Better Sleep With Earplugs

[TromboneAl]

A few weeks ago I tried sleeping with earplugs in because there was a neighbor who would come and go at late hours. I was surprised to find that I sleep much better in general with earplugs.

I generally sleep pretty well, but often wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep for a while. I find that that hardly ever happens with earplugs in. I've been using them for two weeks now, and most nights I've slept through with only a few brief awakenings.

My conclusion is that without earplugs random noises (car, animal, etc) wake me up, and perhaps put me into "alert mode" without me even realizing the source of the noise. And/or perhaps the simple lack of auditory noise is more restful.

The only problem is discomfort from the earplugs. I've found if I use Hearos Ulitimate Softness plugs, and only put them halfway in, it's not too bad. Also, the Mack's silicone "cover-the-opening" type work pretty well, but if I try to reuse them, they aren't sticky enough, and they fall off.

 

[NW-Bound]

A few weeks ago I tried sleeping with earplugs in because there was a neighbor who would come and go at late hours. I was surprised to find that I sleep much better in general with earplugs.

Are you trying to be politically correct, and not blaming the decibels from your wife snoring?

What is the neighbor doing at night? Some illicit activities?

I will freely admit that our own snoring causes each other problems. Due to my hay fever, I have a small air filter that is standing right by my bedside. Its fan has enough white noise that I get so used to. I would not be able to sleep well without it, as the constant noise masks out other noises.

 

[Darryl]

Al, you probably won't be disturbed by the broken glass and the burglar or the smoke detector going off either.

I have used ear plugs a few times and agree with you. They help but they are not comfortable. I've also used a hepa filter and agree with NW the white noise helps.

 

[grumpy]

My wife has slept with ear plugs for at least 20 years due to my loud snoring. Now that I am on a CPAP machine I don't snore anymore but she still uses them.

 

[hankster]

I sometimes have to work night shifts and have found that an electric fan running in the bedroom covers little noises that would normally wake me up. We even run a fan when sleeping at night now. Small household creaks and distant traffic noises are covered, but smoke detectors, forced entry etc. could still be heard.

 

[Janet H]

Many years ago I had a set of custom ear plugs made in the hopes of staving off hearing loss from time spent on stage in really loud sound fields. They have these attenuators that can be swapped out to block out more or less noise but retain the full sound spectrum so you can hear everything. It's a lower volume but not muffled. Sometimes I use them at noisy hotels (most notably next to airports) and they are very comfortable to sleep in. I have also used these and they very effective to block sound and extremely comfortable - but not designed to allow any clarity.

Last time I had a set made (about 2 years ago) they cost less than 200 dollars and my insurance picked up a good deal of the cost. If you sleep in ear plugs you may want to consider going this route - the comfort of custom molded earplugs may be worth the cash.

 

[RonBoyd]

My conclusion is that without earplugs random noises (car, animal, etc) wake me up, and perhaps put me into "alert mode" without me even realizing the source of the noise. And/or perhaps the simple lack of auditory noise is more restful.

I have the same "problem." Someone down the street closes their car door and I am wide awake... for the rest of the night. I have used ear plugs for over ten years now.

The only negative to ear plugs, however, is ear wax. The ears are self-cleaning and ear plugs interfere with (or simply halt) that process.

It is explained more fully (and accurately) here - Family Health Radio * Archived Programs * (go to the January 14 2009 air date #29118).

I find that if I periodically spent a night or two without the plugs, I don't have the problem... am very tired/sleepy though.

 

[aaronc879]

The only problem is discomfort from the earplugs.

You'll get used to them eventually. They're like glasses, uncomfortable at first but after a while you don't even notice you're wearing them. I've worn earplugs at work for 12 hours per shift for nearly 9 years.

 

[shoe]

I am also an earplug fan. Having several kids and at one time an alzheimer's victim in the house I have learned to go from sound asleep to wide awake in parsecs. Ear plugs + Advil PM make for a restful sleep.

 

[ziggy29]

I swear by earplugs. Once I'm asleep I'm a pretty sound sleeper, but I have a horrible time with noise (other than "white" background noise) when I'm trying to fall asleep. I feel like an old curmudgeon before my time because I HATE noise.

 

[Bimmerbill]

I am a super light sleeper. I mean super light. Like in the cat jumping off the dining room chair and it wakes me up.

I use both a white noise machine and ear plugs. I can still be startled awake many times each night and the doc gave me some ambien to try. I'm afraid to take it...

 

[Nords]

A few weeks ago I tried sleeping with earplugs in because there was a neighbor who would come and go at late hours. I was surprised to find that I sleep much better in general with earplugs.
I generally sleep pretty well, but often wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep for a while. I find that that hardly ever happens with earplugs in. I've been using them for two weeks now, and most nights I've slept through with only a few brief awakenings.
My conclusion is that without earplugs random noises (car, animal, etc) wake me up, and perhaps put me into "alert mode" without me even realizing the source of the noise. And/or perhaps the simple lack of auditory noise is more restful.

Same here. I wear them for New Year's Eve and 4th of July when the neighbors won't stop with the firecrackers.

