Earplugs

[dbwill]

Do any of you wear ear protection while refereeing? If so, what kinds have you found work well enough to tone down the whistle and horn and maybe announcer/music but not totally get in the way of talking to the captain or table or coaches.

My hearing has gotten measurably worse over the last couple of years, and my ref whistle is the loudest thing I can think of that I come in contact with regularly, so I'd like to at least stop adding damage.

I got some silcone ones from Lowes that are for using power tools and are supposed to be good with continuous noise, but say they are not as effective with sharp sudden sounds like gunfire..and it seems to me that the whistle might fall in the latter category.