Earplugs comfortable enough to sleep while wearing?

January 3, 2024 2:20 PM

Earplugs comfortable enough to sleep while wearing?

I need comfortable earplugs to block out sound when I spend the night at my mother’s as she lives in a very noisy apartment complex, making sleep next to impossible.

The earplugs should be comfortable for extended use, can be purchased from Amazon.ca or some other Canadian online retailer and not too pricey.

What are my options?

posted by GlassHeart to Health & Fitness (27 answers total)

I always found Mack’s soft earplugs (often used for swimmers’ ear) to be best. Loop earplugs are good too.

Best: See an audiologist, have soft silicone earplugs molded specifically for you. Something like this.
posted by supercres at 2:24 PM on January 3 [7 favorites]

I like the Mack's slim fit.

They may not feel comfortable to sleep in right away - they felt super weird for me at first, but now I don't even want to take them out when I wake up. Give them a couple nights, get used to them at home, and use a sleep aid if you have to before deciding they're not comfortable.
posted by wheatlets at 2:27 PM on January 3 [4 favorites]

mack's pillow soft silicone earplugs are the best i have found. I wouldn't really call them earplugs though, you form them to cover over the ear canal, you don't insert them to plug. They are semi-disposable, you can reuse them a few days before they get too gross to use/stay on your ear. They appear to be available on amazon.ca

Every other foam type plug inserted into the canal has irritated my ears after a few days in a row (new plugs every night) that i have tried and i have settled on the silicone ones.
posted by TheAdamist at 2:31 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I have not found any. I had to buy the headband with the flat speakers. It's worked well for me.
posted by ReluctantViking at 2:37 PM on January 3

Seconding Mack's slim fit, I even find them comfortable when sleeping on my side!
posted by quatsch at 3:01 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

Wax ones work for me.
posted by Phanx at 3:08 PM on January 3

I bought Loop Quiet earplugs last year and have been using them every night since! They are a game changer for me. They ship from USA for around 40 bucks.
posted by winterportage at 3:11 PM on January 3 [3 favorites]

Thirding Mack's slim fit!
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 3:35 PM on January 3

I also like the Loops. They stay in my ears, unlike the foam ones.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:12 PM on January 3

I don’t use ear plugs to sleep so my recommendations might not fit your needs. That said I’m very picky about comfort. Radians custom made molded earplugs are very comfortable. I also use EarDial HiFi earplugs which are just as comfortable but have a different feel. The EarDials are potentially more comfy because they’re softer but the Radians, if you get a good mold, stay in better. Hope this helps!
posted by ljs30 at 6:13 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I have slept with soft foam Hearos every night for two decades.
posted by eunique at 6:23 PM on January 3

I use Flents “Quiet Please “ foam earplugs.
posted by Ollie at 6:36 PM on January 3 [1 favorite]

I use a different brand as I’m in France but they’re the same as these.
posted by ellieBOA at 7:16 PM on January 3

My kid can’t do earplugs and when I asked this question was recommended white/brown noise. Combined with air/bone conducting earphones and it’s very effective and comfortable.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 8:27 PM on January 3

I have very short ear canals and struggled with this problem when I worked overnight shifts and had to sleep during the day. I had the best success with using something like these, but experimenting with cutting a small amount off the tip or the end. Too much and it either doesn't seal well or is hard to get out, but just enough would keep it from feeling pokey. I had also had some success with short non tapered ones like these. Silicone earplugs would never stay in place all night for me.
posted by unsettledink at 8:51 PM on January 3

The only earplugs that are comfortable enough for me to sleep are the custom resin earplugs I had made by an adiologist.
posted by Zumbador at 8:51 PM on January 3

Hearos Ultimate Softness
posted by LoveHam at 4:03 AM on January 4

Seconding Flent's Quiet Please. I've been wearing them since 2009. I'm a super light sleeper with very good hearing and they're the only ones that stay in and I can actually sleep in.

When the bass in my neighborhood was unbearable, I paid for the BoomBusters audio tracks and slept in Bose noise canceling headphones playing it. I can't say I recommend that but I did eventually get used to it enough to sleep.
posted by petiteviolette at 4:15 AM on January 4

I also use Mack's silicone earplugs (note, several from Mack's are cited above, some not silicone) and they've been excellent.

Recently I discovered that Walgreen's has a (cheaper) silicone earplug that's better for me. It's better because the plugs are a little bit smaller so they fit my ears better (maybe I'll try trimming the Mack's now that I'm thinking of it). Also, they seem to be a little stickier so they stay in better.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:19 AM on January 4

Anti-recommend for Loops for sleeping from a small ear canal person; they’re fine when upright but the hard plastic would absolutely stab me in the whole ear if I lay on my side. I wear builders’ foam ones for sleep when necessary. Use proper insertion technique as pictured on the instructions and they go in and stay in (for me).
posted by lokta at 1:11 PM on January 4

Oh yeah, I have Loops but can’t sleep in them (good for daytime use for reducing stimulation).
posted by ellieBOA at 3:48 PM on January 4

I have tried soooo many earplugs. I finally found Honeywell Laser Lite to be perfect with one small tweak. I smear an extremely light, thin coating of Vaseline (from the tip to 1/3 down) before inserting. Somehow they work & stay in better that way. I can use a pair for 5-7 nights.

I am Canadian and bought on amazon.ca . These are small but I am sure there are other sizes.

They are individually wrapped in pairs, in case wasteful packaging is a concern for you.
posted by i_mean_come_on_now at 5:34 PM on January 4

Loop Quiets are perfect and made of soft silicone, I wear them every night. The Experience and Engage models are hard plastic.
posted by lloquat at 8:43 PM on January 5 [1 favorite]

I work in nightlife and wear these at work. I use them extensively when i travel, and for sleep. Comfortable all the time.

They always last until i lose them, i've put multiple sets through the laundry, You can seriously get a year+ out of one set.
posted by emptythought at 11:13 PM on January 5

Loop Quiets are perfect and made of soft silicone, I wear them every night. The Experience and Engage models are hard plastic.

Ok mine are hard plastic which explains why they’re not for sleeping.
posted by ellieBOA at 7:11 AM on January 6

Can't believe no one mentioned Ohropax. They've been around since the 1907 for a reason. I have small ears, so I tear one earplug into two pieces. A box costs me about $12 (Amazon Canada or a local pharmacy) and lasts 6 months or so. I've worn them every night for over 20 years.
posted by Frenchy67 at 6:13 AM on January 11

I take it back about Flents. I recently bought a new bottle and the material of the ear plugs has changed.
posted by Ollie at 9:23 AM on February 7