What kind of earplugs should I use?

@Ponderer983 I used to wear plugs prior to the purchase of my white noise alarm clock. What I did to be able to hear everything I needed to was first, I cut the foam plugs in half and just put a bit in my ears. Next, once I figured out I mainly slept with my head to one side, I just put the ear plug in the ear theat wasn’t on the pillow.

You’ll need to creatively figure out what will work best for you.

I second the “white noise” for sleeping. The earplugs will block the alarm and dog barks too.

I’ve been sleeping with earplugs every night for the past few years and my body seems to have conditioned itself to still wake up to my alarm clock, even with the earplugs in. I just buy the little purple ones available at my local grocery store. They block out all the major noises that might keep me awake (traffic, people talking in the next room, roommates watching a movie in the living room, etc).

@SpatzieLover @Tropical_Willie What is the white noise thing? Is it like the sound machines? If it is, that may not work for me. I typically need damn near complete silence to fall asleep. That noise will be a distraction to me. Hence, the desire for earplugs.

Yes they are also known a “noise machines” or “wave machines.”

When you find the perfect ones let me know. I found some small child sized ones that seem to be a bit more comfortable with a gel.
If you are using an iPod or iPhone, you might want to look into an alarm clock app. I don’t have any trouble waking up, but I use a sleep hypnosis app to fall asleep when it’s really bad.

Here’s a typical white noise machine

I’ve had more expensive ones in the past that also imitated rain, waterfalls or ocean waves, but I never used those features. The white noise doesn’t vary so it is similar to the sound the a/c makes…a neutral kind of whoooooosh.

You can google to find the fancy once.

@Ponderer983 Does a fan help you sleep?

I’m very sensitive to any environmental noises when I’m trying to fall asleep, so I’ve come to rely on earplugs. I’ve become quite the earplug connoisseur, actually. I have tried nearly every brand and kind of earplug out there and been very dissatisfied. Foam earplugs often hurt my ears and they allow too much noise seepage. Other wax earplugs just didn’t cut it. The best for comfort and amount of sound blocked are called Quies. I’ve used them faithfully for years.

The Quies earplugs fit perfectly and comfortably in my ears and they block out so much noise, it’s heavenly. They helped me maintain my sanity while dating snorers and they have also worked great at concerts and loud events.

Earplugs won’t block out all of the sound, so you can hear things that are near to you or really loud. Generally, I can hear when people are talking to me, though I might not be able to make out what they are saying. I sleep with earplugs every night, pretty much, and I never have trouble waking up to my alarm.

If you are a super deep sleeper that can doze on through alarms without earplugs, then you will probably want to work out a backup, though. :P

@SpatzieLover I don’t have a fan to really know, although when I was in college I did. I got used to that sound. But the droning of a fan will not drown out the pounding of feet on hardwood floors above me when I am trying to sleep in the morning. It’s not I that I have have problems falling asleep, I am having issues with people waking me up when I am already asleep.

@MissAnthrope Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check them out. Can I get them at a drug store or supermarket? I don’t sleep through my alarm without earplugs, but I can be a deep sleeper sometimes. But the fact that I am waking up to people walking around upstairs, it can’t be that deep.

@Ponderer983 – I got mine from Amazon. :)

You can have custom silicone earmolds made with varying degrees of noise reduction. They will be more comfortable and effective than the generics, and they will last for years.

I use a noise maker app on my iPhone to help me sleep because I am a light sleeper and I have tinnitus, for which earplugs aren’t effective. I also don’t like the idea of blocking sound – especially when I was sleeping alone and when my son was younger – so I started using the noise. You may still hear the neighbors’ pounding footsteps, but they will not seem as sharp or startling because the noise machine masks it to some extent. You will also hear your alarm and your dog. And if you do awaken for any reason during the night, the noise helps lull you back to sleep more easily.