I wake up to what seems like a nice, quiet morning. I stretch, then take the Loop earplugs out of my ears—and I’m instantly hit with a barrage of noises. Cars honking, people conversing, kids shrieking—and a cat meowing behind the bedroom door so much you’d think I'd been asleep for days and hadn’t fed him.
I’m cat-sitting in Park Slope, Brooklyn, near a busy avenue, an environment much louder than my home, facing an alleyway in Easton, Pennsylvania. I’m a ridiculously light sleeper, but my Loop earplugs let me sleep through the night, even in a city that never does.
As a matter of fact, I’ve been using various Loop earplugs in different situations for days, and they’ve definitely saved me a headache or seven—and, what’s more, they should protect my hearing
First, Let’s Hear From the Doc
Let’s start by defining when it’s too noisy for our ears’ good. “We use 85 decibels as our main point—anything at 85 decibels or louder can cause hearing loss,” says Alicia Kunkel, doctor of audiology and otolaryngologist based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. “It’s safe for eight hours if it’s around 85 decibels; when you go above 90 decibels, it goes down to two hours; 100 is maybe 15 minutes.”
Noises such as a vacuum cleaner, a blender, a motorcycle, or heavy traffic hover around 85 dB. Even louder are concerts and venues like football or soccer games, which can reach above 100 dB. The ear ringing you experience after seeing a live show of your favorite band? That’s a temporary reduction in hearing sensitivity caused by loud noise exposure that you’ll likely recover from, but which Kunkel says can also slowly lead to a decline in hearing.
Wearing ear protection in those environments is essential. Kunkel keeps hearing protection in her bag at all times. “I carry one pair that is completely trying to block out hearing and one that is just taking the edge off, only about 12 decibels,” she says. And it’s never a bad idea to follow the experts.
This figure shows the relationship between exposure level and exposure duration under the NIOSH REL. As sounds become louder than 85 dBA, the length of a daily exposure must be reduced. For each 3 dBA increase in noise level, NIOSH recommends reducing the exposure duration by half.
One form of hearing protection is foam earplugs you can buy in bulk at nearly every store—and they work great as long as you use them correctly and each pair only once. “Foam is typically a safe material to use, but they can’t really be washed,” Kunkel says, adding that reusing them risks an outer ear infection. They typically block 25 to 30 decibels, depending on the brand, material density, and how you insert them.
I have a love-hate relationship with foam earplugs—the rolling, squishing, twisting, holding them in place, waiting for the foam to expand again, and, in the end, them somehow popping out of my ear canal anyway.
Which brings me to the other, easier-to-use AND reusable, environment-friendlier, washable option: Loop earplugs.
Best for Movies and Loud Gatherings
Use Intent: Social gathering, parenting, conversation
Noise Reduction: 8 dB
Material: Hypoallergenic silicon
Ear tip sizing: 4 tips (XS/S/M/L)
Perfect for a Focus Session—or a Concert
Use Intent: Concerts and festivals, live entertainment, sporting events
Noise Reduction: 12 dB
Material: Hypoallergenic silicon
Ear tip sizing: 4 tips (XS/S/M/L)
Most Affordable
Use Intent: Focus, sleep
Noise Reduction: 14 dB
Material: Hypoallergenic silicon
Ear tip sizing: 4 tips (XS/S/M/L)
Must-Have for (Side) Sleepers
Use Intent: Sleep
Noise Reduction: 21 dB
Material: Body: Hypoallergenic silicon; Tip: Foam-Silicone
Ear tip sizing: 8 tips - 2 different shapes (oval/round); 4 tips for each shape (XS/S/M/L)
Taking the Edge Off During the Day
Loop makes three different pairs for day use, each reducing noise by a different number of decibels. I didn’t test the Quiet 2, but I did receive a pair of the Experience 2 and Engage 2, one reducing noise by 8 and the other by 12 dB. Curious whether I could “hear” the difference, I took them out of the case without looking at which pair was which.
After testing them in various settings, I quickly developed a preference for which pair I reached for based on what I was doing. The Engage 2, with its 8 dB reduction, became my preferred pair for when I was trying to understand the conversation during a movie in a theater and just wanted to take the edge off the loudest noise, while the 12 dB reduction of the Experience 2 was what I went for when I wanted to tune out my surroundings in the office or in a coffee shop and really focus on work.
I keep both pairs attached to my keys. They’re so easy to insert into the ear canal. Neither pair tunes out the surroundings completely; I’m aware of what’s going on around me and can easily take them out when a coworker comes to talk to me.
FYI: Unlike workplace environments, movie theaters do not have strict legal limits or government regulations controlling how loud local operators can turn up the volume.
Sleeping Undisturbed Through the Night
After trying most of the Dream earplug tips, I chose the round M size that fit my ear best, and before I laid down to sleep, I made sure I could still hear my morning alarm through the earplugs. I always fall asleep on my side, and as soon as my ear touched the pillow, I couldn’t feel them. They didn’t bother me at all, didn’t need readjusting, and didn’t move or suddenly pop out. I used them while traveling to unfamiliar places, in hotels, and in places louder than I’m used to, and I slept great through it all.
After a few nights in a row, my ears started to get a little itchy, which made me worry I might be overusing them, but a short break to let the ear canal air out should be all that’s needed. To further help fix the dryness they may cause, Kunkel recommends using a tiny bit of mineral oil. My itch went away on its own after I stopped putting anything in my ears (including headphones). Of course, if the itchiness doesn’t go away, see an ENT specialist.
Final Thoughts
The price of the Loop earplugs may seem steep compared to foam earplugs, but they’re worth it. They’re reusable, washable, and quick and easy to insert and remove. The day pairs come with a case you can attach to your keys, so you never forget to take them with you. I pop them in and out several times a day—when I’m trying to tune out coworkers’ conversations in our open office, or when I want to go easy on my ears during an action scene in a movie. The more accessible and easy such an accessory is, the more you’ll actually use it.
And, yes, because it’s always better to overuse hearing protection. ”Even if you think, ‘Oh, I’m only using this drill for five seconds, it’s better to be safe,” Kunkel says. “You don’t want to take your hearing for granted.”