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Snoring. Banging doors. Garbage trucks. Vibrating phones.
The list of things that wake me up is endless—and I know I’m not alone. Take snoring, for example. According to the Sleep Foundation, 75 per cent of people who share a bed with a snorer say their sleep is affected.
I hear this all the time from my married friends. Most of them just grab their pillow and blanket and head for the couch, muttering under their breath as they go. I used to be one of them—tossing and turning, wondering how I could do this forever.
Then, I had a life-changing conversation about these tiny magical Soundcore Sleep a20 earbuds that fit snugly and play soothing white noise all night long. Still skeptical, I scrolled through review after the review, afraid to get my hopes up.
But I decided to go for it—I’d try anything. And I can say with certainly, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
My husband graciously took on kid duty—listening for any tiny footsteps during the night—while I slept soundly. I was deliriously happy with my noise masking earbuds and made it my mission to tell every sleep-deprived person I knew about these best earbuds for sleeping.
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Battery Life
I use my Soudcore Sleep a20 earbuds for up to nine hours a day, seven days a week. Almost a year in, and I haven’t had any issues with battery life. I’ve also tried the now-discontinued Bose Sleepbuds—great for white noise, but no Bluetooth on my model. The problem? The battery in one or both buds kept dying. So the fact that Soundcore’s battery is still going strong? Huge. (She says, knocking on wood).
Comfort
These slim sleep earbuds fit snuggly in your ears and are perfect for side sleepers (like me). They sit almost flush with my ear and come with three different silicone attachments, so you can choose the size that works best for you.
Sound library
There are lots of great noise-masking options to choose from. I’m a classic white noise gal myself—specifically Soundcore’s “Noise Masking” option. It’s powerful enough to keep snoring at bay without being too distracting. I keep the volume no higher than 35, or the noise becomes too loud for me to fall asleep.
Note: The volume can have a mind of its own. I’ve woken up before to find the volume had gone up to 50+. Ghosts?
Bluetooth
If you like to listen to music or podcasts as you fall asleep, these wireless sleep earbuds are a great option. A quick double-tap of your earbud switches the device to “Sleep Mode” and activates your favourite track from the sound library.
The APP
The Soundcore app is straightforward and easy to navigate. It also updates regularly, which I like. My only complaint? If you wake up in the middle of the night and want to adjust the volume, you need to reopen the app. It only takes a few seconds, but it’s a nuisance at 2 a.m.
Sleep mode
When you toggle on “Sleep Mode,” your Soundcore Sleep a20 earbuds keep going all night long. In this setting, your battery should last up to fourteen hours if you’re using the sound library. Or ten hours if you’re using Bluetooth. If you opt out of sleep mode, your buds will turn off two hours after you fall asleep. Your smart device detects when you’ve nodded off, and the two-hour timer starts.
Smart volume
This was an intriguing feature at first. The app controls the volume of your sound throughout the night. Once you fall asleep, the volume goes down. Noises in your room get louder? So does the volume. I tried this feature for one night. As soon as I got up to go to the bathroom and ran the faucet, the increased noise jolted me out of my half-awake state. I had to dash back to my room and reopen the app to turn the volume back down.
Sleep tracking
I’m obsessed with this feature (perhaps a bit too much). I can see when I fell asleep, how much of that sleep was deep, how many times I woke up, and even how many times I tossed and turned. I’ve read that this style of sleep tracking should be taken with a grain of salt, but a few months ago, I visited a sleep clinic and requested a breakdown of my sleep—light sleep, deep sleep, and awake hours. They matched up perfectly with my sleep earbuds.
Alarm
Yes, the alarm plays directly in your ear. What I like about the Soundcore Sleep a20 earbuds is that the noise stops for about five seconds before the alarm sounds, giving you a chance to stir naturally before it goes off.
The case
One important thing to note is that to charge your wireless sleep earbuds, you must slide the lid closed for charging to start. You’ll only make that mistake once, trust me.
The final verdict
I’ve been using my Soundcore Sleep a20 sleepbuds for nearly a year, and I haven’t encountered any issues with battery life or functionality. My advice? Give it a week. Sleeping with white noise in your ears isn’t for everyone. I found it strange at first, too, but now I can’t imagine sleeping without them.
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