Ear Plug Superstore - Official Blog

3 Reasons Why You Should Sleep with the Window Open This Spring

Leaving a window slightly open while you sleep this spring may actually be the key to getting the deep, restful hours of sleep you've probably been missing.

More than 40% of us aren't getting enough sleep on average, and on top of that, getting really good quality sleep is another struggle altogether. While some bedtime advice -- such as ensuring your bedroom is dark and quiet -- is becoming common knowledge, the science of sleep remains complex. Simply put, there are a lot of different reasons why you may not be sleeping well. Now that spring is open, you can fight back by doing something as simple as opening your bedroom window a few inches while you sleep.

Here are three reasons why sleeping with the windows open is a good idea.

1. The ambient temperature in your bedroom matters -- and letting the cool spring air into the room can allow you to sleep better. The ambient air temperature plays a big role in setting and stabilizing your actual body temperature when you sleep. While sleeping, your body temperature drops slightly, reaching your personal "sleeping zero-point" temperature: the optimum body temp at which you will get the very best sleep possible. Too hot or too cold, and you are much more likely to wake up during the night. A temperature between 65-70 degrees and a nice comforter to cover up with is ideal. Straying far from that zone can disturb your night and even diminish the quality of your REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. The arrival of mild spring weather means you can crack the bedroom window, letting in a nice breeze to help keep your bedroom cool.
2. Breathing fresh air while you sleep is surprisingly good for your health. It isn't too difficult to imagine that fresh air might be nicer than the "canned air" you'd find slowly getting stale in your bedroom when the windows are closed. The spring air can carry in scents from roses, lavender, and jasmine which are natural anxiety-busters and relaxation aids -- and a deep-seated love for the smell of a fresh spring rainstorm is actually a cultural imprint all humans share. Letting in these beautiful spring smells is an aromatherapy technique that can help you feel better while you sleep, and get more out of your sleeping time. An open window lets all that goodness in for free.
3. Even in a noisy place, an open bedroom window doesn't have to be disturbing. It is absolutely true that having a quiet space for sleeping is important for getting good quality sleep. However, many of us live in the middle of a city, next to a highway, or near some other source of irritating noise. There is a solution that will let you keep your window open, while still keeping your bedroom sound scape ideal for sleeping: white noise. A white noise machine on the bedside table can enable virtually anyone to sleep with the window open, without being disturbed by unwanted outside noises. White noise is featureless, flat, and even across the audible frequencies. This featureless sound is actually so bland that causes your brain to "decide" the noise is unimportant not worth paying attention to: you will automatically stop "hearing" white noise after just a few minutes as the sound fades out of your consciousness. Playing white noise to drown out any sounds that filter into your bedroom will let you sleep with the window open even in the noisiest situations.

Until next time, be safe and love your ears!
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore

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More Ways to Connect With Us:

Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/

 

March is Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM).

Music In Our Schools Month® (MIOSM), a national month-long holiday observance founded by the National Association for Music Education, is a program dedicated to raising awareness about the many benefits of providing high quality music education in schools. School music programs enrich students' lives both immediately and for years and years to come. During this month-long celebration of music in our schools, we at Ear Plug Superstore encourage you and your family to celebrate by playing music and singing together, attending concerts, and supporting music programs in your local schools -- all while striving to raise awareness about the importance of hearing protection for musicians.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: The Threat for Music Students

School-age children are quickly becoming the most likely group to suffer from permanent noise-induced hearing loss. In our increasingly noisy world, with headphone and earphone usage reaching an all-time high, this isn't such a surprise. Ignoring the problem, however, is no longer an option for savvy parents.

Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent -- and so it has become not only wise but necessary to provide hearing protection for school-age children. This is especially true if your child participates in a marching band or orchestra. While inexpensive foam ear plugs will absolutely provide the much-needed protection from noise, a pair of musician's ear plugs (such as the extremely popular Etymotic ER-20's, or the new Mack's High Fidelity Ear Plugs with two sizes of fit tips) will dramatically increase the quality of sound your child can hear.

