Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds for Sleeping (Top 5 Picks) (2024)

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Noise-cancelling earbuds work by utilizing active noise cancellation technology or most popularly known as ANC. ANC can efficiently block off background sounds such as your partner’s loud snoring or the occasional bark from the dog across the street. We’ve narrowed down the best noise-cancelling earbuds to help you get that quality sleep you’ve been looking for.

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Best Noise-Cancelling Earbuds – our top 5 picks:

1. QuietOn Sleep Earbuds
2. Bose QuietComfort Earbuds
3. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
4. Apple Airpods Pro
5. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

#1. QuietOn Sleep Earbuds – Best Overall

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Our experience with QuietOn 3.1 Noise Canceling Earbuds

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If you’re willing to spend a little extra money on a pair of very good sleeping earbuds with noise reduction, the QuietOn Sleep Earbuds is a good option.

Considered one of the most expensive sleep earbuds with ANC, these wireless headphones feature a compact size and smooth design, making them the perfect sleep luxury earbuds.

Unlike standard ear foams, which only cancel medium to high-frequency noises, the QuietOn Sleep Earbuds are designed to drown out all sound frequencies, especially low-frequency noises such as your drunk neighbor next door hollering during a late-night party.

Their ANC technology works by sampling the ambient sound through the headphone’s built-in microphone. Afterward, the noise is reduced with opposing sound waves through its speaker, resulting in calm silence.

The earbuds also have two modes: silencing and listening. Silencing mode is suitable for use during sleep because it blocks background noises using active noise-cancelling technology. On the other hand, hearing mode can be used during a commute or ride, allowing you to interact with those around you.

If you’re worried that these noise cancelling earbuds will go off on your ears during sleep, you are mistaken. Each pair have three different size soft memory foam tips to ensure a secure and comfortable fit allowing you to freely sleep in any position.

The earbuds also have a 20-hour battery life so you won’t have to worry about it going off during sleep.

The SleepOn Quiet Earbuds come with a charging case and cable and offer a 1-year warranty plus a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Buy: QuietOn Sleep Earbuds

#2. Bose QuietComfort – Best High-End Earbuds

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Bose has long been regarded as an industry pioneer in headphones and earbuds with flawless construction and groundbreaking noise-cancellation innovations.

With the release of the Bose QuietComfort earbuds, they have once again proven themselves to be one of the best audio manufacturers in the world.

Regarded as one of the best noise cancelling earbuds in the market, these wireless headphones with ANC technology offers two sleek colors: Soapstone and Triple black

Despite the headphones’ high price, buyers and critics alike have been raving about them for their ability to reliably and efficiently cancel out sounds using Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling Technology.

Although they were not designed exclusively for sleep, these noise-cancelling sleep earbuds from Bose perform just as well (if not better!) than other sleep earbuds with ANC technology.

For instance, they have 11 ANC levels, allowing you to listen to music or podcasts without interruptions while maintaining crisp and consistent sound quality. If you want to participate in conversations, you can always toggle transparency mode.

The Bose QC Earbuds, like the SleepOn Quiet Earbuds, works by piping in external sound waves through its mic, allowing you to filter out any ambient noises that interrupt your sleep.

We increased the noise-cancelling level to maximum, and the earbuds immediately attenuated ambient sounds.

The only disadvantage of this noise cancelling earbuds is its chunkiness. Although they offer three ear tip sizes, their bulky weight makes them unsuitable for side and stomach sleepers. So, if you’re a restless sleeper, this product isn’t for you.

The Bose QuietComfort comes with a charging case and a USB cable. They have a 90-day risk-free trial as well as a one-year warranty.

Buy: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds

#3. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live – Best for Android Users

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For people who are not comfortable with gadgets cocooned to their ears during sleep, we highly recommend using the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live.

Unlike other in-ear headphones in the market, these wireless bean-shaped earbuds do not seal our ear canal. Instead, they sit snugly on our outer ear and are positioned at just the right angle, making them one of the most comfortable noise-cancelling earbuds we’ve tested.

The Galaxy Buds are available in a range of eye-catching colors, which is a big bonus for us! (Who doesn’t like color?)

Aside from producing high-quality audio, the earbuds enable you to freely change and monitor the audio through the Galaxy Buds iOs companion app (Galaxy Wearable on Android).

