The most important reason for wearing earplugs is to protect your hearing. Earplugs are not for wear on the street or in circumstances that dictate listening for hostile sounds. If you work in a loud area & don't wear them, your hearing may be damaged & inoperable when you need it most. I have found that in a noisy environment, I can understand speech better if I am wearing earplugs. I like the ones that are bell shaped of multicolored rubber. I got them from a past employer; they're supposed to be disposable but you can use them more than once. I do not remember the brand.