We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-23 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a single wired earbud that plays audio in one ear while you sleep on your side, choose GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs; if you need passive earplugs that physically block snoring, traffic and engine noise without any cable at all, choose SIXTHGU 40dB.
• GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs — biggest strength: one soft silicone in-ear bud on a 6.6 ft / 200 cm tangle-free cable, so you can lie on your side and still listen to music, podcasts or video in one ear. Biggest trade-off: it isolates sound instead of muting the world, and it's a wired 3.5 mm connection, so it isn't a true earplug and needs a headphone jack or adapter.
• SIXTHGU 40dB — biggest strength: reusable silicone earplugs that reduce noise by up to 20–25dB, with multiple tip sizes and a carrying case, so you can sleep, fly or sit in a loud office in silence. Biggest trade-off: they play no audio at all — they only block sound, and you have to nail the fit for them to work well.
• Who each pick is for: GEEKRIA is for someone who wants to hear something quietly in one ear while lying down. SIXTHGU is for someone who wants to hear nothing and just sleep.
GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs are a single in-ear earbud built around one very specific problem: lying down with headphones on. The housing uses soft silicone with rounded tips, which is the part that matters here — a rounded, low-profile bud is far less likely to dig into your ear when your head is pressed against a pillow. The cable runs 6.6 ft / 200 cm and is described as tangle-free, which is unusually long for an earbud and gives you slack to route it around a pillow, over a headboard, or down to a phone on the nightstand. It's a 3.5 mm wired connection, and it's a mono earbud, meaning you get both channels of stereo sound summed into one ear without needing an adapter.
The audio side is a dynamic driver covering 20Hz–20,000Hz, which is the standard full-range span you'd expect from a basic earphone — fine for speech, podcasts, audiobooks and casual music. Noise control is listed as sound isolation, which is exactly what it sounds like: the silicone tip seals your ear canal and physically reduces what gets in. That's the honest limit of this product. It is not active noise cancellation, and it is not a substitute for an earplug. It also has no microphone, so it's a listening tool, not a calling tool.
SIXTHGU 40dB: Who It's For
SIXTHGU 40dB approaches the same problem from the opposite direction. These are not headphones at all — they're reusable silicone earplugs, and their job is to make the room quieter. The headline figure is up to 20–25dB of noise reduction, which is enough to take the edge off airplane engine roar, busy office chatter, snoring and concert volume. That's passive attenuation: the plug seals the canal and the sound has nowhere to go. It's a fundamentally different mechanism from GEEKRIA's sound isolation, and for pure blocking power it's the more serious tool.
The comfort story is where SIXTHGU has put most of its effort. The plugs are made from hypoallergenic ultra-soft silicone, contoured to follow the shape of the ear, and the kit ships with an unusual amount of fit flexibility: two pairs of noise-reduction plugs, six pairs of replaceable XS/S/M/L ear tips, three pairs of turbine noise suppressors, and a storage case with a lanyard. The instructions are refreshingly practical — insert, twist to lock, and if it's uncomfortable go a size smaller; if it doesn't block enough or keeps working loose, go a size larger. When seated correctly they sit flush with the ear, which is what makes them viable for side sleeping in a way that a rigid plug isn't.
Buy it if you want silence rather than audio, you sleep next to a snorer, you fly or commute in loud environments, or you go to concerts and gyms and want your ears protected without music. Skip it if you want to listen to anything — there's no driver, no cable, no Bluetooth, nothing to play. And be realistic: the fit is the product. Get the tip size wrong and you'll get a fraction of the reduction and possibly some pressure.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Want to hear audio while lying on your side → GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs
• Want to block snoring, traffic or engine noise → SIXTHGU 40dB
• Best for sheer noise reduction → SIXTHGU 40dB (up to 20–25dB of passive attenuation beats what a sealed earbud achieves)
• Best for travel and portability → SIXTHGU 40dB (compact case with lanyard versus a 6.6 ft cable to coil up)
• Best for long cable reach and device flexibility → GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs (200 cm, 3.5 mm, works with laptops, consoles, MP3 players and more)
• Best fit flexibility out of the box → SIXTHGU 40dB (XS/S/M/L tips plus turbine suppressors)
• Best for calls → neither, honestly — GEEKRIA is explicitly without a mic, and SIXTHGU has no audio at all
In my opinion, the right answer depends entirely on whether you want to hear something or hear nothing. If your problem is "I can't fall asleep because of my own thoughts and I want a podcast in one ear while I lie on my side," I'd buy GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs — the soft silicone single bud and the generous cable are built for exactly that. If your problem is "the world is too loud and I want it gone," I'd buy SIXTHGU 40dB, because up to 20–25dB of passive blocking with four tip sizes will do more for a snoring partner or a red-eye flight than any isolating earbud can. For most people reading a page about sleep noise, the snoring problem is the real one — and that points to SIXTHGU.
are there earbuds for sleeping
Yes, and the two products here represent the two main approaches. GEEKRIA Sleep Earplugs are a single soft silicone audio earbud on a 200 cm cable, designed to sit comfortably when you sleep on your side. SIXTHGU 40dB takes the other route: reusable silicone earplugs that reduce noise by up to 20–25dB and play no audio at all.
what are the best noise cancelling earbuds for sleeping
If by "noise cancelling" you mean blocking noise, the SIXTHGU 40dB earplugs are the stronger pick here, since passive silicone plugs with XS/S/M/L tips can cut up to 20–25dB. If you mean listening to audio in bed, the GEEKRIA single earbud is the one built for side sleepers, though it isolates sound rather than cancelling it electronically.
can you sleep with noise cancelling earbuds
With this pair, yes — both are aimed at sleep. GEEKRIA uses soft silicone and a rounded in-ear shape so it can be worn on your side, and SIXTHGU's plugs are contoured to sit flush with the ear in soft hypoallergenic silicone. With SIXTHGU specifically, the fit decides everything: too small and it works loose, too large and it gets uncomfortable.
is it bad to sleep with noise cancelling earbuds
There's nothing in either design that rules out overnight use — GEEKRIA is explicitly positioned for side sleepers, and SIXTHGU is positioned for overnight sleep and long flights. The practical risks are fit and hygiene: use the smallest tip that seals comfortably with SIXTHGU, and keep reusable plugs clean since they're designed to be reused.
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