Best noise-canceling headphones for sleeping in 2024
A good night's sleep is essential. It enhances your mood, brain function, and overall physical health. But going to sleep is often easier said than done. You might suffer from anxiety, have a medical condition, or live in a noisy neighborhood. All of which makes it impossible to get a good night's rest.
Thankfully, you can use headphones to improve your sleep hours. The best noise-canceling headphones completely drown out disruptive noise, are comfortable all night long, and play soothing music to help you destress.
In this article, we uncover the best noise-canceling headphones for sleeping, the research we put behind our list, and how to pick the right one for your sleeping needs.
Top 5 best noise-canceling headphones for sleep – our shortlist
- Soundcore by Anker Sleep A10 Earbuds – best headphones for sleep overall
- LC Dolida Sleep Headphones and Mask – most comfortable headphones for sleep
- Sony WH 1000XM4 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones – drowns out disruptive sounds
- Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation – headphones for more than just sleeping
- SleepPhones Wireless – Headphones designed especially for a good night’s rest
How to choose headphones for sleeping?
To choose the perfect headphones for sleeping, you need to think about:
- Comfort. You will wear the headphones all night long, so comfort is essential. If you’re getting in-ear headphones, look for well-shaped earbuds to guarantee a tight fit. Search for memory foam padding for outer-ear headphones and ensure the ear cups will fit perfectly over your ears.
- Noise cancellation level. If noise keeps you awake, look for headphones with a high level of noise cancellation. Your chosen headphones should have an air-tight seal and advanced technology such as Active Noise Cancellation (ANC).
- Battery life. If you sleep an average of eight hours a night, you will need a headset with a battery that lasts at least eight hours. But that’s only if you intend on instantly going to sleep as soon as you put on the headphones. Longer is always better, and guarantees it will last all night.
- Wireless. Some people use wired headphones when they sleep, but going wireless is a better choice. With wireless headphones, there are no wires to cause discomfort while you sleep. Plus, there’s a reduced risk of ear damage and no chance of strangulation.
- Durability. Before purchasing headphones, take a look at the materials they are made of. Some headphones use cheap plastic, low-grade wires, or poor-quality speakers to cut down costs. Selecting headphones with only durable materials is vital because you intend to use them overnight for an extended time. You don’t want to have to buy a new pair of headphones every few months!
- Price. You need to consider your budget, the features you need, and the brand you want before you commit to a purchase. Our list of the best noise-canceling headphones ranges massively from $20 to over $200.
10 best noise canceling headphones for sleeping – our detailed list
As a result of our thorough research and real-life tests, we’ve gathered a detailed list of sleeping headphones with the best noise-canceling properties. To make this list, we rated the headphones based on features such as comfort, noise cancelation level, battery life, sound quality, and additional features.
Take a look at our carefully curated list of best headphones for sleeping:
1. Soundcore by Anker Sleep A10 Earbuds – the best headphones for sleep overall
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal |
| Battery life: | 10 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent |
| Sound quality: | Great |
Soundcore’s Sleep A10s are the best earphones for sleeping – a perfect balance between features, sound quality, and comfort.
Comfort. Thanks to its lightweight and compact design, Soundcore by Anker Sleep A10s fit perfectly. It’s ideal for all-night use – even if you’re a side sleeper.
Noise cancellation. Although Sleeps A10s don’t support Active Noise Cancellation, it does have a 4-point Noise Masking system. It seals off disruptive noises that normally keep you awake with ear wings, Twin Seal tips, and background sounds.
Battery life. The battery life of these earbuds is up to 10 hours. It ensures that the earbuds can last through the night, providing uninterrupted noise cancellation and sleep tracking.
Sound quality and additional features. Those earbuds offer a clear audio sound. Its user-friendly app offers a range of useful features to ensure you get a good night's sleep. You can set custom sounds, select music for sleep from the in-app library, or opt for any song with Bluetooth. You can also enable voice control to adjust your settings hands-free and set an in-ear alarm so you don’t have to worry about oversleeping.
2. LC Dolida Sleep Headphones and Mask – most comfortable headphones for sleep
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal |
| Battery life: | 8 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent |
| Sound quality: | Great |
The LC Dolida Sleep Headphones are, as the name suggests, designed for sleep and provide the best comfort.
