Earplugs in Public - Safety vs Comfort

[Gummi27]

Hello. To set the many scenes:

A friend wants to go into Sam Goody, but there is a television set ringing at such a high frequency it is unbearable to enter.

Another day, I suggest going to an arcade attached to the hotel I'm staying at with a friend, but as I approach the room I can tell one of the machines is emitting a high frequency and I can't get within 5 feet of it without my jaw tightening. I flake on my friend.

At home, there's an alarm going off inside a utility closet down the hall in the apartment complex. I am the only person who has called in to complain. So it continues uninterrupted for weeks.

I've been considering getting noise filtering ear plugs, but would still like to be aware of my surroundings. I wonder if there are existing jobs outside of construction or factory work that let worker's wear ear plugs. Have any of you who struggle with sound sensitivity found ways to avoid or ease its effect on your life? Are people offended if you plug your ears? Or are they usually understanding?

BONUS: How about lights and smell? Have you avoided a room because of a smell no one else has noticed, or lights too bright? Have you found ways to avoid or improve these situations if they're immovable?

Thank you for reading!

 

[sidd851]

Earbud headphones!
Even if they're not playing, they discourage conversation and block sound.

 

[Bolletje]

I wear noise canceling headphones while performing administrative tasks. I get funny looks sometimes when people come into my office, but I’m trying to get over it.

 

[Gummi27]

Earbud headphones!
Even if they're not playing, they discourage conversation and block sound.

Ah yes. I suppose that's not entirely too obnoxious to walk around with those. :3

 

[Gummi27]

I wear noise canceling headphones while performing administrative tasks. I get funny looks sometimes when people come into my office, but I’m trying to get over it.

Oh, I think that's pretty cool!

Yeah, I wanna get over funny looks too. One time at a big family dinner I wore earplugs with a hat pulled over my head to hide them. It drained out the peak of noisy overlapping voices and I could still understand them. I usually get funny looks though since I often wear hats at what would be a "weird" time or temperature to wear them.

Though it would be cool if people could be the ones who get over it!

 

[OlLiE]

noise cancelling headphones,
but there are also earplugs with filters to let through certain types of sound

 

[NothingToSeeHere]

Noise cancelling headphones, I wear then all the time at work, just take them out when someone wants to talk to me. The only time I have a 'no earplugs/headphones' rule for is when I'm cycling or driving, because blocking out the noise of oncoming cars would be just stupid.

 

[the_tortoise]

I usually wear earplugs outside -- they are rated to about 30 dB and I can still hear all the sounds I need to hear, including people talking. (It's just a lot quieter/muffled; But like @NothingToSeeHere, I don't wear them when I'm on a bike because I want to be sure I will hear people and cars and other cyclists clearly and from as far away as possible -- not just when they're right beside me. I wouldn't wear them driving either.)

If I'm not wearing earplugs, I will plug my ears at loud or otherwise excruciating sounds (like sirens, alarms, high pitched electrical noises, etc.). I don't look to see other people's reactions to me doing this because I have no reason to -- I don't care what other people's reactions might be, if they even notice (I would guess most people don't notice). Only once has anyone made a point of getting my attention to say something about my plugging my ears and it was only to offer kind words about the awful noise.

 

[Tom]

Make sure you are safe (won't miss noise you need to hear) but otherwise care not about others reactions.

 

[Progster]

I wear earplugs when I'm in public transport or in a noisy environment like a hospital, or walking in the street even, or headphones with music. Safety is a concern though - I once had an accident when I was walking in a pedestrian area and a delivery van reversed onto me and knocked me down. It is the driver's responsibility to make sure there are no pedestrians when driving in such an area, but if I hadn't been wearing the headphones I would probably have heard the van's engine and the accident wouldn't have happened.

 

[Mattymatt]

Hello. To set the many scenes:

A friend wants to go into Sam Goody, but there is a television set ringing at such a high frequency it is unbearable to enter.

Another day, I suggest going to an arcade attached to the hotel I'm staying at with a friend, but as I approach the room I can tell one of the machines is emitting a high frequency and I can't get within 5 feet of it without my jaw tightening. I flake on my friend.

At home, there's an alarm going off inside a utility closet down the hall in the apartment complex. I am the only person who has called in to complain. So it continues uninterrupted for weeks.

I've been considering getting noise filtering ear plugs, but would still like to be aware of my surroundings. I wonder if there are existing jobs outside of construction or factory work that let worker's wear ear plugs. Have any of you who struggle with sound sensitivity found ways to avoid or ease its effect on your life? Are people offended if you plug your ears? Or are they usually understanding?

BONUS: How about lights and smell? Have you avoided a room because of a smell no one else has noticed, or lights too bright? Have you found ways to avoid or improve these situations if they're immovable?

Thank you for reading!

Wow! There's a blast from the past. I remember Sam Goody. Alas, they're gone in the US. They were a great music store. Anyhow, wearing headphones or earbuds doesn't necessarily create an unsafe environment so long as you maintain a level of situational awareness. When you become too lost in your music, is when it can become a danger. It's almost the same thing as listening to the radio while driving. You need to make certain that your listening is a little more passive so that you know what the space cushion around your car is.

 

[Gritches]

Just for a shoutout for jobs that require earplugs: in the US at least, any job where you're in an environment above a certain decibel level requires earplugs. I used to wear them when I worked at a factory. Not sure about outside the US, but I assume any civilized nation would be the same or similar.

 

[OkRad]

I have them with me always. Sometimes I wear a hat to cover them. Other times I use the ones with the cord. They seem more acceptable because people think you just came from work. Other times I use "Macs" because they press in. Learn sign language! That helps with ear plug acceptance. I actually did learn it. I am not great, but I go to deaf chats and found a really cool group of people I can talk to and wear my earplugs and no one has to shout at each other at a restaurant. I love those chats!