Got Ears? Get Informed!

Which Snoring Solution is Right for You?

Over the years we have seen a downright incredible array of anti-snoring products come and go, attesting to the pervasiveness of the problem. Sleeplessness due to a snoring bed partner afflicts more people than does marriage... uh, maybe I should rephrase that, but you get the point. Snoring is a big drag, and except for the occasionally funny YouTube video, snoring is no laughing matter.

As I have written many times over the years, if you sleep with someone who snores, you have four options: make them sleep somewhere else, go sleep somewhere else yourself, make them stop snoring, or defend yourself with earplugs or a white noise masking system of some kind.

Once they have dismissed the first two options, most people focus on the third option: make them stop snoring! ...and that has created a veritable cornucopia of solutions that include sprays, nostril expanders, pills, pillows, jaw re-positioners of all kinds, and of course surgery. Now, I am not going to tell you which, if any, of these solutions might work for your particular snoring situation, but I will suggest that you have a heart-to-heart discussion with your doctor before you try any of these products. Every one of them has some risks, which vary from minor to major, so you need to be careful in your quest to get some sleep -- you do not want to harm your hubby!

People tell me that most of the “Make them stop!” products offer little or no benefit (unless you consider the economic benefit to the companies selling them, that is). Even surgery, I am told, is effective in less than half the cases in which it is used. And research suggests that even successful surgeries can't always provide a solution in the long-term.

Now, none of this is intended to make you not try the alternatives out there. I know most of you are probably going to try these products. Heck, if you suffer with sleepless nights due to snoring, I know you have probably already have tried several of them (and I do not blame you one bit). I just don’t want you to get your hopes up too high; remember, most people trying to sell you snoring cures will not always tell you the downside to the product.

At the end of your quest, after you have visited with your physician, after you have tried all the gadgets you think might work for you... just remember that there are always ear plugs. Those humble, inexpensive little blobs of foam rubber that you stick in your ears are, without any doubt, the most effective solution to sleeping with a snorer that exists today. If you haven't already, give them a try sometime. All you have to lose is your sleeplessness.

I know many of you have already tried earplugs, and for some of you, even plugs did not solve your problem -- you can still hear the snoring, and you're still missing sleep. Don’t despair! When passive hearing protection won't work, there is still one more solution to try: white noise sound masking, which works to actively block out that snoring. For more information, please read my next article on using white noise to mask the snoring (coming soon).

Until then, be well... and do the right thing.
--Tom (Dr. Earplug) Bergman

10 Tips for Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

Some lucky souls sleep like a happy baby, and some suffer from insomnia virtually every night. Most of us are somewhere between these extremes. Lots of our restless nights are caused by the obvious malefactors: being sick, eating something that disagrees with us, too much caffeine, and stress related to our life problems can all cause us to miss out on sleep. Add to that list frequent traffic noise, thumping from the apartment above (don’t those people EVER sleep!?), a lumpy mattress, sirens or trains passing in the night, and that lovely person next to you who, to put it delicately, snores like a lumberjack, and it is a wonder any of us ever get a good night’s sleep!

In my years with Ear Plug Super Store, I’ve heard so many heart-breaking stories from people who suffer chronic sleeplessness that I want to offer a few tips that may help you, in the event that you are one of the afflicted. (Mind you, I am no physician and you really ought to check with your doc if you suffer from chronic sleeplessness!) Still, people are very complicated creatures and we frequently mis-diagnose our own problems, so my first piece of advice to you in getting a good night’s sleep is to address each and every one of these recommendations before you resort to pills or surgery or other extreme measures, like moving or divorce. These are tactics that should help most people who give them an honest try, and none of them are harmful.

1. Create a good set of bedtime habits. Reserve your bed for sleeping and, well, let’s call it intimate recreation. Don’t use the bed for watching TV or reading. For regular TV and Reading, do those activities elsewhere so you do not get yourself trained to associate those activities with your bed.

2. Cut out the afternoon caffeine. People have wide variations in their reactions to caffeine, but coffee, energy drinks, tea, soda pop, and even chocolate contain variable amounts of the drug, and it is increasingly easy to get more than we plan or think we are getting. Caffeine effects, though rapid in their onset, remain for hours, long after we have “come down” from the initial high that follows ingestion. If you fall asleep, only to wake in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep, caffeine and/or alcohol are very likely culprits. Try eliminating all caffeine from your life after noon for a week and see if that helps your sleeplessness.

