The Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones for Sleeping
Feb 18th, 2022 •
No one enjoys turning up their music to a near-deafening volume just to drown out background noise. Thankfully, whether you’re traveling, working, or trying to fall asleep, a quality pair of noise-cancelling headphones will prevent you from ever having to crank up the volume when you don’t want to.
And, with so many noise-cancelling headphones on the market, your options really are endless. To help you narrow down your choices, we’ve compiled a list of the best four noise-cancelling headphones available today.
Best Noise-Cancelling Headphones for Sleep
- Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones – Best Overall
- AcousticSheep SleepPhones – Best Fabric Headphones
- Cowin E7 Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones – Best Technology
- LETSCOM Bluetooth Headphones IPX7 – Best Over-the-Ear Headphones
- COWIN E7 PRO Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones – Best Sound Quality
- Letsfit Bluetooth 5.0 Headphones – Best for Traveling

1. Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones
Best Overall Noise-Cancelling Headphones
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Headphones are the best headphones you can get for noise-cancelling and sleeping. These headphones have three levels of world-class noise cancellation technology so you can sleep soundly all through the night.
The Bose QuietComfort headphones offer a best-in-class combination of noise cancellation and stellar sound quality. While they are more expensive than alternative options, their qualities make the price worth it. They’re Alexa-enabled, wireless, and do a great job of blocking out external noises.

2. AcousticSheep SleepPhones
Best Fabric Headphones for Sleeping
If you’re a side sleeper, or just generally seeking better comfort while you sleep with headphones, fabric headphones like the AcousticSheep SleepPhones are ideal for you. These fabric headphones are extremely comfortable and convenient for listening to audio while you sleep.
With great functionality, these fabric headphones stand out among the rest. They’re Bluetooth-enabled, have built-in controls for play, pause, and skip, built with top-notch audio quality, long-lasting battery power, and they have great range reaching 15-30 feet. These award-winning fabric headphones are ideal for a comfortable night’s sleep.

3. Cowin E7 Active Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Best Technology
COWIN’s wireless, over-the-ear headphones feature cutting-edge technology to cancel out the background noises experienced during travel and daily life. The speakers come equipped with 40mm large-aperture drivers producing an incredibly deep and accurate bass response that will leave you impressed with the sound quality.
They include a built-in microphone and an NFC chip, allowing you to pair the headphones with your phone and use voice commands to make calls or send messages. Finally, the long battery life gives you 30 hours of wireless, Bluetooth playtime per charge, so you don’t have to worry about running out of power throughout your travels.

4. LETSCOM Bluetooth Headphones IPX7
Best Over-the-Ear Headphones for Sleep
LETSCOM’s IPX7 wireless headphones are the perfect workout headphones. Not only are they wireless but they are also waterproof and sweat-proof, which means you won’t have to be concerned with damaging these earphones while exercising.
They come with three different sizes of gel ear tips, ensuring that the earbuds will fit perfectly in your ears and not come loose during activity. Although they are small, the 11mm vibrating diaphragm produces incredibly clear sound and high-quality bass. The built-in microphone allows you to make hands-free phone calls so you can use your phone while you work out. Finally, the Lithium battery provides you with 8 hours of continuous play time and ensures that you’ve got more than enough power to go to the gym.

5. COWIN E7 PRO Active noise-cancelling Headphones
Best Sound Quality Headphones
The E7 Pro is the upgraded version of COWIN’s E7 noise-cancelling Headphone so it packs even more of a punch than the E7. The biggest upgrade with the E7 Pro is the switch from 40mm large-aperture drivers to 45mm drivers, resulting in even higher quality sound and increasing the decibel production from 75dB to 85dB.
The Pro also features upgraded ear cushions for added comfort. They updated to Bluetooth 4.0 and replaced the mic, so the connection to your smartphone is much stronger. Finally, the battery life is the same as the E7, providing you with 30-hours of playtime and the noise-cancelling technology still reigns supreme in its category.

