Did you know that repeated exposure to cold water in your ears can lead to a condition wher your ear canal changes shape? The bone in the ear canal very slowly grows and gives the appearance of lumps - these lumps are called exostoses (exostosis if there's one). This condition is not something to worry about but it can ultimately lead to a few annoying symptoms such as continual and frequent wax blockages, easily blocking the ears when water enters, hard to clear water from the ear and (rarely) a mild hearing loss due to complete obstruction (stenosis) of the canal. Severe exostoses may require surgery.

Another reason to have custom made earplugs in your ears is to prevent perforation of your eardrums when landing badly on water. The pressure of the landing (barotrauma) can rupture the eardrum causing moderate/severe pain, mild hearing loss and risk of infection.

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Every serious shooter uses ear defenders. Most dangerous noises we are exposed to in life are loud and continuous but shooting involves extremely loud sound in a very short duration. Explosive noises are the most dangerous - most will cause a temporary hearing loss coupled with annoying tinnitus (noises in the head), and if you experience tinnitus then there's a good chance you've just added an extra permanent element of hearing loss to your total. With custom made earplugs you'll reduce the harmful voumes down to a more tolarable and safer level. I always recommend the use of earmuffs over earplugs if you want teh absolute maximum in hearing protection - especially if you use high velocity weapons. For weapons such as most small arms and 12 bore rifles, the use of just custom earplugs will suffix, and the comfort will amaze you!

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Do earplugs block out snoring? No they don't. Low tones (typical annoying snoring sounds) still get through earplugs although they are reduced. But custom plugs do help people sleep with a snoring partner as they significantly reduce the low and high tones of a snore which is an immediate improvement and, they also reduce extraneous noise so most people often find it is naturally quieter for them and hence easier to sleep.

They are comfortable to wear while you are sleeping as they are shaped to be very shallow in the ear, and they significantly reduce the noise of noisy neighbours.

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Earplugs for cycling? Absolutely. When you're training in cold weather the continuous exposure of your ears to cold air rushing passed causes pain and aching in the ears. Somtimes this pain seems to spread and it feels like jaw ache or tooth ache. Custom earplugs eliminate that cold air rush and, as it is important to hear noises around you, they can still be made with a sound hole shaped to let sound in but not the cold air.

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When you're standing right next to the track (and I'm thinking of the Cemetery circuit in Wanganui) you know the noise can actually be quite painful. With custom plugs you can enjoy a full day of racing without an ear full of pounding or tinnitus (noises in the ear). Of course if you're involved in motorsports then your exposure is even greater - whether it's on four wheels, two wheels or on the water with jet skis or speed boats.

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Bikers are more exposed to excessive noise than almost any other recreation user. The excessive noise does not come from the engine (although they can be quite noisy), in fact the main noise comes from the pressurization of air around the side of the helmet. So the faster you go the noisier it gets. It is easy to expose your ears to dangerous noise levels after even just a few minutes of riding, but most damage is due to the accumulative effect of riding.

Wearing earplugs actually IMPROVES your ability to hear horns and sirens when you're going over 60km/h since the signal to noise ratio is greatly improves by the selective frequency attenuation that earplugs (and indeed any blocking of the ears) provides.

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All too often we take the noises of machinery at home to be part of everyday life, but many can, and do, damage our hearing. All equipment that can exceed safe noise levels have a label on them to indicate the approximate noise level. If hearing defenders are advised then custom made earplugs should be your first choice. They are easy to insert, there is never any discomfort no matter how long you need to wear them for and they are very unobtrusive. They are perfect for the inside jobs; sanding, hammering, sawing... the list just goes on and on... And at the end of a long day of DIYing why not keep them in and shut out that noisy BBQ party from the neighbours?

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In the hot summer months it can be extremely uncomfortable wearing earmuffs when cutting the lawn or trimming the hedges and bushes but not so with earplugs; there is no sweating as the ear is exposed to the air, and no irritation from the earmuff pads. And if you do gardening for a living then you'll really appreciate the incredible comfort from wearing custom earplugs all day long.

Of course if you really want to make gardening enjoyable why not invest in the audio earplugs so you can have piped music to you ears above the sound of the mower or weed eater?

