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On this page: Overview
Key Takeaways
Yes. Plenty of people wear earplugs in loud restaurants and pubs, and a flush-fitting pair with no stem is hard to spot across a table.
Often 80 to 90 dB at the busiest times. RNID found some UK restaurants, cafés and pubs reaching 90 dB, while a normal conversation sits at about 60 dB.
Yes, but voices get quieter too. A passive SNR 24 earplug such as Life+ lowers the speech range by about 21 dB, so the best routine is to take the edge off the room, then take them out to talk.
Sealing the ear canal makes sound travelling through your head, like your voice or chewing, seem louder. Taking one earplug out while you talk usually sorts it.
Leave them out for the ceremony and speeches, put them in for a loud reception, and keep them in near the band or DJ.
Whenever the room is quiet enough to talk without raising your voice. The NHS advises against wearing earplugs all the time. See a GP if everyday sounds feel painfully loud, changed suddenly, or come with pain or discharge.
“Sometimes I just have to say no to an invitation if it’s to a venue I know is noisy.” That line comes from a survey run by the charity RNID, and a lot of people will recognise it. Earplugs for restaurants, pubs and social events won’t make a packed room quiet. They can take the edge off it, though, so the evening stays enjoyable for longer.
At Bollsen, we make reusable silicone earplugs that are German-tested, independently certified 24 dB and trusted by 1,000,000+ people. Our guide to earplugs for noise sensitivity covers the bigger picture of everyday sound feeling too loud. This page is about dinners, pubs, weddings and parties, and what earplugs really do to conversation.
Earplugs bring a loud dining room down to a comfortable level, and voices drop along with the clatter. So the plan is simple: take the edge off, then take them out to talk.
How loud is a busy restaurant or pub?
A busy restaurant or pub often sits between 80 and 90 dB at its busiest, against roughly 60 dB for a normal conversation, so the room ends up louder than the person across the table.
When RNID, then called Action on Hearing Loss, took readings in UK chain restaurants, cafés and pubs in 2017, it found that “at their busiest, some had sound volumes of 90 decibels”, according to its policy statement on cafés, pubs and restaurants. In its Speak Easy survey, 79% of respondents said they had left a restaurant, café or pub early because of the noise. A New York study of nightlife venues measured an average of 91 dBA in loud restaurants and bars, and 80% of the 59 venues it visited, clubs included, were above 85 dBA, with levels climbing as more people arrived and after 9 pm.
Those are busy-end figures, not every Tuesday dinner. The World Health Organization puts normal conversation at about 60 dB, and its safe listening guidance sets a weekly budget of 80 dB for 40 hours, which shrinks to just 4 hours a week at 90 dB. Working out how many decibels everyday earplugs should block starts from numbers like these.
RNID’s quick test works in any venue. If you can’t talk to someone about 2 metres away without shouting, the noise is likely to be dangerously high, according to its guide how loud is too loud? The same charity puts 85 dB as safe for up to 8 hours a day, with that time halving for every 3 dB above it.
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Life+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsLife+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsMusic SoundPRO★ 4.8 · 514 reviewsWatersafe+★ 4.8 · 684 reviewsLife+★ 4.7 · 3,700 reviewsWhy do restaurants and pubs get so loud?
Restaurants and pubs get loud because hard surfaces such as bare floors, concrete, glass and wooden tables bounce sound around the room instead of soaking it up, and every extra table adds voices, cutlery and music to a level that keeps building.
There’s a loop in it, too. As the room fills, people talk louder to be heard, which pushes the level up again; acousticians call this the Lombard effect. Open kitchens and a speaker above your table add their own layer.
For some people a full room is a lot to take in beyond the sound alone. Our article on earplugs for sensory overload looks at that total load. If you’ve wondered why everyday sound can feel louder than it should, that piece covers the causes.
Can you still talk to people with earplugs in?
You can still talk with earplugs in, but voices get quieter along with the clatter, because a passive earplug such as Life+ lowers the speech range by about 21 dB, so a loud room turns comfortable while a quiet chat across the table can get harder to follow.
Some earplug marketing promises crisp voices while the background fades away. We don’t claim that for a passive plug. Life+ is rated SNR 24 (H 24, M 21, L 19), and its attenuation rises with frequency, from about 22 dB in the lows and mids to about 35 dB at 8 kHz, as our independent lab test results show. You still hear the world, just quieter.
Put that against the room. A 90 dB room comes down to roughly 66 dB at the ear with Life+ passive SNR 24 dB reusable silicone earplugs (£29.95) fitted, close to ordinary conversation level. Loud things, like a waiter calling across the room or a fire alarm, stay audible because they’re loud.
That’s why the routine is “take the edge off, then take them out to talk”. Wear them for the arrival and the loudest stretch, then take one or both out when the conversation is the point. Some people just lean in instead.
Is it OK to wear earplugs at a restaurant or in the pub?
It’s completely fine to wear earplugs at a restaurant or in the pub, and most people at the table won’t notice, especially with a flush fit that sits inside the ear with no stem sticking out and only a small tab to pull it out.
