3 great sleepovers to pick up on Black Friday (and skip)

Getting enough sleep can help improve almost every aspect of your life, but more than a third of adults in the United States don’t get enough, according to the CDC.

If the noisy environment is what keeps you up at night, you may have considered foam earplugs, but those are no longer the only available option, the newly found renewable earpuds provide a convenient alternative.

I spent many sleepless nights for several months trying earplugs and headphones ranging from $ 50 to $ 349 to find the best of the market – and to see that getting just the ears to sleep is actually something to sleep in is actually an easy thing.

With Black Friday fast approaching, this is the perfect time to pick up some headphones. As the first stages of sales begin, we have already seen the avelcore ave0 arbads, our upgrade of the choice, drop below $ 200. Our previous update of the Pick, Ozlo Sleepbuds, is also $ 50 off to $ 299.

As a note, we generally cannot recommend the Ozlo S sleepbuds as their price point is not on par with the features offered by their competitors. For their full price point, I’d say skip it. However, if you are very impressed by its construction (and you do not have skills for the lack of ANC), holding $ 299 instead of their usual $ 349 is that the majority of 349 highly recommend the value of these headphones to get the true value.

Excellent sleeping eluds

Below, I’ve rounded up three of the best sleep earbuds on the market. Among the best options, upgrades, and earplugs, there are various price points, but like any product, the most expensive of the bunch is not all. With that in mind, I’ve highlighted where each earbud excels, whether that’s comfort, noise cancellation, or ease of use, to help you choose the best earbud for sleep.

Update: Aug. 18, 2025, 9:45 AM EDT As of April 2024, Ozlo Sleepbuds will increase in price from $299 to $349 on Ozlo’s website and Amazon in the United States due to taxes. While we initially raised our recommendation to hold only the sale, because we are testing the sound sleep A30s, which offer the same sets as the last set, we no longer recommend the Ozlo sound as one of our sleep headphones.

How are the spells downloaded different from the common ear?

First, a confession: I used to wear airpods almost every night to sleep. More precisely, I used to wear one airpod to actually sleep on my side.

After testing earbuds designed for sleep, I can tell you that everyday earbuds don’t match the experience of a sleep earbud. First, regular earbuds are not designed to be worn while sleeping on your side, so they tend to stick to your ears and put hard plastic in contact with your ear. Not to mention, the Earbuds are usually closed with six to seven hours of battery life per life, so if you get at least eight hours of sleep, you run the risk of interfering with the sound of your earbuds.

Earbuds, on the other hand, can offer white noise options, better battery life, and are more comfortable (actually allowing you to wear more than one ear). The two I tested came without a microphone and with touch controls that worked but were more sensitive than traditional earbuds, so you can sleep on your side without using them. When I initially tested the options of this guide, there was really no active noise cancellation, but that has changed thanks to the sound of the A30. However, you will be surprised that the noise cancellation is a good pioneer, correct, and white noise work.

Is it safe to wear earplugs to sleep every night?

First and foremost, it’s important to note that sleep earplugs are not the only way to approach sounds at night that may be keeping you away.

I met with Dr. Ashley Kita, an ophthalmologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Head and Neck at UCLA, to discuss any risks associated with wearing earplugs overnight. While not warning against using earbuds, he suggested that if that prevents you from pulling a partner, start looking for solutions there.

“If you’re doing all this to avoid a sweet partner, sometimes you’re encouraging that person to investigate why being sweet is an important consideration,” says Kita. “Because we find that obstructive sleep apnea is really suppressed, and wasting, in some people, is the only symptom of it.”

However, if you keep it that high in your carry-on, then you want to know about the three main aspects of using earbuds all night: proper cleanliness, safe sound levels, and comfort for your ear.

Proper cleanliness

When I first tested these in-ears, I now realized that I had been wearing the in-ears for longer periods of time than I would during the day, as someone who tests headphones for a living. When I asked Dr. Kita if that wearing time might raise a person’s risk for the virus, he compared the wearing time to hearing aids:

“More people wear hearing aids for more hours during the day than they do at night,” she said. And yet, people who wear hearing aids are less prone to ear infections, although long wearing periods can increase their risk.

With long periods of wear, Kita said the main concern he would expect is wax build-up since the natural way out of the ear will be blocked. However, he said it’s not a cause for concern, as wax can normally enter the ear at other points during the day when you’re not wearing earbuds (or blocking your ear canal in any other way).

As for any increased risk of infection, Kita shared that it can increase when there is a large wax design that can freeze bacteria. He recommends cleaning the buds with isopropyl alcohol and cotton paper after each use, if possible. (One of the brands we tested, Ozlo, recommends weekly cleaning.) All in all that’s it he said, a person’s risk of infection really comes down to a person’s susceptibility – some people are more prone to ear infections than others. If you fall into that category, frequent cleaning of your earbuds is a good habit.

Noise levels

Noise-induced hearing loss is the second most common type of hearing loss (after age-related hearing loss), so it’s important to be aware of the level of sound you’re recovering from. Kita pointed me to an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) chart on how tall people can be exposed to certain decibel levels safely.

In its FAQ, Ozlo also builds on Osha’s recommendation, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recommendations, which start at 90 decibels and 85 decibels for eight hours, respectively. We reached out to a rep from Audiocore to see if their earbuds have specific upper decibel limits, and they’ll update this guide when we hear back. However, in general, Kita said that the less noise, the better, recommending that you always try to use the lowest volume possible.

“While I don’t really like the idea of ​​more noise when you don’t even know how to appreciate it, if it’s something that ends up putting you to sleep or allowing you in this area of ​​risks and benefits,” said Kita. “Just make sure it’s quiet enough, so it’s not too different than using a white noise machine for your night.”

Consolation

Earbuds that fit well are important for your sleep, but also for your ear health.

Kita said: “Everybody’s ear canal is shaped differently. “And so something that might be really comfortable for your ears might be a problem for my ears.”

In other words, giving yourself earplugs every night can actually affect your hearing health. If any of the recommendations below actually don’t fit well, even with ear tip size adjustments, don’t be afraid to return them.

Some sleep headphones we’ve reviewed

At the end of the first test period, the one product that didn’t do anything was the Z30 1 pair of earbuds, which, at $89.99, were the most expensive earbuds I tested. While they are much cheaper than the Earbuds that made the cut, their battery life, app features, and fit are unlike any other option on my list. However, if you’re looking for some really low-budget earbuds (and you don’t mind hearing them die in the morning), these aren’t a bad option for under $100.

In keeping with my value proposition, I decided to finally pull the Ozlo Sleepbuds as our best upgrade option. After their price jumped from $ 299 to $ 349 – A long selection of available options (and the usual premium ANC headphones, for that matter) – for that matter) – for that matter) – I determined their characteristics. The addition of sleep tracking (in the works) or ANC will make these headphones more competitive. In that case, the recently released Alime Ovelcore A30 sleep took its place, as the only sleep ear with ANC on the market at the time of writing.