This one thing helps me sleep 8 hours every night
These headphones are a bedtime game-changer.
Credit:
Reviewed.com/Amanda Tarlton
Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.
Okay, I get it: the Internet needs another article claiming to have found the secret to better sleep almost as much as Instagram needs another influencer revealing their skincare routine. A.k.a the advice is bound to work half the time at best and be an absolute fail at worst.
But if I were someone who swears (which I do, but in the "I can't f@#* sleep" way, not the "hand on a Bible" way), I'd swear that I really have discovered the one thing that helps me fall—and stay—asleep: SleepPhones.
What are SleepPhones?
These are the super thin speakers that sit inside the SleepPhones band.
SleepPhones look like a regular old headband but inside that headband—which is incredibly comfortable and, even better, washable—are two flat speakers. Those speakers connect to your phone via Bluetooth so you can drift off listening to the music or sounds of your choosing. I personally recommend the Rain, Rain app if you have an iPhone.
Besides eliminating the pain that is trying to sleep with regular earbuds in, the SleepPhones' flat speakers drown out annoying outside noise (like traffic, construction, or loud neighbors) that makes it difficult for you to fall asleep. And if you're someone who needs complete darkness, they can double as an eye mask—just pull the headband down so it sits over your eyes instead of pushed up on your forehead. I've done this when I'm staying in hotels or trying to sleep on the plane and the fabric really is thick enough to block out most light.
How SleepPhones improved my sleep
My collection of SleepPhones, including my first wired pair and my coziest fleece pair.
I originally bought SleepPhones because I was sleeping no more than 3 hours a night thanks to one thing: my boyfriend's irritatingly loud snoring. In an exhausted moment of desperation one morning, I ordered a pair from Amazon—and now four years later, I still use them (and rely on them) to fall asleep every single night.
The first night I slipped on my SleepPhones, I turned on some soft white noise. Within two minutes, I could hear my boyfriend winding up for his nightly snoring performance. It was quieter than it would be without the SleepPhones, but still. So I turned up the volume until all I could hear was the peaceful sounds of rain on a tent (my sound of choice at the time). The next thing I knew, I was waking up to the sound of my alarm.
To say I was shocked at how well they worked would be an understatement—after all, my boyfriend snores louder than anyone I've ever met. But the SleepPhones put an end to my daily routine that was tossing and turning in bed before angrily storming off to toss and turn on the couch. (Honestly, they probably saved my relationship as much as they saved my sleep.)
Even now when I travel or when my boyfriend isn't spending the night, I still sleep with them on. It helps me not get disturbed by the sound of horns underneath my window or every creak and groan of my house. There's something soothing about completely disconnecting from the outside world that puts me to sleep almost instantly.
Who are SleepPhones good for?
No wires, (definitely) no problem.
Anyone who can't sleep. Anyone. Not only are they beyond comfortable (their motto is literally "pajamas for your ears") but the SleepPhones will block out just enough noise to help you drift off while letting in just enough to make you feel safe. Aka you won't be able to hear your partner's annoying deep breathing but you will be able to hear the fire alarm.
One caveat, though: If you tend to get very overheated at night, or if you just hate wearing things on your head, these obviously aren't for you. While I've never felt like my SleepPhones affect my internal temperature, I let my boyfriend take them on a bachelor weekend and he came home whining that he has never sweat so much in his life. (To be fair, I'm very skeptical whether this was actually due to the SleepPhones or due to the amount of alcohol that was consumed...)
Are SleepPhones worth buying instead of regular earbuds?
Well, do you like sleeping with hard pieces of plastic digging into your ear? Probably not. I don't think there is any price you can put on a good night's sleep. Seriously I would pay anything—or at least whatever I could afford without going completely broke. So yes, even if SleepPhones work half as well for you as they do for me, they're 100 percent worth it.
And if you don't want to shell out for the wireless pair, you can snag the corded version for just $39.95 (my first SleepPhones were the wired ones and I wore them for two straight years!).