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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-02 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones — biggest strength: a 99% pure mulberry silk eye mask with a 3D eye-socket design that blocks light and plays audio at the same time, so one product handles both darkness and sound.
• ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones — biggest trade-off: it reduces noise passively through the mask and music rather than cancelling it actively, so a loud snorer or a rumbling appliance may still come through.
• Ertuly T33 — biggest strength: hybrid ANC with dual microphones that the brand says neutralizes up to 98% of disruptive sound, plus a sleep mode that mutes alerts and locks out accidental touches.
• Ertuly T33 — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear bud with no eye covering, so it does nothing about light, and it demands you be comfortable wearing something inside your ear canal all night.
• Pick ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones if your problem is light plus general background noise and you'd rather not put buds in your ears.
• Pick Ertuly T33 if your problem is noise itself — snoring, traffic, appliance hum — and darkness is already handled by curtains or a separate mask.
The ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones are built around one idea: cover the eyes and pipe sound in at the same time. The mask is made of 99% pure mulberry silk, with a shaped nose section that's designed to stop light leaking in from underneath. Whether you actually get total darkness depends on how the mask sits on your face, but the design intent is clear — this is a light blocker first and a speaker second, or rather both at once.
The audio side is straightforward Bluetooth. You pair it with a phone or tablet, listen to music, white noise, audiobooks or meditation tracks, and take hands-free calls through a built-in microphone. Range is quoted at up to 45 feet, which is generous enough to leave your phone charging across the room. The 3D eye-socket design is deepened to a 2.5–3 cm depth based on the brand's market testing, which is meant to keep pressure off your eyelashes and your eyes. Battery life is quoted at 14+ hours of continuous playtime from a 340mAh battery — enough to cover a full night for most people, and there's an auto-off timer so it doesn't keep running after you're asleep.
Ertuly T33: Who It's For
The Ertuly T33 attacks the problem from the opposite direction: it's a pair of small in-ear buds whose headline feature is active noise cancellation. Dual-microphone hybrid ANC is quoted as neutralizing up to 98% of disruptive sounds — snoring, traffic, appliance hum — and a triple-tap switches you between ANC and Transparency mode depending on whether you want the world gone or let back in. If noise, not light, is what wakes you up, this is the more direct tool.
Comfort is aimed squarely at side sleepers. Each bud weighs roughly 3 grams and uses an ultra-thin shape the brand describes as zero-pressure, and there's a dedicated sleep mode: four quick taps mutes all alerts and blocks accidental touches so a stray ear against the pillow doesn't skip your track or trigger a call. Sound comes from 13mm dynamic drivers with what's described as balanced output and rich bass, and the IPX6 rating means sweat and splashes aren't a problem — useful if you also want them for workouts.
Battery is the other strong card. You get up to 8 hours of playback per charge, and the charging case stretches that to 48 hours total, with USB-C recharging in about 1.5 hours and an LED indicator on the case so you can see where you stand. Bluetooth 6.0 handles pairing, with a 10-meter range and auto-pairing when you open the case, plus ENC microphones for calls. You can run both buds in stereo or use either one alone.
Who should buy it: side sleepers who need real noise cancellation, light sleepers in noisy homes or cities, people who share a bed with a snorer, travelers, and anyone who wants one pair of buds for sleep, work and workouts. Who should skip it: if you can't tolerate in-ear buds overnight, or if light — not sound — is what keeps you awake, since the T33 does nothing for your eyes.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for blocking noise itself → Ertuly T33. Hybrid ANC with dual microphones, quoted up to 98% noise neutralization, is the only active cancellation between these two.
• Best for side sleepers → Ertuly T33. Roughly 3-gram buds with an ultra-thin, zero-pressure shape are made for pillow contact.
• Best if you dislike things in your ears → ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones. Sound comes from the mask, not from inside the ear canal.
• Best for battery life → Ertuly T33. Up to 8 hours per charge and 48 hours total with the case beats the quoted 14+ hours of single-charge playtime on the mask — though the mask covers a full night on its own.
• Best for total darkness plus audio in one item → ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones. One product on your face handles both jobs.
• Best for workouts and daytime use → Ertuly T33. IPX6 sweat and water resistance plus single-bud mode make it a genuine everyday pair, not just a sleep tool.
• Best for hands-free calls in bed → ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones. A built-in microphone in the mask means no bud to fumble with at 2 a.m., while the T33's ENC mics are better suited to daytime calls.
In my opinion, the Ertuly T33 is the better buy if noise is genuinely your problem. Active hybrid ANC, a sleep mode that stops accidental touches, 48 hours of total playtime and a shape built for side sleepers add up to a purpose-built noise-blocking sleep tool, and the IPX6 rating lets it earn its keep during the day too. I'd choose the ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones instead if light is your main enemy and you want one silk mask doing double duty — but understand you're getting passive blocking plus music, not true cancellation. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since both sit in a similar budget-sleep-gear space.
how to block out noise with headphones
There are two approaches here. Passive blocking means covering or sealing the ear — the ZHENYEMEI mask reduces what reaches you while playing audio over it. Active blocking means ANC, which the Ertuly T33 uses: dual microphones sample the noise and cancel it, quoted up to 98%. For steady sounds like snoring or traffic, active cancellation is the more effective route.
are there noise cancelling headphones for sleeping
Yes. The Ertuly T33 is designed specifically for that, with hybrid ANC, a sleep mode that mutes alerts and blocks accidental touches, and roughly 3-gram buds shaped for side sleepers. The ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones are also sold for sleeping, but they rely on the silk mask and audio rather than active noise cancellation.
is it safe to wear noise cancelling headphones while sleeping
ANC itself doesn't damage your ears, but comfort and fit matter over a full night. The T33's sleep mode exists precisely to stop accidental touches while you move around, and its low weight is aimed at side sleepers. If you find in-ear pressure uncomfortable, a mask-style option like the ZHENYEMEI is the gentler alternative.
what are the best noise cancelling sleep headphones
Based on the specs, the Ertuly T33 is the stronger pick for pure noise blocking — hybrid ANC quoted at up to 98%, 8 hours per charge, 48 hours with the case, and an IPX6 rating. The ZHENYEMEI Sleep Headphones win on darkness and comfort, with a 99% mulberry silk mask and 14+ hours of playtime.
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