The Best Headphones for Sleeping
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If you’re having trouble getting to sleep, you’re not alone. According to the American Sleep Association, around 70 million Americans report having a sleep disorder, with insomnia being the most common. This can stem from lots of things, such as anxiety or even a snoring partner, and a comfortable pair of the best headphones for sleeping can really help you take those first few steps into falling into a deep sleep. It’s not just for insomniacs either, and there are plenty of different variables for sleeping to consider before you go all-in on a pair.
In This Article
What Are the Best Headphones for Sleeping?
Can You Sleep With Headphones On?
How We Chose the Best Headphones for Sleep and Meditation
What Are the Best Headphones for Sleeping?
We selected a few of the top pairs of headphones to help you get more sleep each night. Here are the ones we like based on noise-cancelling capabilities, comfortability and design.
BEST OVERALL: Bedphones Sleep Headphones
BEST FOR TRAVEL: Jabra Elite 85h Headphones
BEST HEADBAND: AcousticSheep Wireless SleepPhones
BEST BUDGET PICK: Lavince Sleep Headphones Headband
1. Bedphones Sleep Headphones
If you’re already wearing silicon earplugs to bed, these buds might be an even more perfect fit.
They’re made from super soft foam, and at less than a 1/4-inch thick, they’re designed to lie flat against your ears and practically disappear into the pillow for side sleepers. The infinitely adjustable ear hooks also mean they’ll stay secure as you toss and turn without having to be worried about something uncomfortable being jammed in your ear all night.
On their own, they do a solid job of blocking out background noise like TV and snoring, but with music playing it increases significantly. Sound-wise, it’s a good balance of lows, mids and highs with the custom 23mm drivers, and there’s also a built-in mic to take calls in any comfortable position.
The battery lasts up to 13 hours on a single charge, and we can confidently say these headphones are inconspicuous and long-lasting enough to get you through a whole night’s sleep.
Buy Bedphones Sleep Headphones
2. Jabra Elite 85h Headphones
For sleeping on a plane, train or long car ride, these over-the-ear Jabras knock out the noise around you on two levels. The first being its awesome Active Noise Cancelling ability, instantly reducing outside sounds significantly. Then with your music or podcasts on top of that, the screaming baby in seat 23B fades to a faint and barely audible minimum in the background.
The pillowy cushioning that lines the ear cups helps mute the outside world, and is also super comfortable. A mesh fabric lines the outside, giving it a quality look, feel, and boost of protection over the usual molded plastic (they’re also water resistant too). The set’s minimal button layout is also discreetly hidden underneath the fabric, invisible to others but easy for you to feel and touch.
These hold up even for long flights with nowhere to recharge, lasting up to 36 hours. If you only have limited time to refuel, 15 minutes of charging will get you a solid five hours of playtime. Just like with the 85t earbuds, the accompanying Jabra app lets you select your audio preset of choice, or even create your own. These have a versatile range of sound settings, and come through crisp and clean with the right amount of adjustable bass.
When you’re done, they fold up efficiently – with a hinge that tucks the speakers snug under the band so it fits curled up in its included case. These are also spatially aware of which position they’re in, so as soon as the ear cup gets folded, it automatically shuts down.
Buy Jabra Elite 85h Wireless… $240.16
2. AcousticSheep Wireless SleepPhones
These extremely comfortable headband phones were developed by a doctor, and designed to not dig deep into your ears as you’re trying to drift off. The extra-thin speakers inside the super-comfy band are flat and padded, making them a win for side-sleepers everywhere, and still delivering decent audio. Plus the band doubles as an eye-mask, blocking out light along with noise.
This pairs with your devices through Bluetooth 5.0, streaming music for up to 24 continuous hours. All the internal electronics are removable too, allowing you to toss the headband safely into the laundry whenever you wash your bedding. Charging is done with a simple microUSB connection, taking around two hours to fully fuel up.
