Earplugs equal peace and quiet

I'm sure everyone knows about earplugs.But have you ever actually tried them?
Trust me.They're effective,and comfortable.
I work out at home in my own gym area.I can listen to whatever I want,or nothing.But if you work out in a crowded public gym you're probably getting bombarded with auditory distraction.Crappy music,people talking, announcements over the speaker system.Some people tune things out better than others.
I find excessive noise a bother so I've been wearing earplugs for a long time.
I know you can listen to music on your own device.But that's active listening.Maybe some people really get charged up listening to music when they work out.Good if that works for you.But there are a number of situations when quiet is sweet relief.Maybe you have to take a bus to the gym.Pop in the plugs,and tune out the environment.And if you're at the gym and you don't want people talking to you,it can send a message that you're in serious mode.You won't even have to wear a rude t-shirt telling people to bug off anymore.
Of course they can also be a great help in reading/studying/focusing on work whatever the setting.   

The ones I included a picture of are from the top brand in the business,Mack's.They make a whole line of earplugs for different needs.Including for swimming,and shooting sports.
They do make very soft earplugs for sleeping.Now you can live with that snoring spouse a little easier.Maybe you won't have to throttle the neighbor for his yapping mutts.
They are actually soft enough to be comfortable.After awhile you hardly notice they're in.I find that once I'm asleep I don't tend to register much outside noise.The trash trucks can do their banging business without waking me up.But I can still hear the alarm clock when it goes off.( I use an interesting kind of alarm clock which I'll post about some time ).
If you're at all prone to anxiety,I think these could be helpful too.It does reduce the general stimulation.
They might be helpful to a kid with ADHD,or Autism to reduce distraction,or provide a calmer feeling.

A few notes on use.They do make some out of silicone that are like soft putty.They will conform to the ear,but are a little too gushy.They can squish too far into the ear canal.They also need to be cleaned,and reshaped after use.You'll wake up with your hair stuck to them.I did use them in the past.But I prefer the foam ones.
The foam earplugs will come in different levels of decibel reduction.That's the measure of environmental sound reduction.It will state the level on the package.Such as NRR 29 dB.That means the reduction will be 29 decibels if used properly.
I would advise you to clean your ears before putting in the plugs.You don't want greasy,waxy ears anyway.You can wash them with soap,and water and dry them well.You can also use a rag,or tissue and clean the outside with a little hand sanitizer like Purell..Of course Q-tips tells us never to put swabs in your ear canal.I'm sure we all carefully avoid doing this too.
The foam plugs are squeezed into a tighter shape,and inserted into the ear canal where they will expand to fit snugly.They can be reused a number of times.When they feel like they're getting dirty,throw them out.
They're not expensive.
The quiet is well worth the price.

I just want to live in peace and quiet. Agnetha Faltskog
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/peace_and_quiet.html