Environmental noise can be a significant barrier to adequate sleep. This includes all the ambient sounds you can’t avoid at night: outside traffic, neighbors upstairs, crickets and cicadas, and the TV in the next room.

Anything you can do to minimize these sounds will prevent disrupted sleep. Wearing earplugs is one potential solution to poor sleep caused by external noise. Earplugs have some benefits and downsides, so learn more before trying them.

When Noise Disrupts Sleep

Sounds can prevent falling asleep and wake you up throughout the night. We have evolved to be alert to sounds to stay safe. While that may have saved us in the past, most people today don’t need to be on alert all night.

According to research, even if you don’t wake up or remember noisy areas fragment sleep, disruptive sounds shift you out of deep sleep, resulting in more time spent sleeping lightly.

In the short-term, outside noises impair your sleep quality or prevent you from getting enough hours of sleep. This can make you tired and moody and affect your daily life.

Over the long term, disrupted sleep can lead to sleep deprivation, severely affecting overall health. Extended sleep deprivation increases your risk for:

• Weight gain and obesity
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
• Some types of cancer

Poor and inadequate sleep contributes to overall poor health and quality of life. It negatively impacts your ability to function, decreases your cognitive abilities, and impacts memory and attention.

Sleep deprivation also affects mood and mental health. It can exacerbate stress, anxiety, and depression. Ultimately, poor sleep can also damage relationships. Inadequate sleep and its consequences seep into all areas of your life.

Is it Time To Try Wearing Ear Plugs to Bed?

You might want to try some modifications to your sleep environment before using earplugs. If outside noise is the biggest issue, close your windows.

If possible, you can also change old, drafty windows for newer models that let in less noise. You can even find soundproofing windows. In the meantime, a blackout curtain can deaden some of the sounds.

Any other materials in the room that dampen sound will help. Add a lot of soft materials, like bedding, pillows, bean bag chairs, and additional soft furniture to absorb sounds.

You can only control your sleep environment to some extent. If you can’t block out sounds, they could disrupt your sleep and cause harmful consequences.

Your phone is also a potential source of disrupting sounds. If you feel safer with your phone in the bedroom, put it on silent or quiet alerts during the hours you sleep.

If you’ve tried other solutions but still hear noise at night that keeps you up, it might be time to try earplugs.

What Are the Benefits of Earplugs?

Overwhelmingly, thebenefits of sleeping with earplugs outweigh the risks:

• Better overall sleep
• Fewer sleep disturbances throughout the night
• Increased REM sleep, the deepest form of sleep
• Increased melatonin levels, the hormone that signals the body is ready to sleep
• Limited side effects compared to other sleep aids, like medications

Is it Safe to Sleep with Earplugs?

Putting something in your ear at night to sleep better might feel strange at first. The risks, however, are minimal, and if you can get used to them, you might sleep better.

One minor risk is that earplugs will cause a buildup of ear wax. In very rare cases, they may cause an ear infection.

Wax Buildup in the Ear Canal

Ear wax is a natural, normal substance. It develops to protect the ear canal from water, debris particles, and bacteria. Excessive ear wax, however, is not healthy. At best, it can cause itchiness and discomfort.

Prolonged excess ear wax can lead to impacted ear wax. This can cause difficulty hearing, a cough, dizziness, and even tinnitus, ringing in the ear.

One potential cause of excess ear wax is repeatedly blocking the ear canal. If you clean your ears regularly, this should be a low-risk problem. Talk to your doctor if you have too much ear wax or if it is causing problems.

Ear Infections

Another potential health problem associated with earplugs is an ear infection. An ear plug can transfer bacteria into the ear. A buildup of wax can also trigger or worsen an infection.

Ear infections are painful and itchy but cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and temporary hearing loss. If you have any symptoms of an infection after using earplugs, talk to your doctor immediately.

The Best Earplugs for Sleeping

If you’re unsure about sleeping with earplugs, you might want to try some inexpensive foam models first. You might then want to invest in a higher-quality product.

Reusable Foam Earplugs

A foam plug is the market’s most common and readily type of earplug. They are inexpensive and easy to use, but there are also downsides.

Most inexpensive foam earplugs are intended for single use only. They’re not very environmentally friendly and can increase the risk of wax buildup if you use them repeatedly. If you like the effect, buy reusable types.

Noise-Canceling Earplugs

Basic foam earplugs work well in many situations, but if you have a lot of loud sounds in your sleep environment, you might need something beyond the basic model.

You can find models with noise-canceling technology that blocks out a lot more sound, but they are among the most expensive earplugs. Shop around before splurging and look for a product that is high quality and has good reviews.

Custom Earplugs for Sleeping

Custom earplugs fitted to the shape of your ear can also be a good investment if you plan to use them for the long term. You can purchase do-it-yourself custom earplugs or spend more to have them made from impressions of your ears.

Sleep Ear Muffs

If you like how they block sound but can’t get used to the feel of something inside your ears, try ear muffs designed for sleeping. They should be comfortable to wear in bed and often come with a mask to cover the eyes and block out light.

Alternative to Wearing Earplugs for a Peaceful Night’s Sleep

Ideally, you live somewhere quiet or where you can easily shut doors and windows, and you don’t have a snoring partner. For many people, this isn’t realistic, and you need another option, especially if you are a light sleeper.

One good alternative to earplugs is white noise or a similar sound. This is a mix of all frequencies of sound. It is a constant sound that is not distracting and that drowns out other noises.

There are variations, including pink and brown noise, but the basic idea is to be proactive about sounds. Listen to something you find soothing or drown out noises that disrupt your sleep.

Sleep is important to overall health, but ambient noise makes it impossible for many people to get quality sleep. For light sleepers, try earplugs to block out those sounds to fall asleep faster and stay asleep through the night. And, if they don’t work for you, turn on some sounds on the BetterSleep app.