The 95% polyester, 5% spandex band is soft, pre-shrunk, and hypo-allergenic, with just enough stretch to keep it in place. It’s not the only headband-based headphones available, but it’s possibly the most comfortable and best specifically designed for quality sleep. There’s no ANC, though having the flat speakers right up against your ears pretty much drowns out any outside noises like snoring or street traffic.
The designated app also offers assistance with insomnia, providing free downloadable sound mixes to slow down brainwaves and help you relax.
Buy New SleepPhones Wireless Sleep… $99.95
4. Lavince Sleep Headphones Headband
Breatheable and comfortable, Lavince’s lightweight headband features controls on the front, making them always accessible (unless you’re somehow sleeping on your face). Aesthetically, it’s an odd-looking placement for buttons, and might make some feel a little silly wearing it in front of others, but for practicality it makes perfect sense.
These are versatile outside your bed too, and can be worn all day while exercising, watching movies, doing house chores, or working from home. They’re machine washable once the components are removed, and contain a microphone for taking calls too.
Charging is fast with microUSB, in about two hours, and gives you around 10 hours of playtime. While there’s no ANC, they do a surprisingly nice job of reducing unwanted noise around you, giving off a “surround” effect since they’re always floating just outside your ear.
Buy Lavince Sleep Headphones Bluetooth… $16.99
Can You Sleep With Headphones On?
A good pair of headphones can help you fall asleep — and stay asleep. Earbuds, especially when laying on them, can create an uncomfortable suction effect that’s anything but relaxing. They can also poke and prod, while magnifying the sound in that ear to louder levels than the other. Not exactly perfect conditions for getting to sleep — that’s why the type of headphones you choose matters.
There are a whole lot of innovative options out there to fit your ears (and your budget). The traditional earbuds and over-the-ear models are always an option, but companies have combined speakers into wearables like hats and glasses, while rethinking regular-fitting ones into clip-ons and even in sleep masks. No matter how you sleep, there’s a way to get comfortable with the right set for you.
Where will you primarily be using these? If it’s for air travel, you’ll most likely want ones with powerful Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and big clunky ear cups are OK since you can’t lay down on your side anyhow. But for side sleepers looking for headphones to wear in bed, that’s not going to fly. Over-the-ear cans aren’t possible to side-sleep with, or at least would be very uncomfortable (as well as get hot and clammy inside too). For a side-sleeper looking to drown out the sounds of a snoring partner, ANC is a godsend, combine that with comfy phones and loud drivers and you’ve got a new bedtime winner.
How We Chose the Best Headphones for Sleeping and Meditation
Here’s what we looked for when considering the best headphones for sleeping, including audio-quality and controls.
Audio Quality: This is always important in a pair, but unlike for when you’re awake, the main purpose here is getting to sleep. We chose solid-sounding picks, but don’t feel the need to go all-out on the most fine-tuned audiophile-approved set.
Control: All of our picks have built-in physical button options to skip tracks, pause and adjust volume is a major help when trying to wind down in the dark. Not only does it put controls within easy reach, but also lets you not have to look at your bright phone, which can affect your eyes and how fast you drift off.
Playtime: For nightly meditations, bedtime podcasts, audiobooks or your sleepy-time playlist, a moderate-to-low battery life should be more than enough to last until you doze off — our picks last for at least five hours minimum. For a plane ride or long stretch where you need noise cancelling and something playing, go for a set that can keep up on the higher end, or about 30+ hours.
Partners and Spouses: In a silent room, they may be able to hear what’s coming out of your phones, even if the pair is right up against your head. The sounds of whispering voices and faint drum beats can still come through and reach someone else’s sensitive ears right next to you, so we chose headphones with quiet operation or enough padding/suction that it keeps the noise in.
Cables: Going wireless is freeing, particularly for sleeping since you won’t have to worry about getting tangled in a cord or pulling your phone off the nightstand. We chose sleep-designated headphones with Bluetooth, though the sound quality is going to be a bit better over a wired connection. If you’re going the wired route, a braided cable is best, as it’s durable and can stand up to tossing and turning throughout the night.