Best sleep headphones and earbuds that will help you drift off, tried and tested

I’ve been testing the Soundcore sleep A20 since they launched, and now I can’t sleep without them. They’re lightweight and thin enough to comfortably wear all night long, with a soft and ergonomic design that slips so snugly into the ear that you can happily sleep on your side without any trouble (and without them falling out at 2am).

They’re physically too compact to contain the kind of active noise-cancelling tech you find in the AirPods Pro. Instead the sealed eartips effectively block out external sounds, while the earbuds themselves play soothing tracks to mask any other noise that might otherwise disturb you. You get a full library of nature sounds to choose from in the app – forests, babbling brooks and the like – as well as tried-and-true classics such as white and pink noise.

The A20s even let you personalise your own white noise, dialling in different frequencies to cover up the exact tone and timbre of your partner’s snoring. Podcast fans can stream their favourite true crime stories from their phone, you can play music and YouTube too, and the app will switch to white noise or turn off completely once you’ve fallen asleep.

The app experience could be slicker, audio quality can’t compare to proper, full-size earbuds, and I didn’t find the sleep tracking feature as useful as ones you’ll find on the best smartwatches, but the core features are solid. The sleep A20s offer a pressure-free fit, all-night comfort and battery life, a library of snooze-inducing sounds and white noise, a slick little charging case and the versatility to stream podcasts.

Don’t splash too much cash if you just want to listen to an occasional guided meditation as you drop off. These budget headphones are far less pricey than any of the other headphones I tested, and are ideal for using once in a while.

The speakers are inside a soft blue sports headband, which is surprisingly comfortable to wear. I thought I might feel the speakers when I slept on my side but they didn’t bother me at all. Be aware that, despite appearances, the headband can’t be worn as a sleep mask at the same time, as the speakers are then too low for your ears.

There’s no library of content, so the headband is best suited for anyone who wants to play their own music or podcasts. It connects quickly over Bluetooth and has a small panel at the front for controlling the music or answering phone calls with the built-in microphone.

Just make sure you leave more time to get ready the next morning, as I woke with flat-as-a-pancake hair after wearing these overnight.

If you’re looking for a pair of headphones that does everything, these Sony earbuds are great. Though they’re not designed specifically for sleeping, they are some of the most lightweight and comfortable in-ear headphones I’ve ever tried.

The earbud’s flat exterior meant they didn’t even bother me while I was lying on my side. In fact, the first time I used them to listen to music before sleeping, I dropped off while wearing them – although, it would really be best to remove them before you drift off.

There are cheaper earbuds available but the fit and noise-cancelling capabilities of these really make them worth the extra cash. Even when I wasn’t playing music through them, they stopped me hearing my partner’s snores, so they’d be perfect on a noisy flight or in an office, if you need a bit of peace. Noise cancelling can be adjusted even further through the Sony app, too.

Sound quality is excellent, and the impressive 20-hour battery life means they won’t need a daily charge. I liked the fact the controls were on the headphones themselves, too, so I didn’t need to scramble about to find my phone when I was trying to wind down. They even work with Amazon Alexa, if you really don’t want to lift a finger.

These great value headphones can also be worn as an eye mask, so they’re a good choice if you need to block out light as well as noise. The band is extremely comfortable to wear and I couldn’t feel the soft, thin speakers at all when I slept on my side. The headband could also be worn while running, if you don’t like using buds while you exercise.

Extremely easy to use – there’s no app or paired content – you simply link the headband to your phone via Bluetooth and play whatever you want.

Once charged with the included USB cable – this takes about an hour – you’ll have enough juice for around 10 hours of listening. While the this headband design won’t completely block out deafening snorers, it will make sure you can snooze in comfort to the sound of your choice.

Though you can’t actually wear these while sleeping, these Bose headphones are by far the most comfortable model I tested for winding down with music in bed before drifting off. The synthetic leather cups are astonishingly soft and feather-light, which really helped me switch off and relax.

They were easy to set up and pair via Bluetooth, while the sound quality is impeccable, so you can really focus on a playlist or meditation and zone out of external noise, ready for sleep. Noise cancellation is astonishing, too – I wore these on a long plane journey and couldn’t hear the sound of the engines at all.

If you’re wearing them out and about during the day, though, it’s easy to switch to “aware mode” to hear external noises when you need to be, well, aware of your surroundings.

These are ideal if you want blissfully comfortable, wear-all-day headphones that you’re happy to slip off just before you drop off.