We get this question all the time:
"What is the best earplug for sleeping for someone who sleeps with an incredibly LOUD snorer?"
If you're also trying to sleep with a snoring bed partner, you know the struggle is real. When the snoring is loud and sleep is at a premium, ear plugs are just the first step to finding peace.
Foam ear plugs are simply the most effective ear plugs you can buy at any price. Many people who have tried foam ear plugs consider them ineffective and uncomfortable, but that is almost always the result of improper use. You cannot simply jam them into your ears and expect them to work. In fact, they actually are a bit tricky to learn to use properly. Here is a video that will show you how to use them in case you have never had instruction in the art. Finding the right ear plugs can be a challenge, even when you know how to fit them properly. We offer several ear plug trial packs so that you can try different kinds to get the ones you like best.
Sometimes, ear plugs simply cannot do enough, so I want to suggest that you consider a masking noise for your obviously awful sleep-depriving situation (but do try the foam ear plugs first…) White noise machines can give you the closest thing to complete isolation of any consumer device.
Here are four ways to use these machines that you might try, in increasing levels of effectiveness in creating a noise isolation field:
- First, a table top white noise machine will fill the bedroom with a masking sound that will do two things. First the masking noise, usually called white noise, will keep your threshold of hearing elevated so that you do not hear so acutely. You may have noticed that the quieter you make it by using plugs, the better your hearing seems to get? This is a natural phenomenon and any masking sound will help prevent it. Second, the masking sound will compete with the irritating noises, and as long as the masking sound is louder in your ears, you will be unable to hear the irritating noise. This may not be sufficient to address your noise problems if they are severe, but it is a good place to start. Just be sure you get a white noise machine that has a headphone jack so you can use it in the systems here if necessary.
- Second, add a set of pillow speakers that plug into your white noise machine. This will let you increase the volume right where you are sleeping, to greatly improve the intensity of the masking sound. Note, that white noise types of masking sounds carry no information so your mind can easily tune them out after just a few minutes, allowing you to sleep more soundly than you would in a quiet environment.
- Third, if the pillow speakers do not do adequately mask the noise that is bothering you, you might try a Snoremasker Pro. This is a combination of an ear plug and an in-ear white noise machine. This in-ear white noise generators are not cheap, so it's a good idea to try a combination of ear plugs and tabletop white noise before you move on to a Snoremasker Pro. For some people, these are a real life-saver.
- Finally, you can try our Office Isolator system. One caution on this one. There is no volume limiter on the Office Isolator so you can potentially do harm to your hearing if you turn it up too loudly, so you need to be cautious and use just the amount of white noise you need to do the job.
Until next time, be safe and love your ears!
Sarah Bergman, Web Developer
Ear Plug Superstore
Have you done your good deed yet today? We’re donating child ear muffs to needy students. Learn more & help now: http://sharetherelief.earplugstore.com/