Note that college students require proper hearing protection, too. Some universities are beginning to require undergraduate students to have yearly hearing tests and education in noise-induced hearing loss topics, including the use of hearing protection devices. For older students, a set of musician's ear plugs are a very practical must-have item, and even a very good quality, high-end pair of earplugs will still only cost a fraction of what a typical college textbook costs. Students who invest in hearing protection are making a life-long investment in their hearing. It really is that simple.

Music Educators are at an Exceptionally High Risk of Hearing Loss

78% of music teachers are exposed to noise levels exceeding the safe maximum sound levels set for an OSHA controlled industrial workplace. That means an average band teacher could actually be taking in as much noise as a worker using a jackhammer for eight hours a day!

Indeed, up to 86% of music teachers have been shown to suffer from some degree of noise-induced hearing damage. This statistic represents an incredible sacrifice on the part of music educators who dedicate their time and talents to teaching students how to play and enjoy music -- at the cost of their own ability to hear.

Fortunately, awareness about the need for hearing protection among music educators is rising. This is likely due to an overall increase in hearing protection awareness, combined with an explosion of new hearing protection products created specifically for musicians that make wearing ear plugs a much more comfortable and attractive option.

As always, any hearing protection at all is better than nothing. But for music teachers, our strong suggestion is to invest in a pair of professional lab molded musician's ear plugs. These ear plugs provide Natural Sound hearing, which means minimal sound distortion and faithful sound quality don't have to be sacrificed to get that important protection from noise. Lab molded custom fit ear plugs are also the most comfortable ear plugs available, and they're incredibly durable, making them ideal for hours of daily use, from morning band rehearsal all the way to private lessons in the evening.

Until next time, be safe and love your ears.
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore

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More Ways to Connect With Us:

Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/

3 Tips to Stretch Your Tax Refund & Protect Your Hearing

Tax season can be a nightmare... but when that sweet refund check finally arrives in the mail, we can breathe a sigh of relief and plan how to spend that money wisely. The average refund for 2015 is $3,120 so far. That means now is a great opportunity to invest in a few important expenses you may have been putting off.If you've been waiting for a few extra dollars before investing in some much-needed hearing protection, now is the time. And with a little clever planning, you can stretch just a small fraction of your refund to seriously get ahead when it comes to protecting your hearing!

Here are three easy tips for getting the most out of your hearing protection spend:

1) Figure out what kind of earplugs you need, and then buy them in box quantities instead of single pairs. If you already know what kind of earplugs best suit your needs, and you use earplugs frequently for work, sleeping, etc. then it just makes sense to buy a box. (We also sell cases of earplugs, but for individual users, that's probably a bit overkill!) Industrial foam earplugs -- which work well for many non-industrial uses -- are all available in money-saving box quantities. Since these are non-perishable, you can stock up on a full year's worth of earplugs in one fell swoop. If you don't already know what kind of foam earplugs best suit your unique ears, check out our assortment packs -- these are an inexpensive way to easily try out several different kinds of foam earplugs, so you can find the perfect brand and style that provides the comfort and noise reduction you're looking for. And once you know what you like, picking up a box can save big versus buying them by the pair. Remember, foam earplugs always work best when used once and then thrown away and replaced. It can be tempting to reuse disposable foam earplugs, but resist the urge to cut corners. Your ears are important! Use foam earplugs properly -- aka just once -- to ensure your ears stay clean, healthy, and hygienic, and to ensure you're always getting the maximum rated protection from your earplugs. Again, a box is the perfect way to use disposable foam earplugs properly without spending much.

2) Go custom. A set of custom-molded earplugs is much more expensive than a single pair of regular, off-the-shelf universal fit earplugs, without a doubt. However, if you frequently use earplugs for swimming, music, work, or sleeping, it's important to realize that your hearing protection has become a critical part of your day-to-day life. And when that happens, custom-molded earplugs can become a real money-saver in the long run. While you've got a little extra refund cash to play with, now is a great time to invest in a set of professional lab custom-molded earplugs that suit your application (swimming, sleeping, etc). These earplugs not only fit better and work more effectively than their non-custom molded counterparts, but they also last a whole lot longer. Foam earplugs need to be replaced after every use, and even those sturdier reusable earplugs will need to be replaced every couple of weeks, depending on use. A good set of custom molded earplugs, however, can last for years with frequent cleaning and mindful storage. In the long term, frequent earplug users will see serious savings by going custom. Consider making that one-time investment with some of your refund money, and you'll reap the benefits for months or years to come.

