Phonak Serenity Choice Ear Plugs

Noise exposure is one of the leading causes of hearing loss and tinnitus. Excessive noise exposure can put you at a higher risk of hearing loss and tinnitus if you do not protect your hearing. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. And that is just for young adults. But the keyword to consider in that sentence is ‘avoidable’.

It does not take very much noise exposure to cause permanent damage to the tiny hair-like cell structures inside of your cochlea, which is your hearing organ. Hair cells are the sensory receptors of the auditory system and are very susceptible to being damaged by excessive noise.

The shape of your ear canal is shaped in such a way to help us hear high-frequency speech information better, thus improving the clarity of speech. This occurs at an average ear canal resonance of about 2700 Hertz (frequency).

Unfortunately, when loud noises enter the ear canal, this causes them to be amplified to such a degree that it causes damage to the hair cells in that frequency range. Not only that, but the damage is also caused further up the frequency range as a as well.

We established earlier that millions of people damage their hearing through unsafe hearing practices – avoidable hearing loss. So, what is the solution to this problem? Well, the simple fix is to avoid noisy situations or protect your hearing consistently with earplugs or earmuffs. However, this is not always feasible or sustainable, especially if you work in noisy environments. Hearing protection can make it difficult to communicate with others or hear the things you actually want to hear.

Traditionally, hearing protection effectiveness is indicated by a noise reduction rating (NRR) or Single Number Rating (SNR) – the higher the number, the more effective. While this helps us compare hearing protective devices, it ignores the fact that different situations require different levels of protection. Maximum protection may not always be better, given your specific listening situation. Conversely, you may not have enough protection when you need it.

This is where Phonak comes in with their Serenity Choice Filtered Earplugs, which allow you to customise the amount of hearing protection you want based on what your hearing protection goals are. Phonak has solved the issue of balancing the needs of different hearing settings by developing six different plugs to suit different listening situations: music, work, sleeping, motorsports, comfort, hunting and shooting.

The real magic is the filter technology that allows for the right amount of noise attenuation at the correct frequencies. This protects while maintaining the quality of hearing, situational awareness, and the ability to communicate still while wearing them. You get the best of both worlds – the correct attenuation while still being able to hear the things you want to hear.

Each set comes with two ear tips of each size S, M and L (allowing you to select the most appropriate size for your ear canal), two acoustic filters (with dB filtration level tailored for each application), and an aluminium keyring carrying case.

To prevent hearing loss, start with the things you can control – the level of noise exposure. Don’t let the potential for hearing loss interfere with your everyday life and the things you enjoy most. Including sleep! Contact Victorian Hearing today to learn more about Phonak Serenity Choice Ear Plugs.