Comfort. It’s especially comfortable thanks to its 3D contoured eye mask, memory foam, and soft fabric. Plus, because it’s a headband, the LC Dolida headphones are very unlikely to slip off, even if you’re a big tosser and turner.
Noise cancellation level. It’s important to note that the LC Dolida Sleep Headphones and Mask don’t have noise-canceling technology. So, if you’re struggling to sleep in a noisy environment, you’re better off with some of the other headphones on our list.
Battery life. Couple that with its HD audio, 8+ hours of battery life, and its especially low price point – you’ve got the perfect sleep aid.
Sound quality and additional features. It’s a sleep mask with a built-in headset. So, not only do you get music to help you sleep – you get to block out any disruptive light.
3. Sony WH 1000XM4 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones – drowns out disruptive sounds
| Noise cancellation: | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 30 hours |
| Comfort: | Great |
| Sound quality: | Great |
The Sony WH 1000XM4 is the best noise-canceling headphones, enabling you to have a perfect night's rest even in the loudest areas.
Comfort. It has a lightweight design and pressure-relieving earbuds, so you won’t have an earache when you wake up.
Noise cancellation level. The headphones use Sony’s advanced dedicated HD-noise-canceling QN1 processor, as well as Sense, which automatically adjusts the volume of ambient sound based on your environment. So, you can drown out noisy sirens, parties, and even construction work to guarantee your eight hours.
Battery life. Even if you’re a long sleeper, these headphones are perfect, thanks to an impressive 30-hour battery life.
Sound quality and additional features. It’s perfect for audio lovers too. The Sony WH1000XM4 uses DSEE Extreme audio upscaling for genre and instrument optimization. Plus, it supports LDAC, AAC, and SBC codecs – so you get incredible sound no matter what you’re listening to.
4. Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation – headphones for more than just sleeping
| Noise cancellation: | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 7-8 hours |
| Comfort: | Good |
| Sound quality: | Excellent |
Apple’s second generation of AirPods Pro is an all-around excellent choice of headphones and doubles as a sleeping aid, too.
Comfort. If you’re a side sleeper, the pressure of the earbuds can cause slight discomfort.
Noise cancellation level. The 2nd Generation has two times more ANC than its predecessor, and its Adaptive Transparency enables you to hear your surroundings whenever you need to.
Battery life. The Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation is used by many as a sleep aid. However, it’s battery life isn’t the best on our list. With the wrong configurations and settings, it might not last the whole night.
Sound quality and additional features. The headphones use Apple’s H2 chip to drastically enhance audio – reducing distortion, delivering crisp notes, and even improving noise cancellation. Apple also offers an incredible level of customer service, so even if your headphones stop working, you can get it fixed quickly and easily.
That being said, if you’re looking for headphones for day-to-day use as well as for sleep, this Apple headset is an excellent choice.
5. SleepPhones Wireless – headphones designed especially for a good night’s sleep
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal |
| Battery life: | 24 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent |
| Sound quality: | Good |
SleepPhones’ Wireless headphones are the perfect bedtime companion and are designed to maximize comfort for bed-wearing.
Comfort. It wraps around your head just like a headband, and its unique SheepCloud™ fabrics are soft, stretchy, durable, and sweat-resistant. So no matter what way you sleep whether it’s on your front, back, or side – you’re guaranteed comfort. Plus, you can machine wash the fabric, which is ideal, considering everyone sweats more when sleeping, and you’re going to use it for eight-plus hours a day.
Noise cancellation level. Although these headphones don’t have ANC, they do help reduce ambient noise and provide excellent-quality sound.
Battery life. Sleephones Wireless Sleep Headphones are perfect for all-night use. It has an impressive 24-hour battery life span.
Sound quality and additional features. If your main goal is to listen to high-quality music while you sleep, it’s a good choice. But if you’re looking for complete noise isolation, you should look at the next item on our list.
6. Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 – excellent sounding headphones you can use in bed
| Noise cancellation: | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 20 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent |
| Sound quality: | Excellent |
Similar to the Apple Airpods, Bose Noise canceling Headphones 70 aren’t designed specifically with in-bed use in mind - but have features ideal for sleeping.
Comfort. The Bose Noise canceling Headphones 700 are very comfortable for back sleepers and sleeping while travelling. The inside of the head strap is padded with silicon which feels very soft and the padded ear cups with protein leather are also very comfortable to wear.