3) Don't throw them out: refurbish your earmuffs and earphones. When you've used your hearing protection earmuffs on the job or at home, day in and day out, you'll eventually find that the ear pads -- the cushions that fit over each earcup and make contact with your skin -- are often the first part to wear out. And as the ear pads get worn, they can become thinner and less resilient, making your earmuffs not only less comfortable, but also less effective at blocking noise. But you don't have to buy a whole new set of earmuffs to fix the problem! Inexpensive hygiene kits, which consist of a new set of ear pads and often also replacement foam sheeting for the inside of the earcup, are available for many models of earmuffs. These can make your earmuffs -- including those high-dollar electronic models -- feel like new again, for as little as $5. And just like you can replace the ear pads on a pair of earmuffs, you can also get new replacement ear tips for your in-ear earphones. Available in many shapes and types (most notably multi-flanged silicone tips, and foam tips in different sizes), you can find replacement tips to make your earphones fit like new again. Or sometimes, better than new! Don't throw out your old earmuffs and earphones when you can easily refurbish them on your own -- for a tiny fraction of your refund.

Until next time, be safe and love your ears.
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore

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More Ways to Connect With Us:

Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/

National Sleep Awareness Week - A Follow-Up

A couple weeks ago, we posted about Holly Boettner, MPH, CHES at California State University, Long Beach, and her Sleep Awareness Week (March 2-8) events, designed to help students understand just how critical it is to get a good night's sleep. Getting good quality (and quantity) sleep can be difficult at any age -- but it's a special challenge for students living on a campus where something is always happening and somebody down the hall always seems to be awake all night. This plethora of constant noise seems to be present at every college -- and while it's definitely a colorful and exciting part of The College Experience, students just aren't getting the sleep they need.

Fortunately, Holly and CSU are working to educate students on sleep, why it's so important, and how to get more of it.

Check out these photos from the event! (We were happy to donate earplugs for Holly and her team to give away to students who stopped by her booth.)

Holly writes,

Attached are two pictures from our table today. I also posted the pictures/information on our social media accounts... The outreach was very successful your earplugs were prizes for our “wheel trivia game”.

We are planning to continue our Sleep Awareness outreach in the future. We realize the importance of sleep awareness and educating our students on better sleep habits. Plus, providing ear plugs to the students always helps!

Thanks again,
Holly Boettner

 

Thank you, Holly, for letting us help you get the word out about how important it is to get a good night's sleep!

If you want to get more sleep, and better quality sleep, check out our Sleeping With Snoring Checklist for some helpful tips and advice.

Until next time, be safe and love your ears.
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore

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More Ways to Connect With Us:

Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/

National Sleep Awareness Week: How to Sleep Despite Snoring (A Checklist)

What are you really missing when you're missing sleep?

Few things are as important as getting a good night's sleep. We all know how a night without enough hours of blissful REM sleep can make us feel groggy, tired, and cranky the next morning. But the effects of missing sleep go a lot deeper than that. Sleep deprivation makes us think more slowly, feel more depressed, and forget more things more often. We can even "forget" how much sleep we've been missing, as we become accustomed to the feeling of being sleep-deprived -- though the risks, including a world of health consequences and an increasing inability to think clearly or drive safely, continue to grow.

If that's not enough to make you crave your eight-to-ten hours of shut-eye each night, consider this -- sleep deprivation was a factor in some of the most terrible disasters in history: Three Mile Island (1979), the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the Chernobyl meltdown (1986).

On a smaller scale, sleep deprivation can be disastrous to our own lives and relationships... particularly if it is a snoring spouse that is keeping you from drifting off to dreamland. Snoring is a rampant problem for couples of all ages and demographics, and relationships suffer and all-too-often break apart under the strain. Missing sleep due to snoring literally ends marriages. Not surprisingly, the solutions to stop snoring range from relatively harmless adhesive strips, all the way to expensive, risky and questionably-effective surgery! This is because we try to solve to problem by making the snoring stop so we can sleep.

