These 7p earplugs have changed the way I sleep

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

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London’s not a place for light sleepers. Between the revving of engines, the honking of car horns, the rumble of passing trains and the lilting shrieks of courting wildlife, the city is engineered to keep you awake at night.

A decent pair of earplugs is the best solution, of course, but finding the right ones for your unique and beautiful earholes takes some trial and error. After churning through several rounds of pretenders, I’m finally sleeping soundly with my perfect match.

Sold via Amazon, these squishy little buds are rated to reduce sounds by up to 38db. The listing claims that’s as good as it gets for this style of earplug, and they might be correct. When they slowly re-expand inside your ears (with a pleasant “schlurp” sound as they form a seal), the outside world basically goes on mute. So, yes, they definitely plug your ears.

The sound of your own breathing poses the biggest challenge for first-timers but, once you get used to wearing them, it becomes difficult to fall asleep to anything else.

Read more: The best sunrise alarm clocks

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It took way too long for it to first occur to me to start jamming polyurethane pellets into my head every night but, ever since I’ve started, my sleep has been noticeably improved.

These earplugs pair well with a smartwatch or fitness band, not only so you can see how your sleep is being affected by the new-found silence, but so the device can vibrate you awake in the morning. Failing that, consider a sunrise alarm to avoid sleeping in.

The lurid green earplugs are easy to spot if you subconsciously remove them in the night and throw them across the bedroom. However, be sure to keep them away from pets and small children, who might mistake them for delicious treats.

The earplugs claim to be reusable, and, technically, they are but they get about as filthy as you’d expect from something that’s spent seven hours inside your ear.

Handily, they come with a little travel case keyring, to stop them from getting smushed inside your washbag when you’re away from home. What more could you want?

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For the latest offers on sleep masks, sleep mists and more, try the links below:

Want to block out light as well as sound? We’ve reviewed the best sleep masks