A good night’s sleep is harder than it seems. We’ve all been forced to share a room with a loud snorer, got sat next to a crying baby on a long flight or had to listen to the sound of sirens in a busy city, making it nearly impossible to get a good sleep. If counting sheep and noise machines don’t quite cut it, sleep headphones are a compact, pocketable, and travel-proof solution.

Designed specifically to comfortably fit your ears while you sleep, I wish I would’ve known about sleep headphones when I was sharing a room with my family on vacation. So, if you’re looking for another way of falling asleep, here are our picks for the best sleep headphones based on our testing and research.

Best sleep headphones: Our top picks

From our testing, the Kokoon Nightbuds are well worth the $285 price tag. Whether you sleep on your side, stomach or back, you’ll be able to comfortably wear these earbuds. The connecting app allows you to choose from different white noises, guided sleep programs and music files to help soothe you to sleep.

The meditation setting stands out in particular as one that can help even the most restless sleeper fall asleep. Kokoon Nightbuds also act as a sleep tracker, giving you basic data on how you slept and your heart rate.

The battery life is also impressively long, lasting several nights before you need to charge it again. If you’re searching for the best sleep headphones on the market, the Kokoon Nightbuds are a worthy choice.

The Perytong sleep headphones are built not just for sleeping but for working out, travel and more. The headphones are made of cool, breathable material and comfortably fit around your head. Other features include ultra-thin HD stereo speakers, a sleep mask and Bluetooth capability.

Although the sound quality isn’t as great as more luxury headphones, users can still enjoy decent sound quality with noise blocking abilities. Overall, the Perytong sleep headphones aren’t the fanciest on the market, but are still a good buy for $20.

Soundcore’s Sleep A10 earbuds are the perfect option for those looking to invest in high quality sleeping earbuds but don’t want to spend over $200. The earbuds are lightweight and come with interchangeable ear wings to fit any size or shape of ear. By connecting to the Soundcore app, users can choose from a selection of calming noises to help soothe them to sleep. On the Soundcore app, users can also control the volume, track their sleep and set personal alarms.

The biggest con of the headphones is that the earbuds aren’t noise-canceling, but noise masking. Using the Bluetooth ability to either play your own sounds or the soundcore sounds will help mask surrounding noise, but won’t completely block out surrounding noise.

The LC Dolida Sleep Headphones are built for those who need headphones simply for falling asleep, but not necessarily staying asleep. The headphones are extremely breathable and have Bluetooth capability, allowing you to soothe yourself to sleep with any audio of your choice. The LC Dolida Headphones can connect to any Bluetooth capable device within a 45-foot range, meaning that if you like to sleep with your phone far away from you, you’ll still be able to connect to it.

After a full two-hour charge, the headphones typically last for about 10 hours before needing to be recharged. It’s important to note that many users have complained about the headphones slipping off your head or moving in the middle of the night, which can make it uncomfortable for those who need headphones to stay asleep all night.

If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option that functions much like a sleep mask, the Winonly sleep headphones are available for $20. After about an hour of charging, the headphones maintain a battery life of 10 to 12 hours.

Plus, for those looking for a light blocking sleep mask in addition to sleep headphones, the headphones are designed to block out 95% of outside light. While customer reviews reveal the sound quality isn’t comparable to the best noise-cancelling headphones, it’s effective for helping folks ease into sleep.

The LC Dolida Sleep Mask with Headphones is a great option for those who want both high quality sleep headphones and a decent sleep mask. The sleeping mask is what makes this product stand out from the rest. The cushioned mask is indented, leaving space for your eyes to open and close, while also blocking out the majority of all surrounding light. Plus, the mask is designed to feel soft and light up against your skin.

As far as the headphone aspect goes, the sound quality is pretty good and there’s easy connectivity to Bluetooth. The headphones average about 10 to 13 hours of playing time after an hour-long charge. Although the headphones aren’t noise-canceling, many customers say they still do a pretty good job at blocking out all surrounding noise.

If you find headband sleep headphones style constrictive, but you don’t want to spend over $100 on sleep earbuds, then the Lobkin Bluetooth earbuds are a good alternative. Although the headphones aren’t noise-cancelling, they promise effective noise-blocking. The earbuds are small and lightweight, promising comfortable wear even for side sleepers. Additionally, the sides don’t feature buttons on the earbuds themselves, eliminating the need to worry about pressing any if you tend to sleep on your side.

Based on all the Amazon reviews, the audio quality seems to be good for the price. Some have complained that the volume doesn’t get very loud, but if you don’t mind lower audio, then the Lobkin Bluetooth earbuds are a great buy.

The first thing that stuck out to me about the Lullaband Sleep Headphones is the design of them. And while some of the sleep headphones on this list aren’t the most fashionable, the Lullaband sleep headphones come in a sleek black design, making them a better option to wear while traveling or working out.

As far as the quality goes, the sound is pretty decent and the headphones can easily pair with any Bluetooth device. The battery life lasts for over 10 hours, so just long enough to get a full night’s sleep and then some.

The bottom line: What are the best headphones for sleeping?

If money were no object, I would definitely go with the Kokoon Nightbuds. The Kokoon Nightbuds are well worth the investment. Out of all the items on the list, the Kokoon Nightbuds are the only ones that have excellent noise cancelation and give a more in-depth analysis of your sleeping habits.

However, not everyone wants to drop over $200 on a pair of earbuds solely meant for sleep, which is why my next choice would be the LC Dolida sleep mask with headphones. The $26 headphones have over 20,000 reviews on Amazon with an average of a 4.3/5-star rating. If you want earbud style, for a lower price, then I would go with the Lobkin Bluetooth Earbuds.

What is the difference between sleep headphones and regular headphones?

Sleep headphones are designed with sleep in mind. Regular earbuds or headphones aren’t meant for lying down and all the twisting and turning that comes along with a restless night’s sleep. Sleep headphones typically come in a headband design which wraps around your head or in an earbud design.

What is the difference between noise-canceling and noise-masking?

Noise-canceling more or less guarantees to cancel out the majority of surrounding noise, whereas noise masking muffles the noise around you but isn’t built for canceling out all surrounding noises. Most of the items on the list above are noise masking. If you’re looking for true noise-canceling headphones, you may want to look at buying noise-canceling earbuds.

Should I buy the sleep headband design or the sleep earbud design?

Ultimately, it’s up to your preference. I personally prefer wearing earbuds over the headband style mainly because I don’t want to mess up my hair, but if you want a more secure fit around your head, then go with the headband design. At the end of the day, it’s all about what is most comfortable for you.