The Best Earplugs for Sleeping, Tested by Rolling Stone Editors

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With so much conversation around sleep optimization, it can be easy to forget one of the more basic prerequisites for good Zzs: quiet. Whether you live in a loud city or bunk with a snoring partner, noise could be severely affecting your chances of restful slumber. Even if you’re not aware of the noise, it could still be keeping you in lighter sleep stages or raising adrenaline and cortisol while you sleep.

Earplugs are an easy solution. They don’t require a bedroom renovation or divorce from that snoring spouse, and the best earplugs for sleeping can effectively block everything from barking dogs and sirens to chatting roommates and stomping upstairs neighbors.

At a Glance: The Best Earplugs for Sleeping

Plus, earplugs for sleeping have quietly (no pun intended) been getting more advanced and more comfortable in recent years. Newcomers like Loop are putting out comfortable and secure reusable options, while reliable brands like Mack’s are still putting out some great disposable earplugs.

But that’s not to say all earplugs are worth it. To help you achieve more peaceful rest, I tested all the bestsellers to find the very best earplugs for sleep. See my ranking and reviews below.

How We Tested & Selected the Best Earplugs for Sleeping

To find the best earplugs for sleeping, I tested over a dozen pairs of earplugs in different environments and compared my findings to reviews from customers and other experts. I primarily tested earplugs in three environments: my bedroom (which is subject to sirens and honking), my girlfriend’s bedroom (subject to street noise, her meowing cat, and occasionally snoring), and airplanes.

When testing earplugs, my first consideration was comfort. Any sound-blocking powers are moot if you end up removing earplugs due to discomfort. I removed a few pairs while tossing and turning before falling asleep, or found that I’d unconsciously removed them sometime during the night.

I also considered noise reduction rating (NRR), which indicates how much sound, in decibels, a pair of earplugs is blocking. With earplugs for sleeping, a higher NRR is generally better. This is different than earplugs for concerts, say, where you want to reduce volume instead of blocking it.

The Best Earplugs for Sleeping

Ahead are the best earplugs for sleeping, including reusable and disposable options.

My favorite earplugs for sleeping is the Loop Dream. They’re specially designed for sleeping with a soft, rubbery take on Loop’s beloved namesake design. This loop-shaped backing makes the earplugs easy to insert, and it sits snugly in the concha (that little bowl outside the ear canal) for more security. The package includes oval and circular ear tips, each with four size options, ensuring a comfortable fit for almost any ear canal size and shape.

A close second to the Loop Dream is the Quiet 2, also from Loop. The Quiet 2 is different from the Dream in four ways. First, they’re slightly firmer, although still softer than Loop’s other earplugs. Some might like this slightly firmer design; the loop part stays in your ear more securely. Second, they block slightly less noise (NRR of 24 vs. Dream’s 27). Third, they only come with circular ear tips (no oval ones), but you get four sizes. Fourth, they’re $25 instead of $50. In short, you’re getting something almost as good as the Dream for half the price.

If you prefer disposable earplugs, Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs are my top recommendation. As the name suggests, the foam earplugs are slightly slimmer and softer than any other disposables I’ve used, which makes them very easy to insert and very comfortable (although they might be too small for larger ear canals). With an NRR of 31, they block out almost everything, including airplane drone, very loud snoring, or sirens right outside your window.

Amazon Basics Care offers some very solid and very affordable earplugs. They’re slightly larger and stiffer than Mack’s, making them ideal for people with wider ear canals. For people with small or medium-sized ears (like me), they might be a little uncomfortable, but they’ll block extra noise.

Another great pair of earplugs for sleeping — that happen to be kind to the environment — are Happy Ears Ocean Plastics. The reusable plugs are made of post-consumer plastics sourced from the North Atlantic, so you’re contributing to ocean clean-up while getting better sleep. I was a fan of their sturdy grip and oval shape, which was easy to insert. The build quality is among the best I’ve tested, overall, so they’ll last longer too for reduced waste.