The Best Earplugs for Sleeping Are the Ones You Keep In

How Do Earplugs Help You Sleep?

Earplugs help you sleep by reducing how much noise reaches your eardrum. Sounds are less likely to wake you, helping you stay asleep and get more of your deep sleep. They reduce noise, but don't completely erase it. How well they work depends on their fit: snug yet comfortable enough to stay in all night.

A small 2026 sleep-lab trial published in SLEEP found that earplugs helped offset almost all the effects of intermittent traffic noise on sleep, including the loss of deep sleep. The earplugs only started failing at the loudest level tested.⁽¹⁾

Common sources of disruption include traffic noise, a snoring partner, noisy neighbors or roommates, sounds from the adjacent apartment or fellow passengers on public transport, including airplane travel.

Earplugs benefit anyone whose sleep is disrupted by noise. They're handy for shift workers, who need to sleep during the day, travelers dealing with noisy hotel rooms or unfamiliar sleep environments and those living in shared spaces.

Is It Safe to Sleep With Earplugs?

Yes, sleeping with earplugs is safe, as long as you insert them correctly, clean them after every use (or according to the manufacturer's instructions) and replace them when necessary. Check with your doctor first if you have an ear infection, ear pain or recent ear surgery.

How to Choose the Best Earplugs for Sleeping

To choose the best earplugs for sleeping, check five things in this order: fit and size, comfort when you lie on your side, material, how easy they are to reuse and clean and the noise reduction rating (NRR). A pair that fails the first two checks won't stay in long enough for the rating to matter.

Fit and Size

Choose earplugs that fit properly and create a good seal to block out unwanted sounds. Without a comfortable fit, earplugs can make your ears hurt.

Ear canals vary a lot from person to person. A 2025 study published in Trends in Hearing scanned 221 ears and found big differences in canal size and shape. It also found that canals have two bends.⁽²⁾ That's why one size of earplug doesn't work for many sleepers; your left and right ears might need different sizes.

Choose an earplug set or discovery pack with a variety of sizes so you can find the one that suits you best. Of course, there are also custom-made earplugs that are designed to fit you perfectly. However, they tend to run pricier than foam, wax or silicone earplugs.

Try this test: insert one earplug, wait about a minute or two, then move your head. It should feel snug, not uncomfortable or painful. For full sizing and insertion steps, see our guide on how to use earplugs.

Comfort When You Sleep on Your Side

If you prefer side sleeping, you'll particularly benefit from earplugs that fit comfortably. Ill-fitting ones can be especially painful when your ear is pressed against the pillow. Earplugs in the correct size also provide a secure fit, reducing the risk of them falling out.

The earplug's outer profile determines what happens when you roll over: a plug that sticks out gets pushed in deeper by the pillow. That pressure gives you an earache by morning. Look for a soft, low-profile plug with an outer edge that stops it from going too deep.

By low-profile, we mean the earplug sits inside your outer ear, with its flat outer surface resting against it rather than sticking out.

Insert the earplug and test it by lying on your side for a minute. If you feel pressure, try a smaller size or a lower-profile design.

Material: Foam, Silicone or Wax

Foam earplugs expand inside your ear canals for a snug fit. However, disposable foam earplugs (made with 100% foam) are usually designed for single use. Earplugs made with wax and silicone putty are moldable. You press them over the opening of your ear canal instead of inside it. Flanged silicone earplugs are pre-shaped, with soft rings that seal inside the canal, and they're typically reusable.

There's a trade-off. In a 2018 study published in Noise & Health, foam plugs blocked more sound, but how easily a plug was inserted and how it felt in the ear determined which plug people preferred.⁽³⁾ That matters most for sleep. For a side-by-side look at each type, see our guide to sleeping with earplugs.

If foam has pressed or hurt you before, try a pre-shaped silicone design next.

Reusable and Easy to Clean

Consider choosing reusable earplugs. Think of how many disposable earplugs you'll need if you use them nightly. The best reusable earplugs are more cost-efficient, even if the upfront price is slightly higher.

Pre-shaped silicone earplugs tend to last longer than foam or wax. Silicone is non-porous, so it doesn't absorb sweat or dirt. Foam earplugs are porous and can trap bacteria. Wax picks up dirt and loses its shape fast.

Always check the care instructions before you buy. A smooth silicone surface that you can wash and wipe down takes seconds to clean.

Noise Reduction Rating

Good earplugs for sleeping should block sound adequately, not leave you in complete silence. Many people still want to hear important sounds, such as safety alerts. an alarm or a child calling.

The NRR is the U.S. lab measure of how many decibels (dB) a hearing protection device, like earplugs or earmuffs, blocks when it's fitted correctly. The higher a device's NRR, the more noise it can block.

"Fitted correctly" matters. In a 2025 trial published in La Medicina del Lavoro, participants who received instructions on how to fit their earplugs blocked more noise in fit tests than those who didn't.⁽⁴⁾ A loose plug blocks less than its label says.

A high NRR doesn't automatically guarantee satisfactory noise reduction. Does your partner snore? If you're looking for earplugs for snoring, a comfortable plug that stays put can beat a loose one with a higher NRR on the box.

A rule of thumb is to only compare the NRR of pairs that pass the fit and side-sleep checks.

Why Comfort Matters More Than the Highest NRR

There's no sleep-specific NRR to aim for. The best rating is the one on a pair you'll keep in all night. An earplug that aches gets pulled out, and an earplug on your nightstand blocks nothing. Choose fit and comfort first, then compare ratings.

Most earplug guides rank plugs by the NRR on the box. However, the 2018 study above pointed out that comfort, not blocking, decided preference.⁽³⁾

The La Medicina del Lavoro study found that fit also changes how much sound a plug blocks in real life.⁽⁴⁾ A snug pair with a modest NRR can do more for your sleep than a high-rated pair with a loose fit.

Comfort includes sound, too. Hearing your own voice, natural bodily rhythms like your heartbeat or breathing sound booming with earplugs in is the occlusion effect, where a blocked ear canal makes sounds inside your body seem louder. It was one of the comfort factors in the 2018 Noise & Health study.⁽³⁾ Our guide on how to use earplugs covers how to get used to it.

The Best Earplugs for Sleeping: Manta Sleep Earplugs

Here's how Manta Sleep Earplugs measure up on each of the five checks:

NRR: Manta Sleep Earplugs have a rating of 14 dB.

To insert them, don't squeeze them like foam earplugs. Point the long curve toward the back of your head and push in while gently wiggling until snug. Full steps are in our how to use earplugs guide.

Earplugs Work Better With a Sleep Mask

When it comes to poor sleep, noise is one part of the problem, and light is the other half. In a randomized study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, patients in a hospital intensive care unit who wore eye masks and earplugs together reported better sleep quality and less anxiety.⁽⁵⁾

If you sleep on your side, here's how to choose the best sleep mask for side sleepers.

Conclusion

The best earplugs for sleeping are the ones that stay in. Before you buy, run these five checks:

• Do they fit in a size that suits each ear?

• Are they comfortable when you lie on your side?

• Is the material one you'll keep wearing?

• Are they reusable and easy to clean?

• Does the NRR suit your room, once it passes the first four checks?
  

Not sure which size fits? Manta Sleep Earplugs come with five sizes in one kit so you can fit each ear.