Dany6

Hey guys,do you think wearing these ear plugs from pic below is bad for ears or can somehow damage (hearing) it?
i know there are flaps for helmets but i'm not using a helmet...
I'm asking cuz the wind's hitting my ears these days so hard that i'm affraid it could really damage my hearing...
CLICKHERE

Craptacular8

no. They make cheap ear plugs for the express reason of protecting hearing. You could always go with a headband that's meant to cover the ears....or stocking cap that covers the ears...I tend to do both of the latter. I ride in a lot of wind, and until it is significantly warmer, my head tends to get cold.

Herzlos

I second the headband idea, it'll keep your whole ear warmer and will be a lot more comfortable over time.

People wear ear buds all day at work and seem to do fine, though.

spelger

had to wear something similar when in the AF for about 8 hours a day for years to cut down on shop noise. i can still hear fine. they are to protect your hearing, not damage it.

pdlamb

Those hearing protectors work well and won't harm your ears. The ones you link to are better (at least for my ears) than the ones you roll up, stick in your ear, catch them as they fall out, and repeat.

I've found just using cotton balls works well when I can't find the formal hearing protectors. I wouldn't use them for industrial noise, but cotton balls are fine for wind noise on a bike.

Rdmonster69

I wear earplugs for hours on end when I ride motorcycles. They actually help my hearing. They will not hurt your hearing unless you shove em in so far you hurt something

easyupbug 

In heavy industry you where ear protection all day every day and those work for light protection, probably less than 30 decibel but you should not need more for wind noise.

rumrunn6

riding a bike deaf & without a helmet?

prj71

Not worried about what happens if he falls and hits his head but more worried about the wind and his hearing.

Litho dbh

Why no helmet?

phughes

Well wind noise affects him every time he rides, and is very damaging to hearing, and will cause permanent hearing loss. A helmet's protection rarely comes into play. I wear a helmet all the time on the motorcycle, and when I commute on a bicycle, but if someone doesn't want to, and isn't riding with a lot of traffic, that's their decision.

Iride01 

Whom is pulling the plugs out of the ears? I use to wear foam ear plugs daily for hours at a time. Sometimes they get quite a seal in the ear canal and if you simply pop them out it can be very painful to the parts of your middle ear. Since it was in my ear, I could control how it got removed.

If you are pulling it out of your child's ears, will they he or she be able to let you know soon enough for you to stop and be more careful. Or will it be too late and any potential damage done?

I might go for ear muffs. Which I've since found more comfortable and prevent the more harmful noises from getting into your ears through bone conduction that don't go through the ear canal. Though that's not what you are trying to prevent since you are only worried about wind noise.

I use the ear muffs when I mow the grass and am around loud machinery. I don't use anything while on the bike.

I question those that say wind noise is damaging to the ears. I'll have to wait till I see a study on that to say one way or another. But if so, then my ears must be deaf already.

edit... just realized that I assumed from the OP's reference of 2-3 in the title that they were talking about using earplugs for a two to three y.o. child that they carried with them on the ride. Now I see that they are asking about themselves.

so what does 2-3 mean? Or will I have found that out if I took the link?

Medium Size Dog

Not wearing a helmet could lead to permanent hearing loss IMO

phtomita

Me too - I do listen to music few times with one side ear bud when I go to long rides, but nothing when is short or commute.
How common is to protect ears against wind noise? Besides science or not is something simple to do

CliffordK

A lot of my riding depends on listening for cars and vehicles around me.

I know that earplugs largely mute sounds and don't eliminate them, but I fear they would reduce vital safety information.

Perhaps make sure you have MIRRORS and use them.

And, keep the plugs clean, or use disposable ones.

imi

I’m a sound engineer. If you’re going to wear earplugs for hours a day, I would strongly recommend investing in custom moulded ones. -9 dB filter works great for most situations. Expensive, but your ears will thank you in the long run.

That said, a Buff folded into a headband and pulled down over your ears will be even more comfortable

urbanknight

Ear buds playing music/sounds that close to the ear drum have been shown to lead to early hearing loss, but I guess wearing them without any sound couldn't hurt.

To the OP: the whole purpose of those ear plugs is to protect hearing. I don't know if the wind is loud enough to cause hearing loss, but those plugs will reduce any risk and certainly not add to it.

Iride01 

I was all set to tell you that the OP was asking about putting them in their 2-3 y.o. child that they carry with them. However now after reading the OP, I realize that's not so.

So what is 2-3 about? The OP has 2-3 ears? That'll be a problem since ear plugs come in pairs. <grin>

Medium Size Dog

I figure it's a moot point since OP has not chimed in or clarified. I assumed reference was for 2-3 hours. Plenty of people willing to offer their opinions whatever it means

wolfchild

It's one of those threads.

CliffordK

The OP seems to be talking about his own hearing. I had interpreted that it was time related, but as pointed out above, many occupations require ear plugs essentially for an entire shift.

An option for young kids would be wearing ear muffs rather than ear plugs.

Calsun

For as long as I have done cycling as an adult I have stuffed cotton in my ears. It makes a great deal of difference in comfort without restricting my hearing approaching vehicles. I keep spare cotton balls in the console of my SUV and in the eyeglass case I use for cycling and in the pocket of my jacket, i.e. I never leave home without it.

rumrunn6

so interesting, I'm the opposite. I keep q-tips in my car because I'm always trying to keep my ear wax to a minimum because it restricts my hearing. I even have little tiny ear scoops at home, specifically for that purpose

indyfabz

I’ll give this a solid A-.

livedarklions

What? Could you speak up a little?