Home › Services › Hearing Protection › Sleep Earplugs
Custom Sleep Earplugs in Marietta, GA
The problem with sleeping in earplugs is not the noise, it is that most plugs hurt when you lie on them. Custom sleep molds are shaped to be slept on.
IN SHORT
Custom sleep earplugs are soft, low-profile molds taken from an impression of your ear and shaped so they can be lain on without pressing into the canal. They suit shift workers, light sleepers and anyone sharing a room with a snoring partner. Taken in our Marietta office and ready in one to two weeks.
Why the ordinary answer does not work
Foam plugs work acoustically and fail ergonomically. Lie on your side and the plug is driven into the canal, which becomes sore within an hour and wakes you rather than helping you sleep. People give up and conclude earplugs are not for them.
A custom sleep mold sits flush and is made from a softer material than working protection, precisely so that side sleeping is comfortable. It is a different product from the plugs we fit for machinery, even though the impression is the same.
Who they help most
And, importantly, one group they do not.
| Situation | Suitable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Snoring partner | Yes, very | The most common reason people ask us |
| Night shift, sleeping in daylight hours | Yes | Household and street noise during the day is the harder problem |
| Light sleeper, noisy street or neighbors | Yes | Pair with a fan or white noise rather than aiming for silence |
| Travel, hotels and flights | Yes | Compact and reusable |
| Tinnitus keeping you awake | No, usually the opposite | Blocking outside sound makes tinnitus more prominent, not less |
Who we fit these for
- Anyone sharing a bed with a snorer
- Shift workers sleeping during the day
- Light sleepers on a busy road
- Frequent travellers
- Students in shared accommodation
If tinnitus is what keeps you awake, do not block your ears
This is the mistake we see most often. Earplugs remove the background sound that tinnitus competes with, which makes the ringing far more prominent in a silent room. What helps is adding low-level sound rather than removing it: a fan, an air purifier or rain on a speaker. If tinnitus is the reason you cannot sleep, read our tinnitus page and come and have it measured instead.
How the impression works
The same five minute process for every type of custom protection we fit.
- We check the ear canal with a video otoscope first, since we cannot take an impression past wax or infection
- A soft foam dam protects the eardrum, then silicone is syringed in and sets in about five minutes
- It lifts out in one piece. Odd rather than painful, and nothing to recover from
- The laboratory makes your protection and it comes back in one to two weeks
- You come in to collect, and we check the fit and seal before you leave
Common questions
Are custom sleep plugs comfortable to lie on?
That is the specific problem they are made to solve. They sit flush with the outer ear and use a softer material than working protection, so side sleeping is comfortable.
Will I still hear my alarm or a smoke detector?
You will hear less. Most people still wake to an alarm clock, and a smoke alarm is loud and high pitched enough to get through, but if that worries you use a vibrating alarm or a bedshaker.
Can I hear my children or a baby?
Reduced, and honestly this is a real consideration. Many parents use them only on nights when someone else is on duty.
Will they help with tinnitus?
Usually the opposite. Removing background sound makes tinnitus more noticeable. Add low-level sound instead, and come in to have the tinnitus properly measured.
How long do they last?
Several years with reasonable care. The softer material used for sleep molds wears a little faster than rigid working plugs.
Five minutes now, permanent hearing later
Appointment or book a time. We will check your ears and take the impression in the same visit.