Noisy Offices And Earplugs.

There are many ways to cope with a noisy office, but the easiest and cheapest way is to get good earplugs for when you are at work.

Working in an office with all of your colleagues can be a significant advantage, especially with communication. Face-to-face communication is always a lot more efficient than an email or talking on the phone. This also can lead to problems when you actually want to work in a quiet environment; this is not possible when you are in an open office.

Different Earplugs.

The best way to resolve this problem is to use earplugs or headphones. These come in several types, and at several prices. The best earplugs for you may not be the best earplugs for everyone else. In this article, I will discuss the different earplugs and headphones that are available, and the advantages and disadvantages of each type, so that you can pick the best for you.

I’ll also be recommending the best earplugs in each of these categories so that you don’t have to do any of the hard work of researching which are the best value ear plugs for the office.

Earplugs and hearing protection usually are used when you are in a very noisy environment. It is unlikely that working even in the noisiest office will be loud enough to damage your hearing.

Earplugs are most likely to be worn in this situation, to aid concentration, removing distractions. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that frequent and extended exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. To give you an idea of what 85dB is, it is like a carwash at 20 feet.

Every time you damage your hearing, any loss is normally permanent. Each piece of damage is tiny. However, these add up over several years until you get terrible hearing and ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus.

The effectiveness of earplugs is measured in NRR, which stands for noise reduction rating. Most ear plugs will have an NRR of between 20 and 30.

What this means in real terms is a reduction in the noise's volume that you hear of between 20 and 30 decibels. So if you are in a room where the decibel level is 100, and you are wearing earplugs with an NRR of 30, then your ears will be in fact receiving approximately 70 decibels of noise which is well within the safe range.

Office Questions To Do With Hearing.

When working, it has been shown – and I believe that most of you will know this already, that if someone is distracted from their work, productivity is reduced. It can also be very annoying when you are trying to get something done if you are constantly being distracted.

Whether you run an office or work in one, you know that noise can be bothersome, but is needed to get the daily work done.

A study into office noise that questioned over 2,000 people in over 50 sites found that

54% of workers were bothered by noise, especially by people talking

There was, unsurprisingly, a direct correlation between noise and dissatisfaction with the working environment and supervisor performance.

This article will not cover reducing background noise and soundproofing the office – I will do that in another article. What we will cover here is what you can do as an individual to reduce these disturbances as and when you feel that this is necessary.

We will do this with earplugs and ear muffs so that you can reduce the surrounding sounds, or masking the sounds with other less distracting sounds.

People are distracted mainly by two types of sounds, these being

• Sudden unexpected, usually loud sounds
  
  
• Conversations – Even when trying not to, your brain will listen to people talking, especially if it is in any way interesting.

Masking these sounds with music, or especially white noise, has been shown to actually improve concentration, and with increase productivity.

Types Of Earplugs To Block Noise

When you are trying to reduce distractions from noise in an office, there are many types of earplugs you can try, but they really fall into three major categories. These are plugs which:

1. Block as much sound as possible
2. Reduce loud sounds and, optionally, increase quiet sounds
3. Noise masking with music/white noise

These have different effects, and the type that you choose will depend on the person you are. However, type 2 noise-reducing, are not really suitable for offices.

Noise Blocking Ear Plugs For The Office.

Earplugs that block out as much of the noise as possible are an excellent choice for someone who wants to work in an environment that is as quiet as possible. They work basically by blocking the ear canal so that less sound enters the ear.

Because of how we hear, it is not possible to stop all sound when you block the ear canals, as some sound – which is a vibration in the air, also is transferred by the bones in your head. However, it is possible to get other people talking down to a barely audible whisper, which will be far less distracting.

This type of ear plug is cheap and readily available. The most common types are:

• Foam disposable – very affordable, but not environmentally friendly. These are great as a test to see if ear plugs will help you concentrate in a noisy office. They end up working out more expensive over time, as you will regularly replace them.
  
  
• Moldable Ear plugs – These block a lot of the sound, maybe more than foam plugs. They are, however, not as convenient as they have to be molded to the shape of the ear and are not as easy to put in and take out. Again, these need to be replaced every few days.
  
  
• Reusable Ear Plugs – These are made to be used for years, so their slightly higher cost will soon be recuperated. They will reduce the noise in the office a lot and are very convenient.

   

Hi-Fidelity Ear Plugs.

This type of plug is really used to protect the ears from loud sounds. The electronic versions will also increase the quiet sounds, so that you can hear them in noisy environments. They are mainly used for hunting and construction sites, etc.

I personally, over the last 30 years, have never worked in an office where this type of plug would be the best choice, but I suppose there must be some office that is loud somewhere!

