Understanding the NRR and What It Means For Your Ears

Custom Ear Plugs
 
NRR stands for the Noise Reduction Rating, and it is the measurement of effectiveness of hearing protection products. The rating comes from the device’s ability to decrease the decibel level (dB)—the measure of intensity of loudness of sound—from the surrounding environment.

Why should you care about the NRR?

Understanding NRRAny prolonged exposure over 80 dB or any exposure at all of 100 dB or more can cause permanent hearing loss. Thus, it is important to protect your ears—and to protect them correctly. If you are using any sort of ear protection product, you want to ensure that it is getting the job done. The NRR can help obtain a realistic estimate of how successful your device is at dimming exposure to outside noise.

How does the NRR change the level of exposure?

If you are exposed to 100 dB and you have earplugs with a 20 dB rating, that does not mean you are now exposed to 80 dB. Instead, you can typically divide the rating in half and then subtract from the external environment. Thus, the device would remove 10 dB worth of noise (20 dB NRR divided in half) and you would now be exposed to 90 dB.

This is not a completely accurate method, though, as the noise reduction is also dependent upon the type of ear protection. For example, earmuffs with a 20 NRR rating could reduce outside noise by 15 dB, while earplugs with the same rating might only diminish the environmental exposure by 10 dB.

What is the ideal level of NRR?

In general, there is no ideal level. It is not a standard but a measurement. The highest possible rating for Custom Ear Plugs is 33, and the highest for earmuffs is 31. Utilizing both Custom Ear Plugs and earmuffs, though, can offer a higher protection level, although wearing both for sleeping is likely be uncomfortable.

In case of Custom Ear Plugs, most people want to wear highest-NRR Custom Ear Plugs. This is the reason why in this article we decided to review those plugs, which are not only comfy to use for a longer period of time, but most importantly are very effective in reducing unwanted sounds.

However, you don’t necessarily always want the highest level of protection. You can utilize the noise reduction rating to fit your individual needs. If you want outside noise completely obliterated while sleeping, you would use an Custom Ear Plugs with a higher NRR than if you wanted a Custom Ear Plugs to wear while napping that lets you still hear the kids getting into trouble.

To sum up, you should determine what your protection needs are and find a product that fits in comfort, style, and Noise Reduction Rating. While the NRR does not rate the quality of products, it does determine the how a product will fit your exposure to the loud world around you.