Why Use SwimEars
The use of SwimEars while enjoying the water can have many benefits from allowing you to feel more social, all the way up to keeping you out of the hospital. Below you’ll find several examples of how the use of SwimEars will make your swimming life better & why SwimEars work better than any other swimming ear plugs.
Swimmer’s Ear (Otitis Externa)
Swimmer’s ear can be a painful condition where the skin inside the ear canal becomes infected. Swimmer’s ear usually occurs when water gets stuck in the ear canal. It can be a common condition among swimmers and those who take part in other water based activities.
Anyone can develop Swimmer’s ear, even those who are not fully immersed in water, but having even a small amount of water enter your ear can create the perfect breeding ground for bacteria to cause inflammation, irritation, and infection. This happens because when water gets stuck in the ear, bacteria that usually sits in the ear canal can get beneath the surface of the skin causing Swimmer’s ear.
Using SwimEars while in the water will stop water from entering the ear canal, leaving it dry and pain free.
Surfer’s Ear (Exostosis)
Surfer’s ear is extra bone that grow in the ear canal. It’s caused by exposure to cold water and cold wind, especially the combination of the two. It’s believed this extra bone growth is the body’s natural response to protect the ear drum from harsh, cold environments. The problem is that Surfer’s ear doesn’t go away afterwards, instead it continues to grow (causing painful ear infections & hearing loss) and can only be removed by surgery followed by weeks out of the water.
While most swimmers might not be exposed to the same extreme elements as surfers, it can still occur in swimmers and may develop faster in some people than others, especially if you’re swimming in open water.
As with Swimmer’s ear, the use of SwimEars ear plugs will keep water out along with the majority of cold air, keeping you pain free and off the surgeons table.
Dizziness
Some swimmers can have issues with feeling dizzy, usually during longer swims in open water. Your ears play a very important role in your balance (ask anyone who has burst an ear drum) and temperature changes inside your ear can cause issues with your balance.
If cold water enters your ear while swimming and makes contact with the ear drum it can change the density of a fluid named ‘endolymph’ inside the ear canal. This change in density causes faulty signals to be sent to the brain, leading you to feel dizzy while swimming.
Wearing SwimEars while swimming will fix this issue of dizziness when in the water. By keeping out both cold water and air, SwimEars allows your inner ear to stay at a warm and consistent temperature throughout your entire swim.
Letting Sound In
Independent testing has shown that SwimEars have far superior acoustic performance than any other ear plugs designed for swimming or any water based activity. SwimEars have nearly zero acoustic loss in the frequency range of human speech, whereas the closest competitor cuts away about 20-30dB. To put this difference into perspective, 30dB is roughly the difference between the loudest and lowest volume setting on your smartphone which makes a massive difference when communicating with others.
Customised Fit
SwimEars comes with four different sized sealing gels so you can custom fit your pair to get the perfect fit for each of your ears. Each sealing gel is made from soft medical grade silicone which easily conforms to the shape of your ear when the plugs are inserted, creating a better seal while providing more comfort.
Each plug is asymmetric as they have been designed to fit just one ear (colour coded black for the left ear, teal for the right ear), this allows for a much more precise, ergonomic and comfortable fit.
SwimEars also lets you adjust how far into your ear canal the sealing gels will go. They can be set at two different positions on the plugs ‘core’, increasing the product’s ability to get the perfect fit. Most users will be fine with sealing gels sitting at the first position (so the sealing gel will sit deeper into the ear canal). However those who already have surfer’s ear (exostosis) or have had ear surgery often struggle to use more traditional ear plugs which tend to sit deeper in the ear canal. For these users, placing the sealing gels at the second position will provide them with the more comfortable shallow fit they require, while still providing a water tight seal.