3. Reduce your alcohol intake. For smaller individuals, one drink a day (one ounce of spirits, or one beer or one 6 ounce glass of wine) is heart-healthy and will not normally affect your sleep. If you are a larger-statured person, one or two drinks are recommended by some for good health. If these guidelines are followed, you should not be affected negatively in your sleep patterns. But if you overindulge, what seems to happen is that once your body has metabolized the alcohol, which takes several hours, your sleep pattern is disrupted and you often cannot get back down into the deep sleep you need for complete rest.

4. Exercise, but not right before bedtime. Being fit will reduce the little aches and pains which will help you sleep better, but if you do cardio-exercise right before bedtime, your system will remain on high for a good while afterwards, making it very difficult to fall asleep. As an alternative to cardio-exercise, a few minutes of good stretching can help to relieve stress, ease your little pains and make your transition into sleep more comfortable… but don’t overdo it.

5. Don’t fight just before bed. Plan your arguments for early in the day. Going to bed angry is always a bad idea for sleep’s sake. Sometimes you can get your angry spouse to agree to postpone the discussion until morning or lunch the next day without either of you having to give in or lose the argument. As a bonus, if you can both agree to postpone the argument, it may even be less stressful when you finally do get around to it. At least you will both have had a better night’s sleep than you would have had if you kept at it until the fight was resolved.

6. Reduce your stress. At the core, all stress is self-induced. If you feel on edge all the time, worried about all sorts of things, or fearful of all manner of risks you have no choice but to confront, stress is most likely your frequent, if not constant companion. And living in a constant state of stress is no way to live a happy life. You will not sleep well, and your health will suffer. How to deal with stress? The first step in reducing your stress is to identify its sources and then begin methodically to remove or change those sources as best you can. I also suggest you buy a book or two on stress management. At the heart of all the stress-reduction strategies I have seen is the idea that, if you can gain control over your situation, your stress will be reduced. For example, if you are stressed by being too busy, find a way to cut down on some of your activities, so you can better manage the ones you need to handle. Try meditation, a long soak in a hot tub, a nice vigorous walk (but not right before bedtime), a soothing massage (both giving and getting massages will reduce stress), or get a hobby that takes you outside your daily grind. Nobody lives a stress-free life, but every one of us can work to reduce the level of stress we live with, and any reduction will help to improve your sleep.

7. Maintain a healthy weight. Yeah, yeah, you say, easier said than done. But the truth is that losing a few pounds will not only help you get a better night’s sleep, but if you snore, it will also do more to reduce your snoring problem than almost any other snoring solution will--especially if your snoring began after you gained a few pounds. Weight loss is not always the easiest solution, but it will make you more healthy, happy and stop snoring, so now you have even one more reason to lose the weight. You and your spouse will sleep better.

8. Make it dark while you sleep. Humans are hard-wired to function in the daytime. Accordingly, we do not do well trying to sleep when it is light outside. (Those of you who have worked the night shift know about this in dreadfully real terms.) When light hits our eyes, they are designed to open, ending anything resembling useful sleep. More than a simple discomfort, exposing your eyes to bright lights while trying to sleep can seriously decrease the quality of sleep you get throughout the night. Your best sleep will always happen in the dark. If you cannot darken your windows with shades, try wearing a sleep mask. As a bonus, wearing a sleep mask to bed will make you look like a movie star.

9. Eliminate or reduce the noise in your bedroom, and try to stop that snoring. Just like we will always sleep better in the dark, we will sleep better when it is quiet, too. This is a difficult one for many people, especially those who live with a snoring spouse or roommate. My best advice to you is to try the above tips on this list first: most of them will help with snoring as well as with getting a good night’s rest. Once you have tried these and the snoring persists, there are a world of snoring remedies available--but be wary. These options fall roughly into three categories: sprays that lubricate the mouth and throat areas, drugs and supplements that reduce blockages in your airways, and mechanical devices or surgeries that open up your airways. Some of these remedies may help some people, but none of these will help everyone--and our customers tell us that all of these snoring “miracle cures,” even the surgeries, eventually fail as long-term solutions. Always be careful with drugs and unregulated “food supplements,” which can be downright dangerous.

