Is It Safe to Sleep With Earplugs Every Night?

Many people need a cool, dark room to fall asleep. Some like to drift off listening to their favorite songs or podcasts. And others? Silence, please. Pure, uninterrupted silence.

However, a completely quiet sleep environment can be hard to come by. Ashley Melcher, MSN, ANRP, a nurse practitioner specializing in sleep medicine at Harborview Medical Center’s Sleep Center, says that people with a snoring partner, or those who live in areas with nightlife — think cars, horns, yelling, music, and hospital, fire or police sirens — are often the most likely to reach for a pair of earplugs to get a good night’s rest.  

But while sleeping with earplugs might give you some peace and quiet, it doesn’t come without risks.  

The risks of wearing earplugs to sleep

Usually, your ears do a good job of cleaning themselves. Earwax keeps your ear canals and inner ear healthy by providing much-needed moisture and protecting your eardrum from harmful substances (like dirt or other small particles) that could enter your ear.

When you move your jaw throughout the day — chewing, talking, singing in the car, etc. — those movements help drain earwax from your ear, taking harmful substances with it, which can prevent infection.

Earplugs work well to block sound, but they also interfere with your ear’s natural cleaning process. They trap excess moisture and bacteria in your ear canal and, with long-term use, can push earwax back into your ear, which can cause wax buildup or ear infections.

So, while you’re sleeping, you’re inadvertently creating the perfect environment for a potential ear infection’s dream come true.

“If you don’t have earplugs that fit correctly, sleeping with them can potentially damage your eardrum,” says Melcher. “And even if they fit correctly, you’re risking earwax buildup and bacterial or fungal infections of the outer ear canal.”

And wearing earplugs to bed poses more than just health risks.

“When you sleep with earplugs, there’s also the risk of sleeping through alarms — those you set on your phone, as well as smoke alarms,” says Melcher.

This can be especially dangerous if you live alone or if there’s an emergency and someone can’t reach you because you can’t hear your phone.

Before reaching for earplugs, try to create a quiet sleep environment

It’s important to acknowledge that creating a quiet sleep environment can be challenging, especially when many factors are beyond your control.

“The obvious thing would be to keep your windows and doors closed, and to seal any gaps or cracks,” says Melcher. “Some people use white noise machines or fans, which can help by drowning out other distracting noises.”

Ultimately, practicing good sleep hygiene is one of the most important things you can do to promote healthy sleep.

This includes maintaining a regular sleep schedule, limiting naps to less than 20 minutes, reducing blue light exposure (such as from smartphones and laptops) for an hour before bed, and avoiding stimulants like caffeine or nicotine before bed, says Melcher. Alcohol is another major sleep disruptor.

Finally, keeping your room dark and cool is important for good sleep.

Earplugs are safe to sleep with … occasionally  

While it’s not ideal — and can be risky — to wear earplugs each night, getting enough sleep is crucial to your overall health. Sometimes you can do everything right, but a dark, cool room and a white noise machine won’t always mask the loud music of the Capitol Hill block party, or your partner snoring … again.  

“Being sleep-deprived can significantly affect your daily functioning, and if you have a job or tasks that require you to be alert, you should prioritize your sleep, especially when the safety of yourself or others is involved,” says Melcher. “In these cases, temporary use of earplugs would likely not cause any harm.”

It’s OK to reach for earplugs during those sleepless times, but there are a few ways to reduce your risk of infection and damage to your eardrum.

Try to use silicone earplugs whenever possible

Foam earplugs, while usually cheaper and easier to find, are more likely to harbor bacteria and fungus.

“Silicone is probably the safest for overnight use,” says Melcher. “Silicone, however, may not offer the most noise reduction. If you need earplugs for a high-noise environment, foam likely offers a better fit and more noise cancellation.”

Prioritize the fit of your earplugs

Again, poor-fitting earplugs can damage your eardrums, so it’s important to find ones that work with your anatomy.

“People often try to force too-big earplugs into the canal to get them to fit, which in turn damages the eardrum,” says Melcher. “Silicone earplugs can be custom-made.”

You can talk with your primary care doctor, who can refer you to an audiologist who can take impressions of your ears and create earplugs that fit your ears perfectly. There are also some kits you can find online, but make sure to send them to your doctor first to ensure they’re from a reputable source.

When to stop using earplugs

Using earplugs shouldn’t be your long-term solution. Keep looking for ways to make your bedroom as quiet as possible (and maybe ask your partner to get checked for sleep apnea ... or maybe it’s time to consider sleeping separately).

You should stop using earplugs if you notice any signs of infection, which typically include ear pain, redness, itching, a sensation of fluid in your ears or hearing loss. Also watch for earwax impaction (a blockage). If you have an impaction, you might experience muffled hearing, ringing in your ears (tinnitus), or earaches.

And if you still have trouble sleeping, reach out to a sleep doctor, who can talk with you about more options to help you get the sleep you need.