Custom Earplugs: The Insider Secret to Ending Your Sleep Struggles

The next morning, I found a generic box of disposable ear plugs at a nearby 7-Eleven. That night, I slept soundly and in the bed.

It didn’t last. At home, I found the buds felt stiff and sometimes fell out of my ear at night. In my quest for a perfect fit, I’ve now bought more than 300 disposable plugs in several styles from companies like Hearos, Mack’s and Howard Leight. But no matter which I tried and how hard I shoved them into my ears, the rattling of our ceiling air vent woke me. The forceful insertions left my ear canals raw, and yet I still often woke up with a bud tangled in my hair.

I consulted an ear, nose and throat doctor, who sent me to an audiologist to be fit for custom earplugs. These would be more expensive than disposable ones, but are favored by professional musicians and machinists for their superlative noise blocking prowess. And, importantly, you can wash the reusable buds with soap, so you needn’t constantly buy new ones.

My doctor’s office had an audiologist, but you can also find one at a local hearing aid store or national warehouse chain like Sam’s Club. The fitting itself is a bit odd. First, my audiologist pushed gauze into the bottom of each of my ears, then poured cold goo through a funnel into the cavity. As the mixture hardened, it expanded and molded to my inner ear’s shape.

The color? Up to me. I chose a matte turquoise that would mask ear gunk. Though the shape of the plug reminded me of the cartoons our teachers screened in 6th-grade sex ed, I was mature enough to wait until I got home to start giggling.

Two weeks later, I returned for my final fitting and some training. The audiologist showed me how to insert the custom plugs correctly—to wiggle them into place, you pull your lobe away from your head, which straightens out the ear canal—then sent me on my way.

The plugs really work. Since getting them, I now sleep through heavy storms, barking dogs, car alarms and my partner’s log sawing. To be honest, they work so well that if my partner starts talking to me in the morning, I can’t hear a thing he’s saying. No big deal. I’ll just make him repeat it after he’s made me coffee.

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