Earplug and Noise Reduction Ratings Explained

One of the most important things you need to do in the fight against hearing loss is to reduce your exposure to loud sounds. If you are frequently in contact with loud sounds, that can cause all kinds of problems for your hearing, and it’s something that you really need to make sure you pay close attention to. As it happens, there are many ways to do that, and one of the best is to ensure you are using noise reduction devices when you are in an environment with loud sounds.

Whether that’s a construction site or a concert, noise reduction options like earplugs can really make a huge difference to how well you are caring for your hearing. But it’s useful to know about noise reduction ratings (NRR) going in, so that you can make the right decisions when it comes to hearing protection. Let’s take a look at those right now and what they mean.

What is Noise Reduction Ration?

So first it can be helpful to know exactly what we are talking about here. What exactly is NRR and how can it help you in figuring out what kind of earplugs or other noise reduction device to use? It’s used across the US to determine exactly how effective a given device is at reducing noise. Clearly, it can be useful to know that, and that’s why there is an objective rating that can be given for all devices that are aiming to reduce noise.

NRR ratings are measured in decibels (dBs), where a higher rating is one that blocks out more noise than a lower one.

Which NRR do you need?

When you are looking for earplugs or hearing protection for a particular, specific environment, it’s important that you are getting the right one. And for that, you need to know what level of NRR you actually need, which is not always obvious. In fact, there is an equation that you need to carry out if you are going to make sure you have the appropriate noise reduction rating for your earplugs, and it’s a really good idea to know about this.

To find out the level of decibel reduction that a device provides, you need to take the NRR rating of the device, subtract seven and then divide by two. Of course, that can be hard to work out, but thankfully the devices themselves will often have this information on the packaging that they come in too, so you won’t necessarily need to worry about it that much.

Types of Earplugs

There are two main types of earplugs, custom fit and disposable. Custom-fit earplugs are tailored to the shape of your ear. These custom-fit earplugs will provide better hearing protection as they sit further in your ear. These earplugs can be used multiple times, you just have to make sure that you are cleaning them after every use and not sharing these earplugs. Your audiologist will take you through the process of fitting these earplugs for you.

Disposable earplugs will block out some noise, but not all of the noise that can be harmful to your hearing. These earplugs may not sit comfortably in your ear, because they are not custom fit to the shape of your ear. Talk to your audiologist about earplugs and what might be the best decisions for you.

Protecting Your Hearing

So now that you know about noise reduction ratings, it’s important to have a word or two on the matter of protecting your hearing more generally. How are you supposed to do this, and what is the best approach that you can take? It might actually be simpler than you think, but most of all it’s a case of making sure that you are thinking ahead to a situation that you are going to be in where noise reduction will be necessary, and then asking yourself what level of protection you will need.

Then you need to simply find the appropriate noise reduction device and make sure that you wear it. It’s also important that you are wearing that device properly, because it is perfectly possible to accidentally use it incorrectly and that can cause you trouble meaning that you are not actually protecting your hearing at all.

So, make sure you get that right and that you are taking care. That is going to help protect your hearing much more effectively every time.

If you would like to know more about noise reduction and hearing protection, or you just want to have your hearing checked out by a professional, learn more about Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids at (605) 610-3466.