I admit it... I love when people ask me questions where I might not fully know the answer. It gives me an opportunity to do a little research on my own and learn something in the process. Yesterday was no exception!
One of SenseHaven.com's readers sent in a question asking if I knew of any noise isolation/reduction products that a person can wear when sleeping - like earmuffs. Now let me preface my discoveries with: I am very familiar with earmuff products that have speakers in them. I got my first pair back in the early '80s, not for any sound masking purpose, but just because it was a techie novelty item that caught my interest. They had purple fake fur on them and I used to wear them all the time while listening to my walkman at the bus stop. The problem with those were that the headband connecting piece was so flimsy, that it wound up breaking after several months of heavy use, the sound quality was "eh," but most importantly, they were corded, which is not something you want to wear when sleeping. When I started my search yesterday, I found a lot of bulky earmuff devices that were wireless, but they were akin to the type of headphones that airline workers wear (even the kinds that were covered by soft materials). I couldn't imagine trying to wear them while sleeping. But I did find two other solutions that seemed to be more plausible sleep aid products for misophonia sufferers: speaker pillows, and something called "SleepPhones."
As far as speaker pillows...I remembered that a couple of months ago I wrote something in a blog comment reply about finding a sound masking noise generator with an earphone jack that works with speaker pillows, something I never heard of before but realized that I hadn't looked into what kind of speaker pillows are out there; so, I took this as an opportunity to investigate a little further... I'm very excited about what I found!
One of SenseHaven.com's readers sent in a question asking if I knew of any noise isolation/reduction products that a person can wear when sleeping - like earmuffs. Now let me preface my discoveries with: I am very familiar with earmuff products that have speakers in them. I got my first pair back in the early '80s, not for any sound masking purpose, but just because it was a techie novelty item that caught my interest. They had purple fake fur on them and I used to wear them all the time while listening to my walkman at the bus stop. The problem with those were that the headband connecting piece was so flimsy, that it wound up breaking after several months of heavy use, the sound quality was "eh," but most importantly, they were corded, which is not something you want to wear when sleeping. When I started my search yesterday, I found a lot of bulky earmuff devices that were wireless, but they were akin to the type of headphones that airline workers wear (even the kinds that were covered by soft materials). I couldn't imagine trying to wear them while sleeping. But I did find two other solutions that seemed to be more plausible sleep aid products for misophonia sufferers: speaker pillows, and something called "SleepPhones."
As far as speaker pillows...I remembered that a couple of months ago I wrote something in a blog comment reply about finding a sound masking noise generator with an earphone jack that works with speaker pillows, something I never heard of before but realized that I hadn't looked into what kind of speaker pillows are out there; so, I took this as an opportunity to investigate a little further... I'm very excited about what I found!
Brookstone's "SoftSound Pillow Speaker" There are many different pillows with wireless speakers on the market, including at: Bed Bath andBeyond's "Softsound Memory Foam Pillow, "Brookstone's "SoftSound Pillow Speaker" (see inset photo), and even GeekAlerts "Sound Asleep Pillow." Of course, I haven't tried any of them (yet!), so I'm not sure about the quality of any of the products, but it is an interesting solution that claims to allow a person to listen to sounds/music generated from a bluetooth device without disturbing your partner. The one drawback that I see to this solution is that unless a person is sleeping on his/her back, only one ear, which still leaves one ear exposed to trigger sounds. Even on a person's back, I don't think they could completely
SleepPhones Night Headphones block triggers. They may lessen them quite a bit but if sufferers are like me, I'm super-sensitive to sounds and even any kind of light in the room when I sleep. That's what made my other discovery so exciting...
I came across a fleece headband product with speakers in it that completely covers both ears snugly called "SleepPhones." (I love how they call the devices "pajamas for your ears.") They also have a lightweight fabric version, for people who think the fleece might get too warm. It comes in wired and wireless, although it looks like their "systems" collection - that comes with CD's of various sleep aid sounds - is only with the corded product. They even have a stuffed lamb that can hold an MP3 player to help kiddies sleep.
I came across a fleece headband product with speakers in it that completely covers both ears snugly called "SleepPhones." (I love how they call the devices "pajamas for your ears.") They also have a lightweight fabric version, for people who think the fleece might get too warm. It comes in wired and wireless, although it looks like their "systems" collection - that comes with CD's of various sleep aid sounds - is only with the corded product. They even have a stuffed lamb that can hold an MP3 player to help kiddies sleep.
I may go ahead and get the "SleepPhones" system to try out. (For me, I see it more for when I'm traveling than at home.) If anyone has used either of the above solutions, please post a comment to this blog with your opinion of the product. I'm sure other people would be very eager to know how effective they are.
On a side note, I did also come across a NY Times article called, "Noise-Canceling Devices for a Good Night's Sleep." Although it was written in 2011, there is a lot of information about various apps, in-ear and stand-alone devices. I found one device a potential solution for daily use by misophonia sufferers. It combines an earplug with a white noise generator called "SnoreMasker Pro Deluxe." Although it is expensive compared to generic earplugs or earbud headphones ($399), it's certainly less expensive than some of the noise generating ear devices, one of which was quoted to me at $1,800 ($900 per ear).
Pleasant dreams everyone! May your days and nights be trigger-free! :-)
On a side note, I did also come across a NY Times article called, "Noise-Canceling Devices for a Good Night's Sleep." Although it was written in 2011, there is a lot of information about various apps, in-ear and stand-alone devices. I found one device a potential solution for daily use by misophonia sufferers. It combines an earplug with a white noise generator called "SnoreMasker Pro Deluxe." Although it is expensive compared to generic earplugs or earbud headphones ($399), it's certainly less expensive than some of the noise generating ear devices, one of which was quoted to me at $1,800 ($900 per ear).
Pleasant dreams everyone! May your days and nights be trigger-free! :-)
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