7 Best Sleep Headphones For Better Zzz’s (2024)
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Picture this: It’s late in the evening, and you’ve crawled into bed after a long day with just enough time to get a solid seven hours before the morning alarm. Perfect. But, just after you’ve drifted off, a car horn, a bang from the neighbors, or rustling in the kitchen jolts you awake. And now your brain’s in overdrive. Goodbye to those seven hours of sleep.
According to the National Council on Aging, 30% of American adults have symptoms of insomnia, and over a third report getting less than seven hours of shuteye a night. But sleep is paramount to our health and wellbeing, the paper goes on to say. Lack of sleep increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and dementia, while good sleep supports your brain performance and mood. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night is one of the single best things you can do for your health — but we seem to have such a hard time doing it.
While lack of sleep has tons of potential causes — from shift work to illness to stress — outside noises certainly don’t help, since even the ones that don’t wake you up can have a subconscious effect on your sleep. Luckily, listening to white noise or relaxing music has been shown to help. A small study of healthcare workers showed improved sleep quality and decreased sleepiness the next day when they used sleep headphones.
And, according to Jesse Koskey, a psychiatrist at UC Davis, “music is a low-cost, accessible, and effective treatment for insomnia.” He says that music is thought to cause entrainment, where your body synchronizes with its environment — a song at 60 BPM can help your heart rate relax down to that pace.
What should you consider when shopping for sleep headphones?
Interested in giving sleep headphones a go? There are tons of options on the market, so we’ve rounded up some of our favorites below. In general, sleep headphones differ from your typical headphones because they won’t fall out of your ears like AirPods do when you roll around, and they aren’t bulky like over-ear headphones.
You’ll want to consider how you sleep — some sleep headphones are soft headbands that won’t prevent you from side sleeping, while others work better for back sleepers. Depending on if you’re looking primarily to play music, listen to white noise, or just block all sounds, you’ll have a different top pick, too. We’ve laid it all out in our descriptions of each option below.
Our criteria:
We personally researched and vetted hundreds of customer reviews to identify the best sleep headphones on the market that are comfortable all night with good audio quality and battery life, too. We’ll continue to update this list with new favorites that meet our criteria below.
COMFORT | We’ve only included well-made and comfortable options that you can easily doze off in, whether in-ear or overhead.
AUDIO QUALITY | All of the options on this list are crystal clear and easily modulated so that you can listen without any disruption.
BATTERY LIFE | These sleep headphones hold a charge so that you won’t get cut off right as you’re dozing off.
If you’re looking to get even deeper rest with additional benefits, check out two reviews of editor favorites: the Canopy humidifier and Eight Sleep.
1. SleepPhones by AcousticSheep
Best For | Best battery life
Features | Made in the US, washable band, 24-hour run time, limited one-year warranty
Price | Starting at $40
SleepPhones’ thin, high-quality speakers sit inside a soft, microfiber headband for a super comfortable sleep experience with no painful earbuds or headphones that prevent you from side-sleeping. Their sleep headphones start at $40 for the classic corded option, which has a flexible four-foot auxiliary cord, but they also offer Bluetooth headphones for a wireless option. The headband comes in two different materials — fleece for cozy sleeping, and “breeze” for running or working out — and the removable speakers mean you can throw the headband in the washer and dryer (it comes pre-shrunk). A full charge lasts 24 hours, and the headphones are made in the US.
Customer Review | “I have been looking for an alternate way of listening to books and music besides ear buds. I just hand washed the headband yesterday and it looks new again. What a wonderful way to meditate, listen to music, or just chill. This company tries to walk you through any problems you may be having. I give it 10 stars‼️” – M.G. (Read more reviews.)
2. Dubslabs’ Bedphones
Best For | Over-ear headphones
Features | One-year warranty, adjustable memory wire, built-in mic
Price | Starting at $89
Advertised as the “world’s smallest over-ear headphones,” DubsLabs’ Bedphones feature ultra-thin — ¼-inch thick — speakers, covered in a thin layer of foam, that lay flat against your ears so you can side sleep on them. The headphones come in both wired and wireless options, and have a built-in microphone and remote so you can answer calls, turn up the volume, or pause your music or show without touching your phone. The wire ear hooks adjust to any ear shape for a custom shape, and they come with an eyemask, replacement foams, and a travel case so you can easily bring them on the go. Bedphones have a one-year warranty, a full charge lasts you up to 13 hours.
Customer Review | “My neurologist recommended listening to books on tape or music to see if the interruption of my thought process would work…it did. I have used every kind of headphone during the night since, and after almost thirty years, someone finally developed something that checks every single box. Thank you!!” – S.W. (Read more reviews.)
