concerts when it comes to sound quality.”

This doesn't mean that foam earplugs are ineffective for hearing protection, just that there are different earplugs for different situations. She told BuzzFeed, "Ear plugs are very safe as long as they are worn correctly! Squishy foam plugs that insert into the ear canal are often not inserted deep enough, but the concert design earplugs are hard to mess up."

When it comes to "how much sound is too much sound?" Dr. Taylor explained, "Anything over 80 decibels is harmful. There’s a time limit for how long you can safely be in that environment."

"80 decibels = eight hours safely. Concerts tend to reach well over 100 decibels and go for a few hours, which you can technically only safely be in [without protection] for 10–15 minutes." It's good to know how many decibels put our ears in dangerous territory, but how can we even know how many decibels a sound is exuding in the first place? Dr. Taylor says, "I recommend to readers that they download a decibel meter app on their smartphones."

A quick search in the app store revealed how accessible this is, because there are more than enough to choose from:

So, now that we know that hearing loss by noise exposure is the only kind of hearing loss that's preventable — what can we expect when it comes to hearing loss due to aging? Is there a certain age that's basically doomsday for our hearing?

"Hearing loss is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Genetics are out of our control, and some people are just more predisposed to it. I don’t have an exact an exact age..." Dr. Taylor explained, "But I would recommend that people around age 45 should see a licensed audiologist for a baseline hearing test to establish and make sure there is normal hearing and you haven’t accidentally caused any hearing loss. This is typically covered by insurance, too."

Finally, I asked if there was any advice when looking for earplugs to start being more mindful in my hearing protection journey. Dr. Taylor expressed, "In my opinion, the best hearing protection are custom earplugs made by an audiologist. They’d take custom impressions or your ear canals, you get to pick which level of filter you want as well as the color combo, and these would 100% be the most comfortable and effective earplugs."

There you have it! While it may be hip and fashionable to wear earplugs these days — it's not just an aesthetic choice. Earplugs can reduce sound exposure up to 30 decibels, so even if we can't help factors like aging and genetics, our ears will thank us for doing what we can to keep our hearing for as long as possible.