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The problem about exostoses in the ear canal outlined above under the section ‘Watersports’ is perhaps more relevant to swimmers, particularly those who enjoy swimming in non-heated waters. And simply keeping your ears clear of any water will significantly reduce your risk of infection.

For those who have perforated eardrums or have grommets in place then keeping your ears dry is imperative. With perforations or grommets the middle ear is exposed and is extremely susceptible to infection when water borne bacteria / viruses enter. The self-clearing mechanism of the middle ear is very limited, coupled with the warm moist environment it is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. A few otolaryngologists are not concerned about water entering the ear but the vast majority actively encourage keeping water exposure to a minimum or ideally completely eliminating it. Custom made earplugs do exactly that – and you are able to choose whether the material also floats (ideal when the plugs are taken out but then fall into the water)! Various colours make a great fashion statement and they even reduce the drag on your ears!

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Long haul flights are not only a ‘pain in the butt’ (literally) but also mentally draining. The cabin is exposed to a loud continuous ‘hiss’ from the air conditioning system which often means getting to sleep is very difficult. Or perhaps listening to the in flight entertainment with those nasty cheap headsets that clamps your head (one size fits all!) so that after an hour the back of your ear starts to ache. Well we have the perfect and most exclusive cure for that: custom made earplugs and audio earplugs.

The custom made earplugs have a maximum attenuation at 6kHz which just so happens to be the most dominant frequency of the air conditioners in pressurized passenger aircraft. The effect is truly incredible – the hiss almost vanishes and all you really notice is the gentle (and more tolerable) humming from the fuselage. With the hissing greatly reduced it is much easier to get a good sleep – even the ‘ping’ noise of the cabin crew is greatly reduced, along with babies’ cries etc..

The audio earplugs are the same as custom made earplugs except that you are able to quickly convert them to allow sound from the in flight entertainment feed directly through the plugs and into the ear. The signal to noise ratio is so good that you’ll find you can hear the sound extremely well at a very low volume level – thus preserving your precious hearing even more. I have never come across a system like this before, and I’ve been working in audiology for over 23 years – I expect it will ‘take-off’ (excuse the pun) so get in now and set the trend. Again they can be made in various colours – so make your mark on aviation!

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More and more blogs now talk about using earplugs in clubs. Some people say “Why block out the noise – it’s what I go there for?” but they don’t appreciate the importance (and fashion) of custom earplugs. Firstly, the plugs reduce sound, not eliminate it, so you can still hear the music but the level is greatly reduced. Secondly, due to the fortunate nature of acoustics it also means that it’s EASIER to hear people talking (shouting) to you with earplugs in! Thirdly, the noise in clubs is usually at a level that can add a permanent element of hearing loss to you – if you’ve ever left a club with ringing or ‘dull’ ears (and who hasn’t?) then you’ve already added to that damage. Recreational noise is not controlled in the same way as noise in employment so as long as you choose to go to the club then the club can play their music at any volume they like – remember it’s your choice. So what about the ‘fashion’ bit? Well I’m noticing more and more people asking me for the fluorescent earplugs that do glow in the dark, or the neon colours that really stand out. Amongst those who value their hearing it really is starting to take-off. Why not set the trend and be the first at your club?

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If there's one area where you need high quality and effective protection from noise it's in industry. The noise levels in industry are often greater than any other environment and, if you look at the list above, you'll notice that they are all 'voluntary' or chosen noise exposures - particularly all the recreational exposures. Since employment noise is not 'optional' it is covered by law and so all employees are protected so long as they are provided with correct protection.

Custom made earplugs are perfect for areas of industry. In the food industry the plugs can be coloured blue to be food safe and easily detected. You can have fluorescent plugs for extra visibility and etection at night or in dark spaces. All plugs can be connected together by a coloured cord so one can be removed without being misplaced. They can be used under all earmuffs in areas of extreme noise to add extra protection. At present I am looking at ways to add serial numbers for immediate identification and also adapting them for detection through metal detectors and magnets. Watch this space....

I am able to attend the place of work in order to minimise loss of productivity, and can even attend during night shifts to ensure everyone is seen and protected. Naturally prices are negotiable for multiple orders.. Call me to discuss

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