Noise cancellation level. With these headphones, you get powerful noise-canceling technology, enabling you to completely avoid being woken or kept awake by noises in the night.
Battery life. It has a 20-hour battery life, so there’s no risk of it running out in the middle of the night. Plus, it's optimized for Alexa and Google Assistant so you can do everything hands-free so you won’t have to struggle to make adjustments in the dark.
Sound quality and additional features. But what truly sets Bose Noise canceling Headphones apart from the rest is its incredible sound quality. Every note produced has crispy clear detail, and no matter the track, you get a full-bodied base.
7. Musicozy – the best low-budget headphones for sleeping
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal |
| Battery life: | 10 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent |
| Sound quality: | Good |
If you’re on a tight budget and need headphones so you can listen to music, Musicozy is an excellent option.
Comfort. It's another headset built with bedtime comfort in mind. It wraps around your entire head and has an adjustable strap to ensure it never slips off, even if you toss and turn a lot in your sleep. It’s also made with cooling, breathable, and ultra-soft fabric – it always feels good no matter how long you wear it.
Noise cancellation level. The Musicozy headphones do not have active noise cancellation and there's not enough padding to block out external noise. However, they are fully capable of blocking out the ambient noises that may disrupt your sleep.
Battery life. A lot of cheaper headphones companies cut costs by using lower-quality batteries, which isn’t ideal if you want to use headphones all night. But not Musicozy. It charges in two hours and can last 10+ hours of continuous use.
Sound quality and additional features. The sound quality is good enough, considering its low price point. Plus, it has a 3D-contoured memory foam eye mask that blocks out any irritating outside light.
8. Moondrop Chu II – incredibly durable with a fair price
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal |
| Battery life: | Wired headphones |
| Comfort: | Fair |
| Sound quality: | Excellent |
The Moondrop Chu II is the only wired earbuds on our list primarily because of its excellent quality and fantastic price. If you’re more focused on durability and budget, the Moondrop Chu II are ideal. But you’re to sacrificing a little comfort and noise reduction.
Comfort. It’s lightweight, has interchangeable wires, and is built using Moondrop’s mature alloy casting technology to ensure it lasts the test of time. Although you might find the wires slightly uncomfortable while you sleep, they hook around your ear perfectly and are a tight fit, so they're unlikely to dislodge in the night.
Noise cancellation level. It’s important to note that these earbuds aren’t noise-canceling either but can help in reducing ambient noise.
Battery life. Since Moondrop Chu II are wired, there is no battery life to worry about.
Sound quality and additional features. The audio quality is superb as it uses technology typically only found in high-end premium headphones. Plus the Moondrop’s app allows you to fine-tune bass performance to suit your needs.
9. Bose QuietComfort 35 II – premium noise-canceling headphones
| Noise cancellation: | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 20 hours |
| Comfort: | Fair |
| Sound quality: | Excellent |
If loud noise in your neighborhood is keeping you awake all night, the Bose QuietComfort35 II is a great solution.
Comfort. Because of their soft padded earcups, these headphones are comfortable to wear for hours on end - doesn’t matter whether you do it while sleeping or being awake. However, if you enjoy sleeping on your side, these headphones might not be an ideal choice due to the same large padded earcups.
Noise cancellation level. It is renowned for its acoustic noise-canceling technology, capable of drowning out deafening noise – including sirens, parties, and even nearby construction.
Battery life. Additionally, it has a 20-hour battery life, so you don’t have to worry about it running out at night, and voice controls so it's easy to use even in the dark.
Sound quality and additional features. If you want to keep the volume lower to protect your ears from long-term headphone use, there’s Volume-Optimized EQ to guarantee quality sound no matter what.The only downside is its steep price. But if budget isn’t your concern, then we recommend giving it a look.
10. Sony WF 1000XM5 – crystal clear audio with advanced noise cancellation
| Noise cancellation: | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 8 hours |
| Comfort: | Great |
| Sound quality: | Excellent |
Comfort. In terms of comfort, the Sony WF 1000XM5 are 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the previous generation – showing Sony’s shift in focus toward comfort. The ear tips are very flexible, have angled nozzles to reduce the risk of slippage, and enable you to wear the headset all night with minimal discomfort.
Noise cancellation level. The Sony WF 1000XM5 uses its Integrated Processor V2, HD Noise canceling Processor QN2e, and microphone to detect and completely remove irritating noises keeping you awake.
