Hearing Protection

The world is full of sounds which, when presented at an excessive level over an extended period, can damage your hearing. Rarely does this cause an instant problem with your hearing, but later in life you may find that you suffer with the early onset of hearing loss or tinnitus. Or both.

We know that some hobbies and jobs involve exposing your hearing to excessive noise levels – at House of Hearing we have the products that can help protect your hearing. An important part of this is a product that fits well and fits comfortably, so your expert audiologist will make a custom mould of your ear. Special filters are then used in this specially made silicone shell depending on what level of protection you need. Your audiologist can tell you about these at your appointment.

Manufacturing a product that fits well so that as much sound as possible is blocked out, is done by using a soft silicone that sets in your ear and five minutes later it’s ready to remove. All of our audiologists are skilled at this process and will talk you through it.

As a rule of thumb, hearing protection should be used by anyone who finds themselves in a noisy environment that would require speaking in a raised voice at a distance of one metre. There are some more obvious situations where someone will want to use hearing protection and these include shooting, live music, motor sports, DIY & gardening.

Shooting
A number of hearing protection products have been developed to protect your hearing in different ways depending on what type of shooting you do. The most sophisticated of these offer active protection and amplification allowing you to wear the hearing protection all day and still converse with those around you.

Musicians
Years of development have resulted in specialist filters that protect hearing from excessively loud music, whether you are playing it or listening to it. These filters preserve the timbre of the music without allowing it to reach damaging levels. Custom made, in the ear monitors are also available for those looking to listen through headphones in the best possible way.

Motorcyclists
Wind noise and the environmental sounds presented by everyday traffic can be damaging to the hearing of anyone who rides a motorcycle a lot. The custom-made fit is especially important here as the hearing protection has to fit under a helmet. Attachments to communication devices are also available allowing bikers to talk to each other whilst on the move.

Sleep plugs
Some people need a bit of assistance sleeping because they wake up too easily when even low-level noise is presented. These custom-made products are made for you so that you can wear them for as long as you need to but do not block out sound completely. It’s important to be able to hear some sounds like smoke or fire alarms. They are of great use for shift workers who may have to sleep during the day when the world can be much noisier, or on long-haul flights when you can be surrounded by a variety of distracting sounds.

Swim plugs
Swimming is a great activity but spending too much time in the water can result in water stuck in your ears. This presents a greater risk of infection, so having something to keep that water out is important. Foam inserts are often available from swimming pools, but a solution made just for you is the best way to go. Using the same materials and method of manufacture, these are also popular with our clients who wish to protect their ears from water ingress because of pre-existing conditions such as a perforated ear drum.

For more information or to chat to a member of our team, call 0131 220 1220 or take our Online Hearing Test below

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