Game Ear for Home Defense.

[meaty-btz]

I sleep with earplugs in because well, for political reasons I wont go into. Must keep the home a happy one. Even at full groggy mode I often take out my plugs or put them in. So I thought, why not game ears on the bedside? I could think of two benefits.
1.If I am forced to fire in a confined space I have hearing protection that will assist in me not being negatively affected by the shockwave.
2. The "enhancement" feature would enable me to hear more clearly. Breathing round the corner, rustling of clothing, etc that I would miss otherwise.

[FF/EMT Nick]

What are "Game ears"?


ETA: just googeled them, carry on.

[scidx]

Seems like batteries would be your biggest concern. That, and getting one stuck deep in your ear while sleeping.

Is there a lot of noise in your house at night? Sound amplifiers would only make this worse. Maybe I'm not understanding the "political reasons".

I've never dealt with Game Ear plugs, but I have used Peltors for a long time in many environments. In Iraq, the biggest problem with the Peltor is the difficulty in pin-pointing the direction origin of the sound. Other models might solve this problem; but, I've used three different types with the same result.

[meaty-btz]

That was what I wanted to hear. So the enhancement feature dampens sound tracking? Even with head turning? I should buy a set and run them through some paces see if they affect my "sound location". Not that humans are all that good at sound tracking with our ear configuration to begin with.

I wouldn't be wearing them in sleep. They would go in on go mode. Sit on the bedside active but no in. I can remove and replace my earplugs fully groggy (done it hundreds of time) in less than a second an ear. I am good at memorizing placement and can do it and do do it in full darkness (no hand in front of face). So they would always occupy the same location on the table. I am also one of those annoying sleepers that awaken the instant anyone else in the house is. No matter how quiet. Drives me nuts when I was in an apartment as I would wake up to neighbors being awake as well, so I would hope to have the lead time to wake grab shotgun swap plugs.

If I do go ahead with this it would be something I can practice with my often night awakenings anyways. Good training.

[Sky_DiveR]

I think your greatest difficulty would be the foam ear plugs that you sleep with. Can you still hear things with them in?

Game ears (the hearing aid style) are directional but most are just left/right. The more expensive ones are omni-directional. Muffs are usually a cheaper alternative but sound and directional quality suffers with the lower end units. Either way, expect to pay ~$300-$400 for a good omni-directional set regardless of which you choose.

Amplified muffs and plugs sound like a good idea but remember that once your body goes into fight/flight mode it would already increase sensory sensitivity (vision, hearing, strength, etc).

[meaty-btz]

I still hear well enough. I sleep in the same grade I use at ranges. Like I said, I don't rely on sound to wake up. I am a "light sleeper" and alert on any household activity. Its one of those things I've had to deal with in life. Strong winds make house shift.. eyes pop open from full sleep. Its not abnormal for me to awaken at least 3-4 times in a night at any local disturbance in the house.

I also sleep in a blacked out room. It an affection to help me sleep because light shifts in the room will also awaken me, so I would hope the intruder does not have light amplification or thermal imaging.

My usual night awakening is awaken, stop, feel.. is there anyone in the room yes/no. Scan with eyes no motion, continue normal sleep breathing. Anything out of place yes/no. Examine light level judge time of day or open doors or look for light movement (flashlight) yes/no. Remove one ear plug and listen for electronic noise was I awakened because someone turned on an electronic device in the house (I can hear TVs from 3-4 rooms away.. its just one of those things) yes/no. Listen for shifting, rustling or other sound disturbance yes/no. If no local disturbances found run mental checklist of doors, windows, blind positions, locks if unsure get up, retrieve armaments check house for condition of anything I am less than certain of how I left it. Otherwise if no disturbances detected, shrug, pay attention for 5 or so minutes before returning to focusing on white noise to get back to sleep.

I really can't go into why I do this, you really would not understand. Its something I've done for the at least the last 14 years. My father before me as well though he would get up and do perimeter patrols with the dog at his side.

[Sky_DiveR]

Wow. I thought I was a light sleeper. I awaken to just about anything out of the ordinary. I can sleep with heavy traffic or a snoring partner but any noise out of the norm and I pop awake for some reason. If the dog gets up, I'm awake. If somebody gets up to use the bathroom, I'm up. Even the newspaper delivery guy gets me up at ~4:30 every morning. It's just the way I've always been and haven't been too concerned as to why. But if I use ear plugs, unless light comes thru the window or somebody wakes me, I'm dead to the world til my internal clock wakes me up.

[appagohm]

wouldn't it be hard to sleep on your side though??

[Sky_DiveR]

With ear plugs or the Game ears?