Ear Plugs / Headphones That Play Music.

These are, by far, the most common type of plugs that are used in offices. Most people use them to play music while they are working. Music is less distracting as there is no conversation that you can get engrossed in, and there are no unexpected distracting noises, as you have probably heard the song hundreds of times in the past.

Audio headphones can also play brown or white noise. This can mask out external sounds; should you also find music distracting?

The best type of headset for reducing the distractions in a noisy office is the “Noise-canceling headphone.”

Can I Hear My Alarm With Earplugs?

Yes, you can hear your alarm with earplugs. The noise from the alarm is high pitched, which your hearing is more sensitive to. As a result, you can hear it despite the earplugs.

Other things that you will hear are fire alarms and car alarms, as these both have a similar high-pitched sound.

When you try to sleep during the night, many people will find that they arrive at work tired. Some people can sleep through anything while others cannot sleep through a ringing alarm clock.

Most people find it difficult to sleep when they are in an environment with a lot of noise, such as heavy traffic on the road and loud music playing in the background.

One way in which you can help yourself get to sleep is by using earplugs. Earplugs are great at blocking out annoying noises whereas noise-canceling headphones are very good at keeping outside noise out but may not be as good at letting sounds such as alarms and music from your phone inside your head.

Today’s Offices.

Today, offices are less noisy than they used to be. That is mostly because of the computer era which replaced the typewriter. However, offices are still noisy places for many people and if you work in one, it’s worth your while to find ways of making it sound better.

You can use earplugs or noise canceling headphones to make things quieter, but you should also think about acoustics, making sure that there is good absorption in the walls and ceilings and avoiding high-traffic areas like kitchens when possible.

Do Noise Canceling Headphones Work Better Than Earplugs?

No. The question is a little vague, but it sounds like you’re asking if quieter headphones work better than earplugs. Earplugs and headphones both reduce the amount of noise that reaches your ears by blocking sound waves, so they should both be equally effective.

However, there are some small differences in methods of protection between earplugs and headphones — such as how long the plugs can be used for (earplugs can typically be reused depending on how often you need to use them) — so it’s possible that one might work better for you than the other does.

Is Noise Canceling Bad For Ears?

No, noise canceling does not harm your ears at all. It uses active technology to block the noise rather than just plugging the ear. However, it is still important to use caution when listening to loud music.

Some people claim to hear a slight difference in the loudness of music on a noise canceling headset. However, this isn’t something that you should be worried about.

This happens because the headphone creates a balanced equal pressure over the ear canal which acts as an equaliser, allowing you to isolate yourself better from the overwhelming racket experiencing no changed sound in the normal volume.

Why Do Loud Noises Bother Me So Much?

The reason loud noises bother you is that they deprive you of hearing. Hearing is one of the most important senses for humans because it enables us to communicate and it helps us to understand what’s going on around us. Without our ability to hear, we could not communicate at all.

Your hearing is very sensitive and easily damaged by loud noises like guns, sirens, construction noise or other loud sounds. Loud sounds also make it difficult for you to carry on a conversation and distract you from your work because they may cause you pain.

How Do You Not Let Noise Bother You?

First, find the root of the problem. If you can isolate that as something that is bothering you, you can usually take care of it. The most common issues are a screeching sound such as that which comes from printers or a constant droning noise like a refrigerator.

Second, think about ways to reduce the noise in your environment. Curtains or plants can screen out ambient noise and help to make your office feel more calm and peaceful. You can purchase soundproofing material and put it on your walls to keep any outside sounds from distracting you from work.

Some people who already have some hearing loss have reported that they are bothered more by noise than others. This is not because of your hearing loss but because of the sensitivity you have to noise from your damaged ear tissue.

In order to compensate for this, purchase a slightly higher decibel headphone or earplug. You should be able to find one that will fit your ears adequately and block out some of the noise without damaging your sensitive ear tissue any further.

Please Note: Just because an ear defender is marked, for example, "Gunshot" - it will still cover other things, like "explosions"

Conclusions - Best Earplugs For The Noisy Office.

Most offices are not noisy enough to damage your hearing; however, the noises that you hear may be very distracting when you are trying to concentrate on the arduous task.

You have several options that you can use to mask or stop these distractions, and what your decision really comes down to is whether you still need to communicate with co-workers while you are wearing these earplugs.

Should you not need to talk with your co-workers then something that plays music, white noise, or blocks the sound completely, probably most suitable.

However, if you need to communicate with your work colleagues at all times, and listen to what’s going on in the surrounding environment, then you’re probably better off with some high fidelity electronic ear plugs