Earplugs don’t silence all sound; they reduce sound to a safe level. When you wear earplugs, some sound may still penetrate, especially if the earplugs have a lower Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) or are not inserted properly. And certain earplugs are designed to attenuate noise without completely blocking it out to maintain situational awareness or facilitate communication in the workplace.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eYou’ll never experience complete silence with earplugs. You’ll always perceive some sound, even when you wear earplugs with the highest NNRs, because the bones in your skull conduct sound vibrations to your eardrum. And when you block the ear canal, the sounds you produce when talking, breathing, and chewing can become amplified, known as u003ca href=u0022https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occlusion_effectu0022 target=u0022_blanku0022 rel=u0022noreferrer noopeneru0022u003ethe occlusion effectu003c/au003e.