ear plugs...

[Brandi]

I wear ear plugs every night to sleep. I have to cause everything wakes me up. My ? is do you think it is bad to wear them every night. I can't sleep without then now unless I am dead tired. It is almost like I am addicted to them. I still hear things. As a matter of fact I here alarms and what not. It just helps block certain noises out.

[mimitabby]

I don't think it's bad.
I prefer running a fan which makes white noise that masks the other noises
as I am a terribly light sleeper too.
I bring earplugs with me whenever I travel because you never know.

Make sure you don't reuse the plugs too much or you they can get dirty and perhaps cause infection on the skin inside your ear.
I worked for 10 years in the factory noise part of my company and we taught people how to wear earplugs. that was a complaint we heard occasionally.

[Blueberry]

I wouldn't think so, unless you have ears that are prone to infection (i.e. swimmer's ear). My Grandma just had to change styles of hearing aids (sorry, but it's a valid comparison) because she kept getting fungal ear infections from trapped moisture.

Good luck!

CA

[sbctwin]

Brandi, I wear ear plugs almost every night because my DH's snoring is soooo loud. I wear really soft ones and there are some nights I can tell that I must have shoved them in too far the previous night because they hurt . Then I have to go several days without wearing them until my ears are comfortable again . I have to cut mine down to better fit because they are too long. I often wonder the same thing if I should be wearing them every night...I do change them every other night because I can tell when they become too soft, they don't work very good.

[East Hill]

Mimitabby and I do the same thing. As someone who's worked graveyard almost all her adult life (and no one make cracks about how long that is!), I've had to use a fan or the air conditioner fan to mask noise. I can't handle earplugs. They are actually a migraine trigger, as the amplified body noises are too disturbing.

On the other hand, Mr. East Hill doesn't snore.

East Hill

[five one]

I have been wearing ear plugs for years (the soft spongy ones) with no ill effects. Changing every few days is important, as others have said, to prevent the possibility of infections. I am a very light sleeper, too, and have gotten to the point where I can't sleep without them. DH occasionally snores, but he also breathes loudly and that's enough to keep me from falling asleep.

I don't think you have anything to be concerned with as long as you're careful inserting them and make sure they're clean. A good night's sleep is so important!

[mimitabby]

let me put it another way, we have employees in our factories that wear ear plugs every day (8-10 hours a day) and have for years for hearing protection.

I think you're safe!