10. When you can’t eliminate snoring and other noises, defend your ears. For the noises you cannot get rid of, you can use earplugs or a sound masking solution to help you ignore the noise while getting the rest you need. The best earplugs for sleep are the disposable foam kind. Look for an NRR rating of 30 or higher, and most importantly, get some plugs that are comfortable for you. Ears are as different as fingerprints, so keep trying different plugs until you find some that you like. Important: if you use foam earplugs, be sure to change them every day; do not reuse them or you may get ear infections. Too, master the process of properly inserting the plugs so that you get the full rated performance the plug has to offer. The other option for defense against the noises in your bedroom is a white noise machine. You may be one of the millions of people who sleep with a noisy fan going in their bedroom at night. If so, you are already familiar with the concept of white noise; that is, a masking sound that drowns out the irritating noise. Running a fan is fine in the summer, but folks tell us they prefer a white noise machine in winter. The benefits of a white noise machine include more choices of masking sound, better volume control, less cost to operate than a fan, more portability, and more flexibility, since you can use a machine to pipe the masking sound directly into your ears for the maximum benefit. Just be careful not to turn up the volume in your earphones so loud that it hurts you hearing!

So, there you have it, my top ten recommendations for getting a better night’s sleep. I hope some of these suggestions help you improve your life through better sleep. Drop me a line if you have questions or other suggestions that have worked for you. tom@earplugstore.com

Be well... and do the right thing.

--Tom “The Got Ears? Guru” Bergman

All About Moldable Ear Plugs

Everybody has seen or heard of foam ear plugs – but did you know that moldable earplugs are actually the oldest kind of earplugs? Moldable plugs started humbly, with a wad of cotton or any other fiber the individual might have had at hand to use to plug the ears for noise protection (we are guessing that most of the time it was for relief from snoring).

Wax Moldable Ear Plugs: How They’ve Evolved

Early ear plug users (we are talking about Aristotle-and-Plato’s times!) favored moldable earplugs made of wax. This was because wax has fairly good noise blocking properties, it can be molded to fit any ear comfortably, and it has several fortunate properties. For one, wax is a naturally occurring substance that is inexpensive, hypo-allergenic, and benign if you (or your pet) happen to eat a little of it. Too, wax is just the right stickiness to adhere to the skin without leaving a residue when removed. And wax happens to soften very nicely, but without melting, at normal human body temperature. This means that any pressure you may feel from the plug when it is first inserted eases completely after wearing the plugs for a little while, because a short time after putting the wax earplugs into your ears, they soften and move to conform exactly to all the unique curves and contours of your ears. All these properties make wax a terrific substance from which to make moldable earplugs, especially for sleeping.

Wax does have two disadvantages, however. First, when wax is at room temperature or below, it can tend to crumble, and second, when it’s warmed above body temperature, wax can become a runny liquid -- not good! To address the crumbling issue, Ohropax, Quies, Flents and other manufacturers long ago discovered that mixing a little cotton fiber into the wax not only reduces the crumbling problem, but also improves the ability of the wax to block noise, making the wax-with-cotton a more effective plug than can be had with wax alone. This made wax ear plugs better all around. But to cure the melting problem, manufacturers had to abandon wax and substitute another product: silicone putty.

How Silicone Ear Plugs are Different from Wax Ear Plugs

Silicone putty was initially produced and sold as the venerable Mack’s Pillow Soft Silicone ear plugs. The Mack’s Pillow Soft Silicone ear plugs sold today are virtually identical today to the original plugs first sold over 60 years ago! In the intervening years, many imitators have come to the market with silicone putty plugs, with innovative features such as different sizes for children and adults, all kinds of different viscosities of material, and even floatable silicone plugs designed for swimmers like Putty Buddies. All silicone putty plugs (or all least all of them that we know about) share the same great properties: just the right stickiness, a very high melting temperature (they can sit out in the sun without damage), high resistance to drying out over time (a problem with some wax products), low cost, and great colors. Silicone putty plugs are hypo-allergenic to boot!

A New Kind of Moldable Ear Plug

Moldable wax and silicone ear plugs are usually the first choice of swimmers, because they both make a perfect seal against the entry of water into the ear. The trouble with both wax and silicone putty ear plugs is that in some situations, you need to be able to hear while you are in the tub, shower or pool, and these plugs block most of the sound you would normally hear. And with wax plugs, there’s always the problem of the wax melting in hot weather. But the clever folks at Ohropax, a company located in Germany, have come up with a new kind of earplug: wool fiber plugs.

These “Climate Wool” plugs are simply a small wad of natural lamb’s wool fibers that have been treated with a mild water repellent. You stuff an appropriate-sized ball of the wool into each ear, and voila -- you can hear perfectly, and yet water, cold winter wind, rain and snow cannot get into your ears. Climate Wool ear plugs are made to wear for swimming (but not for diving), bathing, showering and for general wear in the winter, especially for those who must work out of doors. These are brand new to the US and we look forward to hearing from you about how they work for your particular situation. (Please send pictures!)