3. Dormi
Best For | Daytime use
Features | Built-in mic, machine-washable headband
Price | Starting at $80
Called the comfiest sleep headphones of 2024 by Forbes, Dormi’s wireless Bluetooth headphones for sleeping are just about as comfy as they get, with super thin, newly upgraded speakers concealed in a lightweight polyester fabric headband that’s machine washable. The headband is cute, too — it’s available in different heathered colors, and looks just like any other headband you’d wear during the day or to work out. In fact, the headphones bill themselves as great for all situations, from sleep to hiking to traveling. They’re especially great for fitting under your helmet while skiing! They have a built-in mic for hands-free calling and volume control buttons, and their battery life lasts up to 10 hours.
Customer Review | “I love these headphones! They are so comfortable for sleeping … The battery lasts a few nights and they are easy to use and soooo comfortable.” – C.J. (Read more reviews.)
4. Kokoon
Best For | Automatic audio fade-out
Features | Sleep tracking via their app, noise masking, automatic audio fade-out
Price | Starting at $250
Kokoon’s sleep headphones, in partnership with Philips, add a super high-tech element to the standard sleep headphones — when you pair them with the Kokoon app, they monitor your sleep, automatically fading out your audio after you drift off. How cool is that? While you can listen to your own audio, the app even has audio tracks designed to support sleep. Then, in the morning, the app will show you insights about your sleep quality (and you get free app membership for a year with a headphone purchase). The headphones utilize “noise masking” rather than active noise canceling, meaning they introduce ambient sound to mask external audio in a more relaxing way. The ultra-thin, in-ear headphones were designed for sleep comfort, with a volume control unit at the nape of the neck, and their battery lasts for up to 11 hours.
Customer Review | “The best thing since sliced bread! These headphones are comfortable, even for a side sleeper that changes from side to side all night. AND… it will play from any app and once it detects you’re asleep, it stops what you’re listening to and changes to white noise.” – D.W. (Read more reviews.)
5. Manta Sleep
Best For | Built-in eye mask
Features | Ventilated material, 20 hours of battery, blackout eye mask
Price | Starting at $143
Manta Sleep’s headphones are another option in the headband style, but these ones kick it up a notch — they double as an eye mask, too. The product’s razor-thin Bluetooth headphones let you play music or white noise as you drift off, while the blackout eye mask prevents excess light from disrupting your sleep, too, for a deeper, more restful slumber. The c-shaped cups on the eye mask give you zero eye pressure and make it easy to keep the mask in place even while you’re side sleeping. The mask is made of completely perforated materials that allow airflow to keep you cool throughout the night. The headphones last for up to 20 hours on one charge, and they’ll never give you an annoying low-battery notification that’ll disrupt your sleep.
Customer Review | “Incredible — love the layers to this mask so that you can thoroughly take it apart and wash each part separately. Very comfy for side sleeping. I also got the cooling eye cups, which are fantastic for headaches.” – R. (Read more reviews.)
6. Soundcore by Anker
Best For | Earbuds
Features | Noise masking, library of sleep sounds, low profile for side sleepers
Price | Starting at $130
Soundcore’s Sleep A10 Noise Blocking Earbuds are exactly what they sound like. They’re comfortable and low-profile enough to be worn while sleeping, and they use noise masking to reduce your chances of sleep disturbances if that’s more your speed. You can use the noise masking function on its own, or you can connect to their almost audio library via Bluetooth, allowing you to listen to music or sounds tailored for sleep. And in the morning, the app will give you a detailed sleep report, giving you insights into your sleep including quality and duration. Each charge gives you 10 hours in sleep mode, 6 hours in music mode, or 8 hours if you combine the two (set the music to play for 30 minutes until you drift off), and they come with a charging case that holds 40 hours of charge in total.
Customer Review | “These earbuds are awesome! Not only do they play music from your phone but they have the ability to download peaceful nature sounds to help cancel noise in the night … It’s the only earbud that I can wear and lay on my pillow with and still be comfortable. It’s really small so it doesn’t put pressure on your ear.” – M. (Read more reviews.)
Bonus: Loop
Best For | Noise reduction only
Features | Sleek in-ear design, different noise reduction levels
Price | Starting at $30
A bonus option on this list, Loop earplugs don’t play music or sound — but they deserve a spot here nonetheless for their sound controlling abilities and super chic look. The sleek silicone earbuds are hardly noticeable when you’re wearing them, making them comfortable enough even for side sleepers. Loops come in several styles depending on whether you want to filter or reduce noise, so we like their Switch model, which has three different noise settings and comes in four different cute colors. “Quiet” mode blocks out most sound, helping you sleep or study in a bubble. “Experience” mode reduces sound at a concert, and “Engage” mode reduces background noise while still helping you hear conversations clearly, so these $60 earbuds can help you get better sleep while protecting your hearing when you’re at a concert or out dancing.
Customer Review | “The three options are wonderful when I need to still be aware of my surroundings. My inner ears are very sensitive, I’ve had these in for hours at a time and my ears don’t get sore like they do from earbuds. The loop link is wonderful for keeping track of them. Online photos match products delivered.” – H.B. (Read more reviews.)
Featured image by Kokoon
