Do Earmuffs Cause Occlusion Effect?

I'd appreciate input of anyone who is knowledgeable about the subject.

Thank you.

Jiri

 

Is occlusion effect "dangerous?" And does bumping into things with the muffs (such as walls) or bumping earmuffs with your hands/shoulders cause any permanent hearing damage?

And how about the suction effect when pulling off a pair that is pretty tight on your head? I was wearing some muffs earlier in the house because a smoke detector was going off. I was pretty sweaty and the muffs were kind of like a plunger when pulling them off my head with a suction. Happened a few different times as the wireless smoke detectors were all going off and it took a few minutes to get them all settled down. I took them on/off a few times while going in and out of the house.

 

I usually refer to the bellow diagram with regards to occlusion effect and earmuffs;



The bigger the cup is around the ear, the less occlusion effect you experience, so I'd say you're pretty safe with earmuffs, although you may be able to hear a slight amplification of the sound. Here you also see that the deeper ear plugs are inserted, the less occlusion effect you experience.

Regarding hitting the ear muffs in walls or such, I wouldn't worry that much about it. I have pretty bad sound sensitivity and spikes very easily, but such brief sounds rarely cause any issues. I would try to avoid it though, because it can be loud. But it has happened many times to me without consequences.

All the best,
Stacken

 

Is occlusion effect actually dangerous? If so, how dangerous it is? Uncomfortable or able to cause damage?

 

I cannot give a direct answer to that, but I believe, as with any moderate to loud noise, we can do permanent damage given enough time. I would personally avoid talking loudly for hours in my custom molds since they cause really high occlusion effect, and this is enough to cause me some severe spikes. My rule of thumb with regards to the sound sensitivity is that any sound which causes discomfort, or the "this is too loud" response, can cause prolonged worsenings/setbacks. What is required to cause actual hearing loss may vary from person to person.

Stacken