In summary, moldable ear plugs come in a variety of styles and materials, and are great for water protection. If you do not want to stick regular foam earplugs into your ear canals, but you need relief from noise or protection from water, moldable wax, soft silicone or wool fiber plugs may be just the right solution!

Until next time,
--The “Got Ears?” Guru

Summer Swim & Water Series Part Two: Choosing the Right Water Ear Plugs

Greetings, readers, and welcome to the second installment of our Summer Swim & Water Series: Choosing the Right Water Ear Plugs. Now that it's August, the days are long, the cotton is high, and the weather is the hottest it will be all year (at least for those of us in the northern hemisphere!). As people everywhere are seeking to cool off by swimming at the pool or beach, it's time to take a look at what kind of ear plugs are the best for safe, end-of-summer water fun.

Swim plugs -- that is, ear plugs that are actually designed to protect the inner ear from water – basically come in two flavors: moldable silicone and pre-molded rubber. But according to our customers and the buzz on the web, there are two other kinds of ear plugs people often try to use for swimming: wax plugs and regular foam plugs. Let’s compare these four kinds of plugs in terms of their pros and cons for swimming and water usage. I’ve assigned each earplug type a rating score of 1 - 10 (ten being the best, one being unsafe or totally ineffective).

1. Moldable silicone ear plugs. These ear plugs are just what they sound like: little balls of soft silicone putty that you can mold to fit the shape of your ear. These are the least expensive water plugs you can buy, but since they can’t really be cleaned and absorb ear wax over time, they have to be replaced after a number of uses. These let in the most sound out of any kind of ear plug, making them very safe, particularly for kids. And because they’re silicone, they won’t ever melt in the heat. These moldable earplugs come in a wide variety of types and sizes (though size is not particularly important, as you can tear off a little or add a little to make the plug fit just right) including anti-bacterial and floatable varieties designed for children. Pros: one size fits all, and since these soft silicone plugs fit gently over the ear canal, these are the absolute best choice for infants and toddlers (note: always supervise small children when they’re wearing ANY kind ear plugs to ensure the plugs aren’t swallowed!). These plugs won’t melt, they let sound in, and they’re great for kids. The only real cons are that moldable swim plugs have to be replaced after a few uses and are less likely to stay in place during vigorous activity. However, an Ear Band-it Headband or similar swim headband can help keep soft silicone plugs in place. Final Score: 10 / 10

2. Pre-molded rubber swim plugs. These ear plugs are made of man-made materials including both rubber and molded silicone. They are reusable and easily washable with a little soap and water. You can always tell whether a pre-molded ear plug is designed specifically for swimming and water applications by checking the plug’s title and description – don’t confuse water-specific pre-molded plugs with other reusable plugs that are only designed to block sound (though some, like Ear Seals, are actually designed for both!). Pre-molded swim plugs retain their shape, conforming just a little to the ear canal, so sizing is important. This sort of swim plug usually does block a little sound, but not enough to be dangerous; important sounds like voices and lifeguard whistles should definitely remain audible. Pros include durability, long life, ease of cleaning, and a good fit -- once you’ve chosen the proper size, these plugs aren’t likely to come loose or fall out, even with vigorous activity. The cons are that you do have to find the right size before these plugs will fit comfortably and effectively; there are several types of pre-molded swim plugs, each of which usually comes in a couple of different sizes, so you may have to try a few different kinds before you find the right one. Since there are a finite number of sizes, pre-molded swim plugs may not fit everyone. Final Score: 8 / 10

3. Wax ear plugs. Because moldable wax ear plugs share some of the traits of moldable silicone swim plugs, they appear to be a good choice for swimming. The truth is, they’re usually not a good choice for water. While wax plugs are excellent for study/concentration and for sleeping, we no longer recommend wax plugs such as Ear Stopples and World's Finest to be worn in a hot tub, sauna or at the beach in summer. Wax ear plugs are simply a bad idea for water applications for one simple reason: wax plugs are sensitive to heat and will actually melt! So wax earplugs should never be left in a car during the summer, and they should never ever be worn in a sauna. Overall, we have found wax plugs to be a poor alternative for trips to the beach, lake, or poolside during warm weather. Pros: wax plugs are moldable, so they’re one-size fits all; they’re inexpensive; and like moldable silicone plugs, they block water and let sound in. Cons: wax plugs will melt in hot water or hot weather, and this means they could conceivably melt inside your ears. Enough said. Final Score: 3 / 10