Battery life. The Sony WF 1000XM5 have a battery life up to 8 hours which is optimal for a good nights sleep.
Sound quality and additional features. Its sound quality is outstanding, too, offering high-resolution audio that can maximize your feeling of relaxation and increase your chances of falling asleep. Additionally, the in-ear headphones are very easy to use and have Alexa built-in. So, you can avoid checking your phone and exposing yourself to blue light, which often affects people’s sleep.
Best noise-canceling headphones for sleeping compared
Here we compare three of our top choices based on their sleep performance.
| Model: | Soundcore by Anker Sleep A10 Earbuds | LC Dolida Sleep Headphones and Mask | Sony WF 1000XM4 |
| Noise cancellation: | Minimal | Minimal | Excellent |
| Battery life: | 10 hours | 8 hours | 30 hours |
| Comfort: | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| Sound quality: | Great | Great | Great |
| Additional information: |
|
|
|
- Pressure-relieving earbuds
How we selected these noise-canceling headphones for sleeping
Our experts selected the best noise-canceling headphones based on:
- Market research. Our team spends countless hours keeping up to date with the latest technology trends and features. This enables us to always know the latest and greatest headphone options. We always update our lists whenever something new and exciting hits the market.
- Technology. Most modern noise-canceling headphones have an airtight seal to keep disruptive environmental noise at bay. But the best headphones have advanced noise cancellation technology that dramatically reduces outside sound. We analyze every product we review to make sure they have the best tech to guarantee a quiet and peaceful sleep.
- Comfort. Every headphone brand attempts to design a comfortable headset. But most aren’t designed for overnight use. We tested the headphones and the comfort over time lying down to determine if they were good enough to feature.
- Price considerations. The best noise-canceling headphones are the perfect balance between price and value. We scanned the web, compared the prices of 10s of options, and analyzed the available features to find the best deals.
- Sound. We only recommend headphones with top-tier audio technology. Because the sound of low-quality audio is probably just as easily going to keep you up at night.
Also read:
Best noise-canceling headphones for airplane travel: discover the best noise-canceling headphones for flying
Best affordable noice-canceling headphones: check out the top budget-friendly options for noise canceling headphones
What is the difference between Noise Isolation vs. White Noise headphones for sleeping?
Noise Isolation creates a physical barrier between your ear and your environment, blocking out noise, whereas White Noise Headphones use relaxing sounds to drown out the outside world.
White noise headphones require power, typically a battery, but there are some wired versions too. On the other hand, Noise Isolation doesn’t need electricity.
Usually, White Noise headphones and Noise Isolation both create an effective seal to the outside world. But white noise sounds are better at reducing loud noise pollution.
That being said, Noise Isolation is more affordable and perfect if you prefer to sleep without music.
What are alternative sleep aid methods?
There are plenty of other alternatives to headphones that can help you sleep, including:
- White noise machines. These help you mask out disruptive noise with relaxing sounds, such as trees blowing in the wind or running water.
- Sleep apps. There are apps such as Sleep Cycle that help you record your sleeping patterns, provide guides to improve your sleep, and wake you at the perfect time.
- Weighted blankets. The heaviness of weighted blankets creates a sense of relaxation for your entire body, thanks to the added pressure.
- Sleep masks. These cover your eyes, blocking out light, which might prevent you from sleeping.
- Earmuffs. Cover your ears, reduce noisy distractions, and warm your ears for an extra-cosy feeling.
FAQs
Is it ok to sleep with headphones on?
Yes, it’s ok to sleep with headphones on. But listening to music at loud volumes for a long time can damage your hearing. It’s best to keep the volume relatively low. Plus, you should use wireless headphones to avoid the risk of pulling at wires or getting tangled up in your sleep.
What are the alternatives to earbuds for sleeping?
There are several alternatives for earbuds to help you sleep, including white noise machines, earmuffs, and ear plugs. White noise machines are beneficial if you’re trying to sleep in a loud area and want to mask environmental noise. Earmuffs and earplugs don’t produce any sound but help seal off your ears to drown out any sound.
Why has Bose Sleepbuds been discontinued?
Bose Sleepbuds were discontinued in 2023 because they weren’t selling as well as they hoped. However, Bose has released a 2nd generation of Sleepbuds that are still available today. The latest generation offers more stable connectivity and much better battery life, too.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are markedmarked