You crave a good night’s sleep after a long day — but your noisy neighbors, snoring partner, or early rising roommate make reaching deep sleep feel like running a marathon. White noise or calming music can help quiet racing thoughts and block out noises like snoring or rustling around the bedroom, but regular in-ear and over-head headphones can be bulky and uncomfortable in the night, especially for side sleepers.
Sleep headphones, however, are specifically designed with rest in mind, often incorporating sleep aids like noise blocking, meditations, and custom sleep sounds. The best sleep headphones also allow you to lie on your side without discomfort, unlike your traditional pair of earbuds. They’re most commonly available in three forms: earbuds (ergonomically designed in-ear headphones), headbands (flat speakers secured over your ears), and eye masks (on-ear speakers and light blocking).
When it comes to sleep headphones, the most important criteria are comfort and general sound quality. You also don’t want them slipping off in the middle of the night. You won’t find the same audiophile-worthy specs in sleep headphones that you would in the best headphones on the market, but you’ll sleep much more soundly than you would with the bulk and discomfort of a traditional set.
I tested 10 pairs over at least seven nights, both while sleeping and while lounging. The Soundcore Sleep A30 Earbuds emerged as the best sleep headphones overall, due to their winged tip design, long battery life, and ample special features. If a headband style sounds more appealing, the lightweight and machine-washable AcousticSheep SleepPhones Wireless are extremely comfortable. The Manta SOUND Sleep Mask is a great choice for those looking to combine their headphones with a sleep mask.
Our picks of the best sleep headphones
Best overall: Soundcore Sleep A30 Earbuds – See at Amazon
Best upgrade: Ozlo Sleepbuds – See at Amazon
Best on-ear: Bedphones Sleep Headphones – See at DubsLabs
Best headband: AcousticSheep SleepPhones Wireless – See at Amazon
Best sleep mask: Manta SOUND Sleep Mask – See at Manta Sleep
Best budget sleep mask: LC-dolida Sleep Headphones – See at Amazon
Best overall
Soundcore Sleep A30 Earbuds
The Soundcore Sleep A30 earbuds are ergonomically designed for a good night’s sleep, boasting optional active noise cancellation and up to 45 hours of battery life.
The new Soundcore Sleep A30 had such a positive impact on me that I still reach for these earbuds long after testing has ended, just as was the case with Soundcore’s previous model, the A20. They stayed firmly in my ears overnight without discomfort, blocked out enough passive noise to quiet anxious thoughts (and let me sleep through my partner getting ready for work), and easily switched from music to sleep mode with a double tap — deeming them the best pair we tested overall. Additionally, they are the only pair we tested with optional active noise cancellation. (Note: Experts caution against using noise cancellation during sleep, as it could prevent you from hearing a potential danger in your home; however, active noise cancellation remains a useful feature for travel, sleeping with a partner, or daytime use.) A custom winged design and adjustable inserts allow for as much comfort as an in-ear pair can seemingly offer, all while being side-sleeper-friendly.
Emily Hein/Business Insider
Sound quality is solid, especially when ANC is enabled: You can hear sounds clearly without a distracting bass or tinny quality, which we found were the main necessities for sleeping with sound. Active noise cancellation successfully blocked out a snoring partner and city traffic, but if you’d rather not sleep with ANC enabled, the passive noise cancellation also blocks out background noise, such as snoring or cars driving by but it doesn’t completely cancel outside noise). Not to mention, the A30s are chock full of special features: A double-tap on the earbud easily switches from your chosen audio to “sleep mode” (pre-programmed white noise), the built-in alarm is a major plus for commuters or those who don’t want to wake a partner as a silent alarm clock, and the “find my device” allows you to easily locate an earbud that’s lost in bed. I also found the Bluetooth setup to be the most intuitive of all: The earbuds initially connected to my phone as easily as my daytime headphones did, and since then, they’ve connected automatically as soon as I open up the case.
The earbuds’ nine-hour battery life easily lasts through the night outside the case, and the charging case boasts up to 45 hours of battery life, lasting nearly two full days without needing recharging. While its predecessor, the A20, lacks active noise cancellation, the earlier model boasts even better battery life at a lower price, with up to 14 hours outside of the case and up to 80 hours in the charging case. We tested both pairs and would recommend both equally highly, depending on your budget and needs.
Best upgrade
Ozlo Sleepbuds
With comfortable, adjustable tips, a custom sound library and app, and noise masking features, Ozlo Sleepbuds are thoughtfully designed to support every stage of sleep.
Ozlo’s Sleepbuds are the priciest pair I tested, and while my experience was generally positive, it’s hard to say whether the additional features are worth the steep price tag. Like the Soundcore A30, the Sleepbuds are ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your ear, and the four adjustable tip options allow for flexibility for most sleepers. The Sleepbuds boast passive noise cancellation, a similar sound quality to daytime earbuds, and Ozlo’s paired app with a wide library of nature-like noise masking sounds. Bluetooth pairing was a bit spotty: Connecting the earbuds to my phone was fairly straightforward at first, but sometimes the Ozlo app would incorrectly indicate that the buds were disconnected, even when they were still connected to my device. This seemed to be hit or miss: Sometimes they’d connect to Bluetooth perfectly, and sometimes I’d spend a frustrating extra few minutes connecting the buds to my device and the Ozlo app.
…