6. Letsfit Bluetooth 5.0 Headphones True Wireless in-Ear Earbuds
Best Sleep Headphones for Traveling
Letsfit’s Bluetooth 5.0 Earbuds are compact and easy to travel with and they offer premium sound quality. They utilize the latest in Bluetooth technology – Bluetooth 5.0 – which has 4 times the range of Bluetooth 4.2, so you can wander pretty far from your phone without being disconnected.
The battery lasts for a continuous 3.5 hours, but the carrying case acts as a charger and offers an extra 16.5 hours of energy – so when you’re not using the earbuds they are conveniently recharging in the case. The earbuds are sweat and weather-resistant, which means you can work out without having to worry about damaging the internal components. And, the headphones include three different sized earbud tips, so you can find the perfect fit for your ear shape.
How to Choose the Best Headphones for Sleep and Noise-Cancellation
When it comes to technology, the options are endless. Therefore, you need to know the right things to look for in any technological product — such as noise cancelling headphones.
Noise Isolation vs Noise Cancelling
Noise isolation is simple. It means removing the extra sound that gets in your ear to the highest extent. But noise cancellation is a technology in itself. Let us look at the differences between these two terms in detail. Then you can look at the different headphones in our list and choose the one that suits you the best.
What Noise Isolation Actually Means
Noise isolating headphones block out external noise through physical means. It is not a technology like it is in noise cancellation. Noise isolation is also sometimes called “passive noise cancellation”.
What Noise Cancellation Means
Noise cancelling headphones generally have a microphone built-in that catches the external noise and creates a sound wave to actively block the noise. Noise isolation headphones just have a seal or padding around your ears to block the noise out.
There are a few thumb rules you should remember when selecting noise cancellation or noise isolation headphones:
- Price often reflects quality. The more you pay, the more value you get. Sometimes the technology is better and other times, additional perks like detachable cable and lifetime warranty come on offer.
- If you are going to use the headphones just for music, and not for watching movies and such, noise isolation headphones can work well for you. You can play the music at low volume and still enjoy the music.
- Quality can be subjective. Some people love Bose while others like basic Shures.
What type of headphones should I buy?
Some types are much more suitable for sleeping than others. For example, over-the-ear-headphones have earcups big enough to fit the whole ear, providing excellent sound quality, but they’re not comfortable to wear in bed.
On-ear headphones are slightly smaller and sit on the ears rather than on the head itself. However, they can still result in discomfort if worn in bed. In-ear headphones (earbuds) are a good choice for sleeping headphones as they’re small and lightweight. Bedphones – which are marketed as the thinnest headphones on earth – come highly recommended.
Special sleeping headphones which are designed especially for sleeping, including the popular SleepPhones, perform best. However, you should be prepared to pay more for these custom-designed solutions.
How much should I spend on headphones for sleeping?
If you’re buying headphones to help you fall asleep, it makes sense to buy the best pair you can afford. It’s essentially an investment into your health, and one that your body and mind will thank you for making. Low cost models will be more likely to break, sound bad and feel uncomfortable.
Should I choose wired or wireless headphones?
This is really a personal choice, but there are some considerations to make. If you hate cables, you may prefer to go wireless. However, with wireless headphones, battery life can be affected.
Whilst modern Bluetooth devices are constantly improving, you may want to find out how many hours of playback a pair of headphones will give you in wireless mode. There are some safety risks to sleeping with a cable around your head, particularly if you’re a restless sleeper.
Should I choose fabric or noise cancelling headphones?
In a world where technology is continuously evolving, it’s no surprise that there’s such a wide range of styles and designs of headphones available on the market. Generally, there are two types that work best in bed. These are padded fabric headphones, which are designed specifically for sleeping, and noise cancelling headphones.
There are a few differences between these two types of headphones: their ability to block out external sound, sound quality and price. Fabric headphones aren’t great at blocking out loud sounds, such as snoring for example, but are comfortable to wear and are inexpensive too.
Noise cancelling headphones not only block out most unwanted external noise, but they also have a superior sound quality. However, the downside is that they are usually a lot more expensive.
How Noise-Cancelling Headphones Help You Sleep
There is nothing worse than being kept up at night by distracting noises. Whether it’s your neighbors arguing or your partner’s snoring, trying to fall asleep amongst the ruckus can be maddening.
Thankfully, music can be one of the easiest and safest sleep aids for people suffering from poor sleep – especially when you’re dealing with obnoxious background noises. The only issue with using music to cover background noise is that you end up having to blast the music, which ends up preventing you from falling asleep.
This is where noise-cancelling headphones come into play! Noise-cancelling headphones provide you with the ability to listen to music at a calming volume without disturbing anyone – and they will block out all those obnoxious sounds keeping you up at night. Using these headphones to listen to music in bed is the perfect way to help you fall asleep at night!
Benefits of Using Noise Cancelling Headphones
1. Reduce Stress
We live in an environment with constant buzzing of cellphones and noise from television, traffic and whatnot. This noise is not just unpleasant but can lead to stress. It is a fact that people who are exposed to high levels of noise are more prone to suffer from diseases like heart attacks.
Therefore, if you start using noise cancelling headphones, it would decrease your exposure to noise and in turn reduce the stress from your life. As a result, you will feel happier and more at ease with yourself. The most important thing is that your health will improve.
2. Richer Sound
The music you hear feels more vibrant when there is no noise in the background. It can help you enjoy your leisure time as you can put on some relaxing music and feel the higher level of pleasure that one gets with clear, crisp and vibrant sound.
Also you won’t need to listen to the music at high volume to hear the variations and richness of sounds. Just turn on the music at normal volume and feel the vibrant sound in your ears.
3. Full Concentration While Studying
Noise cancellation headphones are not for just fun and rejuvenation. They can allow you or your children to concentrate while studying. The external noise of people talking, cars moving in traffic or other sounds distract us from fully concentrating on the task at hand.
Therefore, it helps tremendously to cut out all the external noise through noise-cancelling headphones. This is especially helpful for kids as they find it harder to remain disciplined.
4. Sleep Better
Noise cancellation headphones can help you doze off at night. How? Listen to some mellow music and block out the external noise. It is obvious that listening to music reduces stress levels and improves happiness and mental balance.
But picking any headphones that are marketed as “noise cancelling” won’t work. Go through this quick guide to know which ones can actually help you sleep better.
5. Relief from Noisy Neighbors and Snoring Spouse
Noise cancelling headphones not only help you sleep better, they also help you avoid noisy neighbors. You no longer have to tolerate their annoying noise at 2 am in the night. Just put the noise-cancelling headphones on, play a mellow track and zoom — doze off to sleep.
And if your spouse happen to be a snorer, anti-snoring noise cancelling headphones can allow you to sleep with them without getting annoyed or having your sleep disturbed. Imagine going to bed and not being able to sleep because someone else is snoring or making noises in a neighboring house.
You would be furious, right? Well, noise-cancelling headphones can settle the matter for you without any collateral damage.
6. Get things done
No matter whether it is studying, mowing the lawn, or cleaning your home – you can get anything done with some music in your ears. And it is all the better when when there is no external noise of traffic or people talking. Just hit play and get in the zone.
Conclusion
Whether it’s for traveling, working, or just day-to-day life, everyone needs a quality pair of noise-cancelling earphones. Use this list of the best noise-cancelling headphones to make sure that you pick the perfect pair!
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