Favorite ear plugs for sleeping?

September 21, 2006 9:46 PM

Ear Plugs: What's your favorite ear plug for sleeping?

I had been using Howard Leight Laser Lite plugs for a while, until I stopped being able to find them at Rite-Aid lately. I've tried some others and didn't like them, but now's as good a time as any to try some others out again. Suggestions?

posted by sdis to technology (12 comments total)

I used to use those exact same ear plugs until I found Mack's Pillow Soft Earplugs. They're made out of silicone which I find last longer and stays in the ear better than the foam "bullet" earplugs.

Just a tip if you decide to go with the silicone earplugs (I'm sure the brand doesn't even matter, but I just go with Mack's anyway); the directions say to put one plug per ear, but they always end up sticking to my pillow/hair/bed and falling out. I find that cutting one plug in half and using one half per ear works much better.

(of course, do this at your own risk. try it the "recommended way first)
posted by zippity at 9:56 PM on September 21, 2006

I've liked a brand called "Husher," which is foam. And also a very unconventional earplug called "Flint's Quiet Downs." It might be Flent... not sure. Those are odd. They're little bags of down feathers shaped like earplugs. They're not rigid. You don't roll them up then insert them. You tug up on your ear then gently guide them in. They're more comfortable than foam earplugs and almost more effective. Good for folks who can't handle the foam ones.
posted by scarabic at 9:59 PM on September 21, 2006

I used to use the silicone gel kind but I didn't like them. The foam ones that are orange and shaped like a bullet (instead of being cylindrical) work really well, and if you wash them once in a while you can use a single pair for weeks. The specific ones I have right now are "Sunmark Soft Foam Ear Plugs" (a McKesson brand) and I got them at a local drug store.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 10:03 PM on September 21, 2006

I was going to recommend Leights until I saw the rest of your question. I use Super Leights, but in the past I've been happy with the big clunky orange ones I see in a lot of drug stores. I think the brand name is Max. They're made of a slightly stiffer foam than the Leights, and they flare out at the end, like the Lasers -- the Supers I use have a cylindrical profile.
posted by sonofslim at 10:04 PM on September 21, 2006

I use Earlove for all of my earplug needs. They're great because they don't sound "dead" - all the frequencies still come through clearly, but much quieter.... kind of like having a volume control knob for the world.
posted by fvox13 at 10:19 PM on September 21, 2006

Mack's has been good to me, though admittedly I've used it to keep my ears dry in the shower - noise pollution is not a problem I have ...

Advice: they take a few days to get used to. Don't worry about creating a perfect seal the first time, since that's not critical for your application.
posted by spaceman_spiff at 11:14 PM on September 21, 2006

I use earplugs every night. I've found the foam bullet ones irritate my ears. The way they work is you compress them and roll them into a little tube before you insert them into the ears. Once they're in, they expand. I found the constant pressure from the expansion irritating and made the interiors of my ears itch all day.

The silicone ones don't have this side effect. They just fill up your ears without pressing outward. Like zippity said, you don't need one per ear. Break them in half.
posted by wsg at 12:51 AM on September 22, 2006

i use the howard leight leight sleepers, which i pick up at walgreen's, but you can get through drugstore.com. they might have the other leights as well.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:00 AM on September 22, 2006

I use Flents Quiet Please foam plugs.
posted by languagehat at 9:13 AM on September 22, 2006

Slate article comparing different brands.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 9:31 AM on September 22, 2006

What i want to do is order one of these variety packs to try out several different pairs. They're not that expensive and you get to try out a bunch of different styles.
posted by escher at 10:36 AM on September 22, 2006

This previous thread has some suggestions and other information you might find helpful.
posted by FuzzyVerde at 10:53 AM on September 22, 2006