Given I am a very light sleeper this recent spell of windy weather has been playing havoc with my sleep and I’ve felt like a zombie from a lack of it. I have the silicone ear plugs that really do block out the noise, but I just can’t sleep with them in. It’s not that they are uncomfortable it’s just that with the ear plugs in my own breathing is really amplified and I pick up on it and just can’t drift off.

Does anyone have any advice as to whether all ear plugs are the same or whether some are better than others?

Try holding your breath you should sleep soundly.

Try earphones playing white noise? it would drown out the noise of both the wind and your breathing.

Just keep trying, eventually you get used to them. I’ve slept with earplugs for years, so much so I can’t sleep at all without them as the slightest noise wakes me up…

I also have slept with ear plugs in for many many years now. Foam types are less successful especially if they touch the pillow. I now have some custom made silicone ones that are superb.

I got used to them sleeping in alpine huts where they are pretty much essential with so many people crammed in and often snoring. Also used in tents when windy. They’re also pretty much essential at strathpuffer for me, with all the generators running. I now use them most of the time, often just in my left ear…I normally go to sleep on my right side so one in the left blocks out most of the noise. just use the 3m foam ones myself, but might look into the silicone ones.

This is probably not going to be enormously useful, but I’ve learnt that it’s a mental attitude thing. People get in a similar tiz about sleeping during the day when working nights; employing black outs, white noise, fancy earplugs and the like. None of this is the issue; it’s worrying about being woken that is the problem. Everyone wakes multiple times during a sleep; it’s what happens next that’s important. People who sleep badly wake up and immediately become aware and stressed that they’ve woken up. This them means they think about it and raise their level of consciousness as a result. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle. I’ve helped my other half get out of this pattern somewhat; the key is learning to do a kind of mental shrug, turn over and drop off again, without engaging any thought processes. The key is the realisation that being woken is not the issue, it’s the staying sleepy and going back to sleep that is important. This is a LOT easier to say than do, and needs practice, preferably when your not worrying about anything else.

Good luck.

That may well be true for some people. In my case I need it to absolutely silent before I can sleep, I can’t even have a ticking wrist watch in the bedroom!

I prefer ‘Muffles’ from Boots. They’re wax and mould nicely to the shape of your lug-holes.

I’ve been using silicone one for about a year now as I’m such a light sleeper. It annoyed me to have the head sounds at first and feeling a little paranoid not being able to hear, but I soon got used to it. Really helps and my wife said I seem to sleep much better too.

That may well be true for some people. In my case I need it to absolutely silent before I can sleep, I can’t even have a ticking wrist watch in the bedroom!

You’re absolutely right. But as to why you’re right, lies in people’s psyche, rather than in some inherent physical difference between people. You could, if you wanted or needed to, get over the ticking clock thing, but you choose not to, and that’s fair enough.

v8ninety is correct, nothing wrong with using earplugs but try to relax and not stress.

Have a browse of some of these articles…
https://www.sleepstation.org.uk/articles/

They are mainly geared around insomnia but still relevant to us light sleepers.

I need it to absolutely silent before I can sleep

I too can relate to this. Some people would say that this is all down to a heightened sense of awareness, which I know I have as I am very acute to my surroundings. For example, in the working office I can easily pick up on people having conversations while others around me just seem to be oblivious to it. Once I pick up on a sound I can’t switch off from it.

I’ll try a few nights with the ear plugs to see if I can get used to them.

Try wearing the ear plugs during the day too to help get used to them without the ‘pressure’ of trying to go to sleep with them in. It wasn’t until I wore them a bit during the day for work stuff (not a lot, just 30 mins or so at a time for a few days) that I was then able to wear them at night.

I find it easiest to get to sleep just wearing one earplug, and having my other ear against the pillow. Means heartbeat etc isn’t as amplified

Don’t use the ones with the cord, or take it off before use. Otherwise you might end up sleeping with the fishes.

The Mrs snores badly, some nights it’s like sharing a bed with the Flying Scotsman 🙁

I use the Rubarb and custard coloured ones, soft foam that I get free from work.

The work a treat. 🙂

If you sleep on your side, try the other side only with the earplug.

Works for me.

Think about what to update on your bike. It’s the perfect thing to think about before sleep. Really.

Work, sex, relationships, ageing, health – all rubbish

Bikes – perfect

You’ll be halfway into whether AXS is worth it and boom. It’s the morning.

earplugs are brill

It’s not that they are uncomfortable it’s just that with the ear plugs in my own breathing is really amplified and I pick up on it and just can’t drift off.

With ear plugs in, try walking up and down the hallway with heavy boots on, breathing will seem quiet after that. Maybe.

I started using ear plugs about 10 years ago I’m another one who needs total silence to get to sleep plus my Mrs snoring is a nightmare sometimes, the only thing that ever wakes me is the alarm clock I think my body has just tuned into that sound.

A white noise app on my phone has been a revelation for me.
I have a few occasions where I’ve actually slept through until the morning which I have never experienced before.

Can you just take something for the wind issue? perhaps its your diet.