Most people have two sleep cycles of about four hours each, or a second "top off" of a couple hours, and it isn't uncommon for there to be an hour or even two of wakefulness between them. In 17th- & 18th-century literature you'd even find references to "first sleep" and "second sleep". People used to get up, get a snack, and even socialize before going back to sleep. Modern lighting has generally caused humans to stay up later and get up earlier, and there's not so much time devoted to sleep anymore.

So when I wake up I generally try to give myself an hour before giving up.

As for using earplugs every night-- I'm really looking forward to being an empty nester!

Many years ago I had a set of custom ear plugs made in the hopes of staving off hearing loss from time spent on stage in really loud sound fields. They have these attenuators that can be swapped out to block out more or less noise but retain the full sound spectrum so you can hear everything. It's a lower volume but not muffled. Sometimes I use them at noisy hotels (most notably next to airports) and they are very comfortable to sleep in. I have also used these and they very effective to block sound and extremely comfortable - but not designed to allow any clarity.

Those look great-- I wish the submarine force had sponsored them. Our "custom fit" was a corpsman offering a selection of large, medium, or small...

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

I find that ear plugs help a bit, but they fall out a few times each night, so I spend the night wondering half asleep where my ear plugs are.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Another use of the kind of ear plugs Janet mentioned (the Westone 49s) is for those of us (mostly men) with "presbyacusis" or age related high frequency hearing loss.

If you wear them in a noisy restaurant or concert, etc. you can hear people speak more accurately than without the plugs. My old custom motorcycle plugs were great for the road, but without the filter they muffled the sounds and made high pitched speakers hard to understand in noisy places.

 

[leftbucket]

Revving up

I am a super light sleeper. I mean super light. Like in the cat jumping off the dining room chair and it wakes me up.

I use both a white noise machine and ear plugs. I can still be startled awake many times each night and the doc gave me some ambien to try. I'm afraid to take it...

BB-

Consider kicking up the white noise machine a notch.

I've been on overnight shifts with some serious power snorers at various
times in my career (firehouse bunkroom) and little white noise machines
or small fans just didn't cut it... Got a three foot diameter steel fan
and ran it on high. Not only did it overpower the snorers, but it actually
lulled you to sleep. Wonderful! If breeze is a problem you can cover
the fan with a blanket. Just make sure you have a correspondingly
loud alarm if you need to get up.

Good luck,
LB

 

[tmm99]

I've been wearing earplugs to sleep for years. I am hyper-sensitive to noise. Any kind of noise, even white noise. I don't even like a fan noise, but when it is hot, I turn the fan on and push the earplugs as deep as I could push them inside my ears.

I am one of those people who cannot go back to sleep right away once I wake up, so it is important that I wear ear plugs.

I don't take naps much any more, but I never could understand how I could take a nap during the day with a TV on....

 

[SarahW]

Another white noise fan here. I can't go to sleep without that whirring fan. Here's a weird thing: Why is it that I can sleep like a baby when the TV is on in the room I'm in, but if I'm trying to go to sleep and hear a TV from another room it makes me nuts

 

[haha]

Another white noise fan here. I can't go to sleep without that whirring fan. Here's a weird thing: Why is it that I can sleep like a baby when the TV is on in the room I'm in, but if I'm trying to go to sleep and hear a TV from another room it makes me nuts

Noises woke me when I lived in the country because I felt territorial. Where I am now I expect lots of other people to be so I am not bothered. Sometimes in the middle of the night I will hear a ship or train and I kind of enjoy it. Sounds of fighting will wake me, but it almost never happens. Sex sounds or domestic sounds don't bother me at all.

I have never heard a TV or stereo in my building, except during an occasional party. Not sure why.

Ha

 

[summer2007]

You can also try using static on a radio...it works well as white noise.

Jim

 

[jambo101]

I cant do earplugs while sleeping as i keep imagining i'm hearing something..Fans work well or some kind of sound generator(no seagulls)works for me.

 

[WM]

I use earplugs occasionally at night but the best use I've found for them is on airplanes. And if you don't mind looking even more silly, use an eye mask too - I can't believe how much better I sleep.

 

[RonBoyd]

And if you don't mind looking even more silly, use an eye mask too

Again, that's one of my favorite things.

Etsy :: FreakyOldWoman :: imagination is a crafty thing...

(If you don't believe me watch the Ellen Show -- the most entertaining hour on television today.)

 

[Moemg]

I find that ear plugs help a bit, but they fall out a few times each night, so I spend the night wondering half asleep where my ear plugs are.

I use the squishy purple ones they sell at Walgreen's for $3.99 and I'm not sure how to say this politely so I'll just say it . You have to really shove them in . That way they'll stay in your ear and you just pop them out in the morning .

 

[RonBoyd]

I use the "Flents Quiet Time" ones found at Wal Mart for ~$10 for 50 pair. They have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 31.

Walgreen's has the same product (well, name anyway) with a NRR of 33 that comes in a 10 pair package for a much higher price.

Anyway, anything less than a NRR of 30 doesn't do me any good.

 

[mickeyd]

I often listen to the radio at night if I have trouble sleeping. I use an ear-bud in only one ear (other ear on the pillow) and tune in to a talk show and the babbling puts me to sleep quite often.

DW thinks that I'm nuts. I agree.