4. Disposable foam ear plugs. Contrary to good swim plug practices, I’ve read stories about people who claim to use plain old disposable foam ear plugs for water applications. Strangely enough, a few people out there actually claim to find these foam ear plugs helpful for swimming. But foam earplugs are just not designed to block out water, and are sometimes even absorbent, retaining water rather than keeping it out. Though they’re cheap, easy to fit, and fairly likely to stay in, it’s just not likely that foam plugs could ever keep water out of your ears for long. Too, foam plugs block a lot of noise, meaning they could pose a safety risk at the public pool or the beach. Pros: foam plugs are cheap, simple, and readily available. Cons: foam plugs are great at blocking sound but lousy and blocking water, making them a bad choice all around for swimming and water use. Stick with ear plugs that have actually been designed for swimming, and save the foam plugs for sleep, study, and other noisy (and dry) situations. Final Score: 1 / 10

For more information on specific models and brands of ear plugs for swimming, or to purchase any of the swim plugs reviewed in this article, you can always check out our Ear Plugs for Swimming page.

Until next time,
--The “Got Ears? Guru

Summer Swim & Water Series Part One: Preventing Swimmer’s Ear

Summer is in full swing, and many of us are heading to the lake, beach, or pool to beat the heat. It’s the perfect time of year for aquatic family outings—and that means it’s also the most important time to be aware of Swimmer’s Ear.

Everybody’s heard that getting water in your ears can cause Swimmer’s Ear, but what is swimmer’s ear, really? Well, though Swimmer’s Ear is commonly be thought to be caused by water in the ears, in reality this is only half of the truth. According to the CDC (the Department of Health’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention), Swimmer’s ear is actually caused by an infection of a microscopic germ called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The CDC explains that this germ is present throughout our environment, and is often found in soil and water.

While anyone can get Swimmer’s Ear, children and young adults are the most likely to be affected. Unlike the middle ear infections that are commonly found in young children, an infection of Swimmer’s Ear will result in pain when wiggling or moving the outer ear. Though Swimmer’s Ear can be medically treated with special prescription ear drops, Swimmer’s Ear can be quite painful—as you may already have guessed. Since it can be prevented, it’s best to take steps to keep you and your family from getting Swimmer’s Ear altogether.

So what can be done to prevent Swimmer’s Ear?

Here are three basic tips for safe water fun this summer:

1) Keep your ears clean and safe. For starters, if you use ear plugs for frequent swimming, take care to clean your ear plugs at least once every week or two. Reusable rubber ear plugs can be washed with rubbing alcohol or a little soap and water; moldable ear plugs must simply be replaced after a number of uses. Secondly, be careful with your ears. Avoid sticking swabs (or anything else) in your ears, since that could scratch the ear canal, providing an entry point for germs. And finally, be mindful of where you choose to swim; the CDC highly recommends watching out for posted warnings about polluted lakes and streams. To avoid Swimmer’s Ear and other infections, don’t take your ears (or your kids!) swimming in polluted or dirty water.

2) Dry your ears thoroughly after swimming. It’s important to make sure your ears are dry after aquatic activity. Swabs can actually be more harm than help when it comes to drying your ear canals out, since they can injure the ear canal when improperly used. Instead, doctors usually recommend ear drops for drying the ears. Additionally, small portable devices like the Mack’s Ear Dryer are available to dry your ears quickly without drops or swabs. An extra tip: keep in mind that, especially with young children, it is also important to dry the ears after bathing.

3) Keep your ears as dry as possible to begin with. There are a few things you can do to keep your ears dry while swimming. One is to use ear plugs for water and swimming. These come in basically two flavors: pre-molded rubber and moldable silicone. Both are popular choices for children, and come in a variety of both adult’s and kid’s sizes and colors. While often necessary for kids (and adults) with ear tubes, water ear plugs can be a great way to protect anyone’s ears from Swimmer’s Ear. (Please note that when you’re swimming, you should only ever use ear plugs that were designed for use with water! Foam ear plugs and other non-aquatic plugs won’t keep your ear canals dry—and too, non-aquatic plugs are designed to block sound, which can be a definite safety risk at the pool or beach!)

For more information on choosing the right ear plugs for swimming, stay tuned for the next article in our Summer Swim & Water Series: Part Two: Choosing the Right Ear Plugs for Water Protection.

--The “Got Ears?” Guru