(#1 REVIEWER)My significant other snores, so I've become an expert on ear plugs.
I have tried quite a few of them and Flents Contour is my favorite. Below is a summary of my experiences with different ear plugs. I hope you will find it useful. Other then the noise protection, the important factors for me are: if the plugs stay in your ear, and if they are breathable (some of them made my ear canals hot and sweaty, that makes them itch, and itching wakes me up).
* Flents Quiet Contour, molded foam, 33 decibels.
This is my favorite ear plug. It gives me the best noise protection, it stays in the ear very well, it is comfortable, my ear canal does not get hot and itchy. I find the most comfortable. (see attached photo of the plug out of the package)
* Flent Quiet Time, comfort foam, 33 decibels. I like these earplugs less thant Quiet Contour because it does not seem to stay in my ear as well. The ends of the foam seem to stick out and catch on the pillow when I turn, catching the end on the pillow pulls them out of my year. I got it to stay in the ear better by trimming about 3/8th of an inch. Because they tend to fall out, I don't get as good of a sleep in them. However, when they are in the sound protection is good. (see attached photo of the full size ear plug, and the one that is trimmed to be shorter)
* Mack's pillow soft earplugs (sillicone), 22 decibels. These earplugs did not work for me at all. They did not provide enough sound protection, my ear canal got hot and sweaty and itchy, and they also tend to fall out.
* Hearos ear plugs,ultimate softness, 32 decibels. Hearos are slightly shorter than Flent Quiet time, so they don't stick out of my ear, and this means they don't catch the pillow and don't get pulled out. They are also slightly softer, and provide a little less protection. Overall they are comfortable, but I find that my ears get hot and sweaty using them. This makes them itchy, and needing to itch wake me up.
* Hearos ear plugs, Xtreme protection Series, 33 decibels. Hearos are slightly shorter than Flent Quiet time, so they don't stick out of my ear, and thus stay in better. They are firmer than Hearos ultimate softness so they provide more noise protection. Overall they are comfortable, but I find that my ears get hot and sweaty using them.
Flents Contour win on all counts noise protection, comfort, staying, breathability.
I've struggled with needing ear plugs to sleep for a couple of years my spouse snores, sometimes quite loudly. We've sought as much care as is possible for his sort of snoring, but the problem persists and I really must sleep sometime! My difficulty is that I have very small ear canals for an adult. My doctor must literally get a pediatric size otoscope speculum to examine my ears. Consequently, normal earplugs are way oversized for me . . . and child size earplugs seem to be mostly aimed at keeping water out (for the ear-tube crowd, an important job to be sure) rather than keeping noise out. If I do get a whole earplug into my canal, it becomes quite painful as it begins to expand. I've tried cutting down adult size earplugs, but it just does not work for me.
These ear plugs have been a revelation. The difference in foam composition makes the plug respond slower, and with less force yet the noise protection is top notch. It seems to only expand to a given force inside a given space that is, I think they would expand a bit bigger, in someone else's canal. I'm not sure if the contour plays a role in my specific need or not, but I think it can't hurt since contour = less material in some sections of the plug.
Although it's not my primary need/discomfort relative to other earplugs, I do also appreciate the less sweaty/itchy feel of this material.
I am sleeping so much better since I acquired this set. Don't blink at the small cost difference between these plugs and others they are worth every penny, and you will go through them very slowly if you keep track of them day to day. I combine these with a great sleep mask (I like the memory foam mask for TOTAL blackout) and I am no longer walking around in a permanent state of sleep deprivation.
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I Would. Not. Have. Survived. Without these. Period. But in all seriousness they are comfortable to sleep in and they drown out your roommates gurgly sex sounds.
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Unless you have really large ear canals, do not buy these ear plugs. I have what I would consider to be normal size ear canals and need ear plugs to drown out my spouse's bear like snoring. These did not work at all and stuck out so far that they just kept falling out if I would even slightly knock them. If you need something for loud noises to sleep, look elsewhere. These are not worth the money at all. Very disappointed.
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I have used ear plugs for many many years. I just got whatever was on sale at the local drug store. It took me awhile to get used to them and now I can't ever sleep with out them even when there is no noises. I got so used to the vacuum feeling you get and complete silence.
The last ones I bought were the only bulk ones on sale and they were ok until my new husband started snoring louder due allergies, etc. So I decided to research ear plugs for the highest decibel rating not even thinking comfort was an issue.
So I found these and the heros and read the reviews. I figured I would do a side by side comparison. At first I did not like the Flents as I didn't get that vacuum seal feeling and preferred the heros until they were hurting my ears. I noticed with most of the ear plugs I have gotten they would eventually hurt my ears. So I decided to go back the Flents. Now I can't live with out these! After getting over the vacuum feeling I noticed it was still quiet and these were so soft and have yet to hurt my ears and I have been using them for 6 months now.
No ear plug will completely drown out the snoring spouse but these definitely do not make me wake up in the middle of the night and make me want to go sleep on the couch. And no more sores in my ears from uncomfortable ear plugs!
PS I am using my husbands account :)
These have become part of my nightly routine. They have good adhesion, but are soft and don't hurt to remove. They are a little bit breathable which helps keep the sensation of wearing them more natural and dry, too, as opposed to air-tight tape which would feel a bit too suffocating and eventually become too wet. I am not a doctor, but I can say with the confidence of personal experience that If you are a "mouth breather" in your sleep, you'll find yourself waking up more refreshed by ensuring you nasal breathing, for several reasons: you will naturally breath less and thus not deprive your body of oxygen by hyperventilating, you will not become dehydrated due to heavy loss of moisture through mouth breathing, and you are less likely to experience sleep apnea caused by too much negative air pressure in the throat. Some people with congestion may have the fear that their nose will be clogged and they will suffocate, but actually your nasal passages (or at least one of them) will naturally remain open if you are constantly nasal breathing, because the continuous sensation of moving air (and the CO2 in the exhale) causes the membranes to retract mucous. That said, I probably wouldn't wear these if I had a sinus infection which would impede the normal mucous function. But under normal circumstances, these little strips have become a very valuable tool for greater personal wellness. My only criticism is that the strips are only just wide enough to cover the corners of my mouth, and some people may find they are not wide enough, so need to cut the original sheet in such a way that creates waste. It would be better if these were sold as a strip on a roll, like regular tape, but in any case this is something you'll be able to work around.
