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On this page: Overview
Key Takeaways
Silence makes small sounds stand out. Typing (about 2–4 kHz) and sniffing (about 125–250 Hz) reach only 40–60 dB at desk distance, but with nothing in the background to cover them they can end up the loudest thing in the room.
Use them as a timed tool. Put them in for one 45–90 minute block, take them out on the break, and don’t wear them all day, because NHS guidance warns that constant wear could make you more sensitive to noise.
Life+ is a passive SNR 24 dB earplug, and its attenuation rises with frequency. That works out at about 28–29 dB at typing frequencies and 22–23 dB at sniffing frequencies, so both get quieter, not silent.
The school or college decides. Under JCQ rules, non-electronic earplugs are an access arrangement agreed in advance by the SENCo, with no application to the exam board. Earbuds are not allowed in the exam room.
Away from walkways, printers and shared desks. If you arrive early you can get a carrel, a corner seat or the end of a row, and that distance lowers trigger sounds before any earplug goes in.
You may be able to, if your school or college agrees it in advance. Under JCQ rules, non-electronic earplugs are an access arrangement decided by the SENCo, based on a substantial, long-term impairment and your normal way of working. You don’t apply to the exam board, and earbuds or AirPods are not allowed.
About 45–90 minutes, then take them out for the break. Short sessions you’ve chosen fit NHS guidance, which warns that wearing earplugs all the time could make you more sensitive to noise. Stop if you feel any pain or itching.
Either can work. Earplugs are small, silent and battery-free, and a passive pair such as Life+ makes typing and sniffing quieter while a voice at conversation level stays audible because it is louder. Headphones suit people who prefer masking audio.
That’s more about sleep than study. Thin walls, late-night kitchens and flatmates coming in are all covered in our guide to sharing a bedroom when sounds bother you at night.
Studying with misophonia can be strange, because the quieter the room, the harder it often gets. A silent library has nothing to cover the keyboard two seats away, or the sniff that comes back every thirty seconds. Students describe a normal quiet room in much the same words: every small noise suddenly seems deafening.
At Bollsen we make reusable hearing protection, German-tested and independently certified at 24 dB and trusted by 1,000,000+ people. The students who get on best tend to plan ahead: where to sit, how long the earplugs stay in, and what the school or college has agreed before exam day.
Not sure earplugs suit you at all? Our main guide to earplugs for misophonia explains how passive silicone plugs turn everyday trigger sounds down, and where their limits are.
Why do quiet study spaces make trigger sounds harder to ignore?
The NHS mental health service in Oxfordshire describes misophonia as an extreme emotional reaction to certain everyday sounds. Its list includes eating, nose and throat sounds, and repetitive sounds such as keyboard tapping and rustling paper, which sounds a lot like a university library at 3pm. You can read the full description in Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s misophonia guidance.
Plenty of people know the feeling. In a representative UK sample of 772 adults, 18.4% met the threshold for significant misophonia, yet only 13.6% had heard the word (Vitoratou et al., PLOS ONE 2023).
There’s also research set in a study context. In a small 2018 experiment with 72 undergraduates, people with higher misophonia sensitivity scores understood less of a lesson when someone nearby was chewing gum, and the pattern reversed when the room was quiet (Seaborne and Fiorella, Applied Cognitive Psychology). The sample wasn’t clinical, so it points to a trend rather than a rule.
If certain sounds are getting in the way of your studies or everyday life, talk to your GP first. They can refer you on to audiology or psychology services where that makes sense.
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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 reviewsWhere are the trigger hotspots in libraries, halls and shared flats?
The library
Typing sits around 2–4 kHz and reaches roughly 40–60 dB at desk distance, while sniffing and breathing sit lower, around 125–250 Hz, at about the same level. Both are quieter than normal conversation. What bothers you is the kind of sound, not how loud it is.
Distance is the first thing to sort out. Get in early and find a carrel, a corner or the end of a row away from the printers and the main walkway, and the nearest keyboard can be four metres away instead of one. For the full detail by octave, our trigger sounds hub explains what frequency typing and sniffing sounds sit at and what that means for an earplug.
Halls and shared flats
Halls come with their own triggers. There’s the shared kitchen at dinner time, a flatmate eating at the desk next to yours, and music coming through thin walls. In a shared flat, daytime study is mostly about timing. Revise when the kitchen is empty, or head to the library during the busiest mealtimes.
Night-time noise in halls is a separate problem. Our guide to sharing a bedroom when sounds bother you at night deals with thin walls, flatmates coming in late and trigger sounds after lights out.
How long should earplugs stay in during a study block?
Wear them for one 45–90 minute block at a time. Put them in when you sit down for a session you’ve chosen, take them out on the break, and leave them out until the next block starts.
