Helpline Question of the Month: Are all earplugs created equal?
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Nothing sucks the joy out of a day of sightseeing like a sleepless night before. Maybe the hotel that looked so close to perfect online turned out to be so close to the noisiest bar in town. You can't always make your room quieter, but you can come prepared to turn down the volume between your ears. Ruth from Ithaca wonders what other travelers pack for noise insurance.
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We will be staying at small hotels and B&Bs, and I know some have thin walls. What are your best suggestions for blocking out noise and getting a good night's sleep?
Ruth
Ithaca, NY
ed
albany
This might be bit off topic, but I can't stand sticking anything in my ear. I can't use ear buds etc. What I use is over the ear noise canceling ear phones with either white noise or soft music. And don't forget eyeshades too. Many places have horrible window curtains.
Laura
London, UK
I live in a block of flats with thin walls and have tried every ear plug available from super cheap ones to stupidly expensive silicone ones that fitted into the outer ear. I personally find the very cheap foam ones the best. They block out everything except really loud noises. I do trim them down a little so they don't stick out so far from my head.
Joe
Middletown, MD
No, they are not equal. Having spent years in the shooting sports I have encountered a variety of ear plugs. Generally, I look for foam plugs that expand slowly after they are compressed. These will seal the best and give the most sound isolation. The ones that expand rapidly are the cheap kind and will not seal nearly as well. Lately I have come to like the variety that look like wax blobs. They are very pliable and not meant to go 'in' the ear, just pressed on over the ear canal. There are also foam plugs with metal inserts so that some sounds can still be heard but really loud sounds are attenuated. Probably not what you want for sleeping but very good for working around sudden loud sounds.
Chip
Tipton, Iowa
Earplugs are marketed with a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), with higher numbers being better. I have used a number of different foam earplugs in the 29 - 32 NRR range, all worked well for me. They are nearly worthless if improperly installed. You do not just stick them in your ears. Roll one up to a small diameter and place it well into the ear canal. Pulling up on the ear helps most people install the plug. Hold the plug in place until it expands to fit. When installed, my earplugs are not visible from the front. See the properly installed yellow earplug at this Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earplug Practice installing and wearing them before your trip.
Maureen
Atlanta, GA
Something I've used, not in international travel yet, but on scout camping trips when kids are up all hours of the night, is actually an app on my iTouch. It's called Brainwave, and it's like a white noise machine. I've used it on the camping trips, and it really helps with blocking out background noise and getting me to sleep. Last year, some adults were up talking half the night, a lot of the parents in our group were complaining. I didn't hear a peep.
Sarah
St. Louis, MO
I'm sensitive to noise too so I use foam earplugs (I'm not home right now so I can't check the brand). They block out most noises. Also bring a sleep mask as someone else suggested, in case there's a lot of light.
James
Ansbach, Bayern Germany
Can you sleep with headphones on? Too many times I've had to go to sleep while listening to music. Or you could simply liquor up and pass out - you won't hear much noise.
JustTravel
San Francisco, CA
My husband uses Macks Earplugs.
Kent
Pacific Northwest
For sleeping, the most important thing is getting ear plugs you can sleep with, so you should experiment at home. I'd start with the inexpensive compressible foam kind you can get at Walgreens/Rite-Aid. Anything that extends too far out of your ears will probably bother you at night.
Eileen
Texan in CA
I fancy myself as somewhat of a connoisseur of ear plugs (ugh) because somebody around here snores like a fiend... My favorite is the Flent's 'Quiet! Please' style. They're wider and stay in my ear canal, whereas the others (usually colored foam - 'Quiet Time', etc.) are too thin to stay in, and/or noise can pass by them.
http://www.drugstore.com/flents-quiet-please--foam-ear-plugs/qxp39878
You can buy them by the bucket...50 pair at a time...OR, just buy 6-25 pair at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, etc. - whatever store you've got. And pay attention to Chip's post about the proper way to insert them.
Sarah
St. Louis, MO
I use Flents Quiet Time soft foam earplugs from Walgreens. They're new so they work really well; I'm a light sleeper but recently while wearing them I slept through 2 thunderstorms that woke up my sister and other heavy sleepers.
Philip
London, UK
Sorry if anyone thinks this is pretentious, but I use custom made silicone plugs that were created for me by someone injecting the resin into my ear canal. They're expensive to buy, but they last a very long time and they are very, very effective. I don't know if they're available in the US, but I got mine made by a UK shotgun manufacturer so it might be worth enquiring in gun shops.
Pam
N. Idaho
When you practice putting them in (as referenced above) it also may help to drop your jaw open as well. Definitely practice with them at home first!
Brad
Gainesville, VA
The foam earplugs can be had quite cheaply. If you ask a flight attendent, they will give you some. To use them properly, roll them up between your fingers until they look like a thick piece of yarn. Put them in your ear canal and let them expand. They work pretty well. When you put them in correctly, they are much less likely to fall out while sleeping than if you just try to stuff them in. The other ear plugs I've used were crudely referred to as monkey "parts" in the Air Force. They come in sizes (rather than one size fits all like the foam). They do the job also and I think a little more comfortably, but are also more prone to fall out when sleeping. I'll use something for flying but only use them for sleeping if it's noticeably noisy. Like Ed, I don't really like having them in my ears. Alas, another father's day (and birthday) gone by and my best hints for noise reduction earphones went unheeded. :)
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