Mention it to friends if you like. “It’s loud in here, I’ve put earplugs in for a bit” usually gets a nod, and sometimes a request for a spare pair.
One side effect is worth knowing about. With your ears sealed, your own voice can sound boomy, a little like being underwater, and chewing gets louder for the same reason. Our guide to hearing your own chewing with earplugs explains why it happens and what helps.
Telling a long story? Take one earplug out while you talk, and pop it back in when the room peaks again.
What about weddings, birthdays and house parties?
Weddings, birthdays and house parties run in stages, so the earplugs go in and out with them, from a quiet ceremony to a loud reception, speeches you’ll want to hear and a dance floor that is often the loudest part of the day.
At a wedding
Most people keep them out for the ceremony and the speeches. A drinks reception in a packed marquee or a stone-floored barn is often louder than the meal, so put them in then.
The dance floor is gig territory. If the band or DJ is where you’ll spend the evening, see our guides to earplugs for noise sensitivity at concerts and the best earplugs for concerts before the big day.
At a birthday or house party
House parties are hard to escape because the music is in the room you’re standing in. Ask the host whether the kitchen or garden is quieter, and bring a pair in its case. Parties that run late can carry noise into the night, and our guide to noise sensitivity and sleep covers what to do when bedtime arrives before the quiet does.
How do you plan the evening?
Planning the evening means making a few choices before you leave home, about the venue, the time, the table and when the earplugs go in and out, so the loud parts are shorter. Here’s our plan-the-evening checklist.
- Choose the room, not just the menu. Carpets, curtains and booths soak up sound; bare brick and open kitchens don’t.
- Book an earlier slot. Levels climb as the room fills, so a 6.30 pm table is usually calmer than an 8.30 pm one.
- Ask for a quieter table when you book. A corner or booth, away from the speakers, the bar and the kitchen pass.
- Ask for the music to go down if it’s drowning out the table. Staff can only change what they hear about.
- Earplugs in on arrival, for the bar queue and the loudest stretch.
- One or both out for the long conversation, the speeches and the quieter moments.
- Plan a breather. Five minutes outside or in the beer garden every hour or so gives your ears a break.
- Keep the case on your keyring so the pair goes home with you, not in a napkin.
- Pick a leaving time before the late peak, and stick to it without guilt.
When is it better to take them out?
Take earplugs out whenever the room is quiet enough to talk without raising your voice, because the NHS advises against wearing earplugs or ear muffs all the time and notes that short-term use may help in very noisy places.
The NHS page on noise sensitivity says constant use could make you more sensitive to noise. So it’s in for the loud bits, out for the quiet bits. Ask “is it bad to wear earplugs all day?” and you get the same answer.
See a GP if everyday sounds feel painfully loud, changed suddenly, or come with pain or discharge. Bollsen earplugs are not medical devices. They lower the noise reaching your ears and sit alongside professional advice, never in place of it.
Which earplugs suit restaurants, pubs and parties?
Earplugs for restaurants, pubs and parties need moderate reduction, a flush fit you can wear at the table for an hour or two, and a quick way in and out, so a reusable silicone earplug rated around SNR 24 suits most evenings better than a foam disposable.
Those are also what to look for in everyday earplugs. Our Life+ earplugs are made from hypoallergenic natural silicone with a two-lamella design, last up to 100 uses and come with an aluminium case on a keyring. One pair costs £29.95 and two pairs cost £44.95. Free UK delivery starts at £35, so the two-pair pack qualifies and a single pack doesn’t.
Fit decides most of the comfort. With AI ear measurement from two photos, Life+ AR KI costs £44.95 and we send the size that matches your ear canal. For a household or a group of friends, the Life+ 10x Pack costs £109. Every order has a 40-day money-back guarantee, so you can try them at a real Friday dinner.
Say yes to the next invitation
Busy rooms are loud for everyone, and picking a quieter table, an earlier slot and a pair of earplugs is ordinary planning. For the rest of the week, our guide to everyday comfort when sound feels too loud follows the same in-and-out routine through commutes, shops and home.
If you’d like to try a pair, Life+ costs £29.95, is rated SNR 24 and comes with our 40-day money-back guarantee. Book the table, pack the case and stay for pudding.
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His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
At BOLLSEN, he develops data-driven marketing campaigns, writes SEO-focused articles, and manages communication channels that connect customers with practical knowledge about hearing protection. His work ensures that BOLLSEN’s message—prioritizing health, performance, and sustainability reaches a global audience in an engaging and trustworthy way.
Passionate about writing since childhood, Timotej combines creativity with a strong analytical approach, continuously testing new ideas in digital marketing, performance advertising, and social media. He believes in learning through innovation and collaboration, balancing leadership with openness to new perspectives.
Beyond his professional role, Timotej is committed to a healthy lifestyle and finds inspiration in fitness, sports, and quality time with friends. His personal passion for well-being aligns with BOLLSEN’s core values, making his work not only a career but also a cause he deeply believes in.