Although we like how the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live produces bright, high-quality audio, we’re not a fan of their ANC feature.

For example, even after triggering the ANC toggle, we can still hear some ambient noise, indicating that this pair is not particularly good at blocking out background noises.

To summarize, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are among the best wireless earbuds for its price. However, if you’re looking for a product with noise reduction capabilities to add into your sleep routine, this isn’t the best option.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, like the majority of the brand’s products, comes with a one-year warranty.

Buy: Samsung Galaxy Buds Live

#4. Apple Airpods Pro – Best for iPhone Users

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Apple has stepped up its game by releasing exciting new features for the Apple Airpods Pro making them one of the best noise cancelling earbuds in the market.

The Pro model, unlike the original AirPods, is sweat and water-resistant, has ANC and a remarkable noise-isolating design.

It also includes three silicone ear tip sizes to fit various ear sizes, so you won’t have to worry about it slipping out of your ears while sleeping.

In terms of price, the Pro is much more expensive than its predecessor – which is to be expected, given that the earlier version does not have an ANC feature.

And, like other noise-cancelling earbuds we’ve tried, they’re not specifically built for sleep, but their active noise-cancellation function works wonders in drowning out noise disruptions.

The headphones have two built-in microphones, one facing inward and one facing outward. The outward-facing microphone filters out background sounds and cancels them using ANC technology. Meanwhile, the inward mic listens and cancels out the external mic’s noise until it hits the ears.

We checked this one to see if it could mask the noisy humming of the air conditioner, and it did!

Aside from its impressive ANC feature, they also have a transparency mode that helps you to carry on a conversation, making them suitable for people who want to integrate them into their everyday routines.

Overall, we recommend these pair for sleep. Not only are they comfortable and sweat-resistant, but they also have an impressive noise-cancellation feature as compared to other wireless earbuds. The only downside to them is their hefty price, but if you are willing to spend a considerable amount of money for this pair, then by all means.

The Apple Airpods Pro comes with a wireless charging case, a lightining-to-USB-C cable and silicone ear tips. They also have a 1 year warranty.

Buy: Apple Airpods Pro

#5. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 – Best for Long Battery Life

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We can pretty much see why fans and critics tout the Sennheiser earbuds as the best noise cancelling earbuds.

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, like the Apple Airpods Pro, is the newer version of the company’s first ever wireless earbuds with ANC. The latest model has innovative new features that the predecessor did not, such as active noise cancellation and enhanced battery life.

If you want an optimal and high-quality audio experience, then we recommend that you grab a pair of these earbuds.

Audio quality of the Sennheiser has been praised by both reviewers and buyers because of their ability to produce pure and fine sound.

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 is also slightly smaller than the first generation model and comes with four silicone ear tips for a more secure fit. This does not, however, imply that this wireless pair is suitable for sleeping.

Because of their bulk and weight, the earbuds appear to protrude from the ears, making them uncomfortable and difficult to wear while sleeping.

In terms of their ANC feature, the Sennheiser does a good job of attenuating external noises.

Their ANC functions similarly to the AirPods Pro, masking out ambient noise. However, we found that it does not completely balance out the sounds of people talking, so we’re not sure if this would work for sleepers who want to eliminate background noise.

They are also relatively pricey – much more expensive than the Airpods Pro – so if you want a pair of low-cost wireless earbuds with the same ANC functionality, this is not the choice for you. However, if you want to invest in headphones with a remarkable audio quality and ANC, go ahead.

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 is available in white and black and comes with a charging case, silicone ear adapter sets (in sizes XS, S, M, L), and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

In addition, the headphones come with a 2-year full replacement warranty.

Buy: Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Quick View and Comparison

FAQs:

1. How do noise-canceling headphones work?

Noise-cancelling headphones use active noise cancellation (ANC) to block out background sounds for a better listening experience. First, the microphone detects low-frequency noise and cancels them out before they reach the ears. Meanwhile, the headphones produce a sound that is diametrically opposed to the sound wave in order to deliberately counteract the noise.

2. Are noise-canceling headphones safe?

Yes. Noise cancelling headphones and earbuds are perfectly safe to use. They do not pose any health and safety risks.

3. Are noise-canceling headphones worth it?

Noise canceling headphones are worth the investment if you want headphones or earbuds that can effectively block out unwanted background noises and distractions.

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