Instead, try finding ways to sleep despite the snoring. Nail down everything you can to ensure you're sleeping well, and you may find you can get the rest you so badly need despite a loved one who snores like a buzz-saw.

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How to Sleep Despite Snoring: The Checklist

1) Earplugs. Soft foam earplugs are the best for sleeping, because they have no rigid central cores or other parts that might put uncomfortable pressure on your ears. A very soft foam earplug with a high Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) will be ideal. Alternatively, if you have extremely sensitive ears and you sleep on your side, moldable silicone or wax earplugs -- which seal over the opening of the ear canal instead of going inside the ear -- may be a better solution. You can get a great assortment of foam and moldable earplugs to try with a Snoring Relief Kit, or you can try different earplugs randomly until you get a pair that works. Finding a balance between comfort and snore-blocking noise reduction will probably take a little trial and error.

2) White noise. At night, many people sleep with a fan running in the bedroom, or find it comforting when the dull hum of the AC kicks on. There's a reason for that: these are types of white noise, which can be very soothing when trying to sleep. White noise, by definition, covers the spectrum of human hearing frequencies evenly, like a smooth blanket of featureless sound. White noise carries no information, so after a few moments, our brains literally stop paying attention to what we're hearing, in favor of processing more helpful input. Playing white noise in the bedroom can actually help drown out a little of that snoring, but the real trick here is that playing white noise can convince your brain to pay less attention to anything else you might be hearing, too -- helping you ignore the snoring and get to sleep. Put a white noise machine on your nightstand and enjoy. Combine both earplugs and white noise for a double dose of peace and quiet to fight back against really loud snoring.

3) Make it dark. Light messes up our natural sleep cycle, a problem that just keeps growing the more we look at glowing screens -- TV's, computers, tablets, and phones, a few of which we often take to bed with us! -- and stay up later and later due to on-demand entertainment and social media. When it comes to sleeping, then, one of the most important solutions to getting better sleep is to make it dark in your bedroom. Move the night light out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Hang curtains so the neighbor's lights, street lamps, and passing cars can't shine into your room. Turn off lights outside your bedroom so they don't beam in under the door. And if you have a particularly bright digital alarm clock, angle it so it won't shine in your face all night. Serious dark means serious help sleeping. If you don't have total control of your bedroom lighting situation, a sleep mask is a great way to get some emergency darkness.

4) Plan for bedtime. It could be that other factors that might make you sleep poorly are, combined with that snoring, enough to keep you awake. Try going to bed at about the same time every night. Watch your caffeine consumption: the effects of caffeine can stay potent for up to 6 hours beyond that initial buzz! Avoid exercising, watching exciting or scary TV or movies, playing video games that make your heart beat faster, and having arguments or fights with your significant other more than 2 hours before bed. Activities that get us feeling "amped up" can take a while to physically chemically dissipate, leaving our bodies restless and ready for action while we try fruitlessly to relax.

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Whether you're sleeping with snoring or having trouble catching all your 'Z's for other reasons, the above checklist is a powerful start toward getting the sleep you need. All of the above solutions are absolutely 100% safe, unlike sleeping pills and herbal remedies that can have dangerous or unwanted side-effects.

Ultimately, it is our individual responsibility to take charge of our sleeping situations and to ensure we're getting the rest we need to be alert, healthy, happy, and socially responsible. We have to move past the idea that sleeping with a snoring spouse makes us a passive victim; instead, we have to take active charge of our sleeping situation, which means taking real, actionable steps to get better sleep. Stop trying to stop the snoring; it almost certainly won't work. Instead, change what you actually can control! Hang new curtains. Cut down on the coffee. Stop bringing your glowing tablet to bed. Explore using earplugs at night, and invest in a white noise machine for the bedroom. You owe it to yourself to get the sleep you need, safely, effectively -- and in spite of that snoring.

Until next time, be safe and love your ears.
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore

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More Ways to Connect With Us:

Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/