Earplugs For Sleep Reviews & Ratings → Based on Data From Over 465 Actual Users / Owners
Page last updated December 20, 2010.
What You Need To Know
90% of people who use earplugs for sleeping find the products to be effective in comfortably blocking out unwanted sound.
The vast majority of people who use earplugs for sleeping use the foam variety.
Earplugs are likely the easiest and least expensive way to virtually eliminate noise problems that may interfere with your sleep. Earplugs are also easily portable and can be used anywhere to block noise.
Owner / user experience data suggests that it may be necessary to experiment with more than one earplug brand / model to find one that works best for you.
Unlike other solutions used to quiet / drown out unwanted noise when sleeping, earplugs have potential health issues.
Prolonged use of earplugs may cause earwax to build up and clog the outer ear because the plugs block the normal flow of earwax outward. As a result, proper use and hygience is important; otherwise, tinnitus, hearing loss, discharge, pain, and infection may occur.
Follow the instructions that come with earplugs to avoid any potential health problems.
About Our Research
Our research findings are based on at least 465 reviews from actual earplug owners / users collected from diverse sources including online message boards and product review sections on retailers' websites.
Ratings of Earplugs For Sleeping by Brand / Model
The chart below is based largely on actual user/owner experiences. It includes only those foam earplugs brands / models for which we could find a significant number of credible owner / user reviews or comments. In other words, the chart below does not include all foam earplugs available on the market.
| Earplugs (sorted alphabetically) Links go to product page at Amazon.com |
Owner Satisfaction | Sample Size | Comfort | Noise Reduction Rating (NRR)* | Owner rating of noise reduction | Reusability | Price |
AO Safety Classic |
96% | 27 | Good- Excellent |
29 | Good | Fair-Poor | $25 for 200 pair. 13 cents per pair |
Hearos Xtreme Protection |
94% | 32 | Good- Excellent |
33 | Good-Excellent | Good | $16 for 14 pair, pack of 3. 38 cents per pair |
Hearos Ultimate Softness |
89% | 59 | Good | 32 | Good | Good-Fair | $10 for 20 pair, pack of 2. 25 cents per pair |
Howard Leight Laser Lite |
92% | 70 | Good | 32 | Good-Excellent | Fair | $20 for 200 pair. 10 cents per pair |
Howard Leight Max Lite |
96% | 31 | Good- Excellent |
30 | Good- Excellent |
Fair | $20 for 200 pair. 10 cents per pair |
Howard Leight MAX1 |
93% | 117 | Good | 33 | Good | Fair-Poor | $22 for 200 pair. 11 cents per pair |
* Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) is the measurement, in decibels, of how well a hearing protector reduces noise as specified by the government. The higher the NRR the greater the noise reduction, says the government.
Our collected owner experience data suggests, however, that the NRR is unreliable. As the chart above shows, when referring to actual user experiences, earplugs with high NRR can rate worse in regard to noise reduction than earplugs with low NRR.
As a result of these findings, earplug shoppers may not want to pay much attention to the NRR.