The NHS advises against wearing earplugs or ear muffs all the time, because that could make you more sensitive to noise, though it says short-term use may help in very noisy places (NHS guidance on hyperacusis). A study block with a clear start and end fits that advice. Wearing them from breakfast until bedtime doesn’t.
If you feel any pain or itching, take them out. Our guide on when to wear earplugs and when to take them out applies the same in-and-out rhythm to meals, commutes and evenings.
| Study setting | Typical trigger sounds | Earplugs? |
|---|---|---|
| Silent library floor | Typing, sniffing, pages turning | In for one 45–90 minute block, out on the break |
| Lecture or seminar | Pen clicking, snacks, whispering | Usually out, since you need to hear the lecturer; sit away from the snack rows |
| Group study room | Chewing, typing, talking | Out, because the conversation is the point |
| Halls kitchen | Chewing, cutlery, the microwave | Out; eat at a quieter time if you can |
| Home desk | Household noise, neighbours | Short blocks, or masking audio (see below) |
| Exam hall | Sniffing, pens, coughing | Only if your school or college agrees it in advance |
What does a passive earplug do to typing and sniffing sounds?
Life+ is a passive earplug rated SNR 24 dB (H 24 / M 21 / L 19). It takes off more at higher frequencies, about 28–29 dB at typing frequencies and about 22–23 dB at sniffing frequencies. Both sounds get quieter, not silent, and it doesn’t pick out some sounds and leave others.
In a library, that’s useful. Normal conversation sits around 60 dB and still reaches you at roughly 36–40 dB, so you’ll hear a librarian or a friend who leans over with a question. The voice stays audible because it was louder to start with.
Our Life+ passive SNR 24 dB reusable silicone earplug (£29.95) is made from hypoallergenic silicone. Its patented conical two-lamella shape sits flush in the ear, so it’s comfortable when you lean your head on your hand or pull a hood up in a cold reading room. A pair lasts up to 100 uses and comes in an aluminium keyring case, which works out at about 30p per use. Two pairs cost £44.95, which also gets you free UK delivery over £35.
Fit matters more than most people expect, since a loose plug lets sound in round the edges. If standard sizes never feel right, Life+ with AR KI TECH uses AI ear measurement from two photos to pick your size. It’s the same earplug with the same rating.
To compare materials, fit and ratings point by point, see our buyer’s guide on how to choose earplugs for misophonia. If you’re mostly after quieter general desk work rather than less of particular trigger sounds, there’s also a separate page for Life+ earplugs for focus.
What do the JCQ rules say about earplugs in UK exams?
For GCSEs, A levels and other JCQ exams, non-electronic ear plugs or ear defenders are an access arrangement that the school or college decides on itself, through its SENCo. There’s no online application to the exam board, according to the JCQ Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments 2025/26 regulations (section 5.16).
The SENCo looks at two things. One is whether the candidate has a substantial and long-term impairment with an adverse effect. The other is the candidate’s normal way of working in the school or college, which is why it helps to bring it up early, well before exam season and ideally before mocks.
People often mix two things up here. Earbuds and AirPods aren’t allowed in the exam room, and listening to music or white noise is a separate arrangement that needs an online application with evidence. Either way, the centre makes the decision and nothing is guaranteed. If you have questions about earplugs in UK exams, ask your exams officer early rather than finding out on the day.
University exams follow each institution’s own rules, so talk to the disability or wellbeing service there. In the US, accommodations go through the institution’s disability office.
Our article on teenagers and trigger sounds covers school life more widely for secondary students and sixth-formers, and Life+ is the right size from age 12. Parents of primary-age children will find our piece on classroom noise and ADHD more relevant.
Should you use earplugs or masking audio for home study?
At home you have more options than in an exam hall. Some people like a steady background sound, such as a fan, rain audio or brown noise through headphones, because it covers small sounds instead of turning everything down.
Earplugs are small and silent, and they don’t need charging or a playlist. Headphones suit people who’d rather mask sounds than lower them, and neither choice is wrong. Our comparison of earplugs vs noise cancelling headphones for misophonia goes through comfort, battery life and how each one handles low and high sounds.
You can keep the same routine at a desk job after you graduate. Our guide to misophonia at work looks at office triggers, and our range of earplugs for work covers open-plan and shared offices.
What does a calmer study day look like?
Choose your seat before you reach for earplugs. Keep them for one timed block at a time, and agree any exam arrangement with your school or college well before the day. Most of what makes a difference happens in the planning.
If you’d like a pair for your library bag, Life+ comes with a 40-day money-back guarantee. That gives you time to try a few study blocks and see how they fit your routine.
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.