Key Takeaways
- Sleep earbuds offer comfort designed for nighttime use, like Kokoon Nightbuds and Anker Soundcore Sleep A10/A20.
- Headband-style headphones may not be ideal for everyone and can shift at night, while earbuds mold securely to your ear.
- Sleep earbuds use active noise-cancellation or passive isolation to block out disruptive noises for a peaceful night’s sleep.
If you’re anything like me, sleeping can be really difficult. It could be the silence of your room that bugs you, or the sounds of your housemates or neighbors, or even an ear-ringing condition like tinnitus. Regardless of what’s keeping you up, one potential solution for your woes is sleep earbuds.
Sleep earbuds help keep bothersome sounds out, and let you listen to whatever you need to fall asleep instead, if anything. Not only are they a good option for using in your home, but they can come in handy for traveling if you’re on a noisy plane or train. If you’re on the fence about sleep earbuds, hear me out and let me tell you a few reasons why they might be a good choice for you.
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1 Upgraded comfort
Tailored even for side sleepers
Sleep earbuds are made specifically for sleeping, as opposed to regular earbuds. If you’ve ever tried sleeping with earbuds on, you know how hard it can be. They’re often really uncomfortable, pressing into your ears against the pillow or falling out easily from a bit of tossing and turning.
If you wear earbuds specifically made to stay secure in your ears while you sleep, like the Kokoon Nightbuds, which wrap around your ear and have wings to make them extra stable, you’re going to have a much easier time. The Anker Soundcore Sleep A10 and A20 both also have stabilizing wings to keep them in your ears, making them a really good option over just popping AirPods in your ears before you go to sleep.
2 A headband design alternative
Secure without pressure build-up
Soundcore
A lot of the sleep headphones on the market are headband-style, connecting over your head. And while those work for some people, the design isn’t the best for everyone. The headband can shift in the middle of the night to the point where you no longer even have the drivers over your ears, and they don’t really keep much noise out. Plus, they could just add unnecessary pressure build-up, which isn’t ideal for relaxation.
Since most of the sleep headphones on the market are the headband style, there’s a lot more room in the market for comfortable sleep earbuds, so I hope to see more come out in the near future.
Sleep earbuds ensure you get some sort of seal on your ear for better isolation, and there won’t be any of that shifting business going on around your head. Since most of the sleep headphones on the market are the headband style, there’s a lot more room in the market for comfortable sleep earbuds, so I hope to see more come out in the near future.
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3 Keeps disruptive noise out
Both ANC and passive noise-cancellation work
Noise can be blocked out using earbuds through two methods, either active noise-cancellation or passive isolation. More expensive earbuds like the Kokoon Nightbuds have noise-cancellation, so you can actively keep out any loud, droning noises while you sleep. Most rely on passive isolation, which is the act of physically blocking the noise out through using ear tips, like what the Anker Soundcore Sleep A10 and the upcoming A20’s promise.
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Both methods are good for keeping out the noises that keep you up. Active noise-cancellation (ANC) is best for keeping out consistent, droning sounds, like traffic or household appliances, whereas passive isolation is best for higher, incidental noises like typing, rain, or doors closing. Which works best for you will depend on what kinds of noises you need to keep out, and your budget, since noise-cancellation is usually a premium feature with an added price tag.
Active noise-cancellation
(ANC)
is best for keeping out consistent, droning sounds, like traffic or household appliances, whereas passive isolation is best for higher, incidental noises like typing, rain, or doors closing
4 Soothing sounds and white noise
Out with distracting sounds, and in with the calming frequencies
Soundcore
Some sleep earbuds, like the Kokoon Nightbuds and the Soundcore Sleep A10, have music libraries in their respective apps that allow you to listen to calming music, soothing sounds, or white noise to fall asleep. Not only does this allow you to listen to those peaceful sounds instead of whatever might be disrupting your environment, but the sounds will also help mask any noise that might be getting past the isolation or noise-cancelling the earbuds provide you.
You also aren’t beholden to those sound libraries — instead, you can listen to whatever music or sounds you want.
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You also aren’t beholden to those sound libraries — instead, you can listen to whatever music or sounds you want. Whether you fall asleep best to the sound of rain falling on a tin roof or hardstyle, you have a lot of options to help keep the annoying sounds out and the good ones in.
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