Earplugs
Foam or silicone plugs that cut night noise without making a room silent
Small foam, wax or silicone plugs pushed into the ear canal at night. The sleeping brain keeps listening, so a barking dog or a passing truck can drag someone into a lighter stage without ever waking them. Plugs suit sudden, irregular noise better than they suit a constant hum.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Matthew WalkerRecommends
Sleep scientist · author of Why We Sleep
Cutting noise pollution makes a real difference, he said in a listener AMA, and earplugs are often the way to do it. His co-host Eti prefers silicone ones. Both state they have no financial tie to the company behind them.
Source: The Matt Walker Podcast: Ask Me Anything Part 11
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep.
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
WHOOP
Screenless wrist strap tracking strain, recovery and sleep
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Oura Ring
Ring-worn sleep and readiness tracker
On record from 5 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 3 have discussed it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Blue-light blocking glasses
Amber lenses worn in the evening: popular, and genuinely contested
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Eight Sleep
Mattress cover that actively heats and cools each side of the bed
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Light therapy lamp
Bright artificial light for dark mornings when sunlight is not available
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Sleep eye mask
A cloth mask that blocks light at the eyes when a room cannot be made dark
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.