How to choose earplugs and an eye mask: cutting noise and light for sleep

5 min read

In "Can you catch up on lost sleep on the weekend?" I wrote that sleep isn't only about hours; whether you feel rested matters too.

Of the things that disturb sleep, the easiest to reduce yourself are bedroom noise and light. The short version: earplugs if noise bothers you, an eye mask if light does. Choose earplugs by "do they fit and not hurt" rather than "how much they block," and an eye mask by "does it press on my eyes" and "does light leak in at the gaps."

Bottom line: choosing by problem

Noise and light affect sleep

The World Health Organization's Environmental Noise Guidelines (2018, European Region) strongly recommend reducing night-time road traffic noise below an average of 45 decibels (Lnight) to prevent effects on sleep [1]. If you live near a main road, noise can reach you even with the windows closed.

On light, there's an experiment in which healthy young adults slept one night in a dark room (under 3 lux) and the next with the overhead light on (100 lux). On the night with the light on, their heart rate during sleep was higher, and their insulin resistance (how poorly the blood-sugar-lowering hormone works) was higher the next morning [2]. It was a small, short experiment, but it supports the idea that it's better to make the room dark when you sleep.

On earplugs and eye masks themselves, there's an experiment in which healthy people slept in a room recreating the noise and lighting of an intensive care unit (ICU), and sleep measures were better when they used earplugs and eye masks than when they didn't [3]. A Cochrane review of studies on ICU patients also found that earplugs and eye masks may have a positive effect on sleep, while rating the evidence as low quality [4].

But both are studies in hospital settings. We don't know whether you'd see a difference of the same size in a bedroom at home. It's more accurate to think of these not as tools that promise "you'll sleep better," but as tools that reduce the interference of noise and light.

Choosing earplugs

• If the package lists a noise-reduction rating (NRR or SNR, in decibels), it's a useful guide. But if they're not inserted properly, they won't block as much as the number says. Put fit ahead of a high number
• Ear canal sizes differ between people, so trying a small sampler pack with different sizes and shapes makes it easier to find the right one
• If you sleep on your side, choose shorter ones that won't stick out of your ears

Choosing an eye mask

• Contoured or flat: contoured masks with hollows over the eyes press less on the eyelids and lashes. Flat ones are lighter and fold up for travel
• Gaps around the nose: light most often leaks in beside the nose. Check whether there's extra fabric at the nose
• Strap: adjustable length. Too tight and your head or eyes will hurt
• Washable: it touches your skin directly, so choose one that's washable or has a replaceable cover

There are also heated eye masks, but here I've focused on ones for blocking light.

Precautions

• Check once that you can still hear your alarm and the smoke detector with earplugs in
• Keep earplugs clean, and don't reuse disposable ones. If you get ear pain, itching, or discharge, stop using them, and see an ear, nose and throat doctor if it continues
• If an eye mask makes your eyes hurt or turn red, stop using it
• If you snore heavily, are very sleepy during the day, or can't sleep for days on end, don't rely on gadgets; talk to a doctor

Once the room is dark and quiet, ways to keep a steady wake time are in "Can you change being a morning or night person?", and how to nap is in "How long should a nap be?"

If you choose by these guidelines