Conversion of noise-isolating headphones for comfortable sleep.

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Inti

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I usually sleep on my side and I hate noise, except for sounds specifically designed for sleep. Usually when I sleep in the car in a noisy place I wear noise isolating headphones, sometimes simple construction headphones, sometimes bluetooth headphones like this MPOW-102. The main problem with these (when sleeping on your side) is that they put too much pressure on the ear you are lying on. After several attempts to solve this problem - I found that this kitchen microfiber sponge works best - especially if you put covers on top, which can be washed often. I used white mounting tape for one side and clear double sided tape for the other side, we'll see what works better.

Those mini cushions compromise the noise isolation a bit - but that's well compensated for by the comfort for my ears.

I'd be happy to hear how other people deal with the disturbing noise.
 

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Luckily I get to sleep pretty easy except during really noisy storms. For those I play an audio book and I seem to always fall asleep listening to it. Must be the reverting to childhood bedtime story. Relaxed and feeling sleepy thing. I have a friend who falls asleep to nighttime talk radio shows. He sets a timer on the radio to shut it off. So noise blocking is not the only solution.
 
Happy are those who fall asleep easily and sleep well despite any noise. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. That's why noise isolating headphones really help me, plus I often fall asleep listening to something soothing and soporific, for example:

https://www.youtube.com/@getsleepypod/videos






By the way, some are better to listen in slow motion, I often use 0.75 speed on YouTube.

Also, here is a link to download a very good file "Ultra Height Self-hypnosis.mp3"
(you can dismiss login request, works without login)
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5vb5...osis.mp3?rlkey=9zjek4eolczgjx1luid84j245&dl=0
 
I have my daughter an eye mask with Bluetooth headphones built in. Easy to sleep with and while it's not completely noise cancelling, it should help.

Do a search for "sleep mask Bluetooth" and read some reviews. They aren't expensive, and would be a lot more comfortable than your current solution.

If that won't work, look up "Bluetooth beanie ".
 
I have my daughter an eye mask with Bluetooth headphones built in. Easy to sleep with and while it's not completely noise cancelling, it should help.

Do a search for "sleep mask Bluetooth" and read some reviews. They aren't expensive, and would be a lot more comfortable than your current solution.

If that won't work, look up "Bluetooth beanie ".
I tried all these things and they are useless at blocking noise. If I sleep in the rest area not far from trucks, then I need some earmuffs that really well block all external noises. For me, these ones work very well - https://www.amazon.ca/Reduction-Protection-Adjustable-Earmuffs-Hearing/dp/B0BN873PYB/ - they have a relatively slim profile and cover my ears completely (unlike some larger earmuffs for adults). It is also possible to use them with bluetooth or with wired earbuds. I prefer to use a cable with wheel volume control like this one:

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkD61Wf

As even audiobook volume sometimes fluctuates, it is very convenient to hold this wheel while falling asleep. Any buttons are not that precise and interrupt sleep more.
 
By the way, a travel pillow like this one can be used for sleeping on your side with headphones. Simply insert the headphones into its opening and place this pillow on top of a thin regular pillow.
 

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Also, I highly recommend Smart AudioBook Player https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ak.alizandro.smartaudiobookplayer&hl=en_IN because with it, listening to audiobooks while falling asleep and then resuming listening is very easy. You can set the interval for example 20 minutes, if the phone detects any hesitation/movement during 20 minutes, the timer will be reset, if you don't move for 20 minutes, the playback will be stopped. Unlike regular media players, this one is optimized for audiobooks, just create a folder and copy all audio files into it, the player will read them one by one, remember where you stop, allows you to go back and forward in two increments (1 minute and 5 seconds). Great app.
 
How do we deal with exterior noise?
Building our ExpeditionVehicle, we went with prevention.
.
As we detail in our introduction...
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/expeditionvehicle-build.44908/#post-576110... we used:
* adhesive-back acoustic insulation against the inside of the wall and ceiling, a gap, then
* one-inch pink-board, another air-gap, then
* two-inch foil-side poly.
.
Additionally, our bed occupies much of the interior, so the soft fabrics absorb a lot of noise.
.
Additionally, we built with a 'vardo' in mind.
They use ribs or rafters across the ceiling, interrupting direct echoes.
.
Nothing we did was innovative or ground-breaking.
We merely adapted tested methods.
 
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