Bose Sleepbuds II: Tinnitus Management During Sleep

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Bose Sleepbuds II

One of the most common concerns we hear from our patients is “Can I wear my tinnitus maskers at night?” Tinnitus is often most notable in quiet environments, such as a bedroom while someone is trying to sleep. the Bose Sleepbuds 2 aims to address this

Dr. Ben Thompson talks about how Bose Sleepbuds II helps patients sleep better. 

Fit Of The Bose Sleepbuds 2

The Sleepbuds come fitted with rubber tips that securely fit into the upper portion of the ear. They are soft and small enough that you can press the side of your head into your pillow without any discomfort whatsoever. 

Tinnitus Sound Features

The Sleepbuds offer Bluetooth connectivity, and are also rechargeable. They come with a convenient rechargeable case, and will last at least eight hours on a full charge. You can stream sound therapy into the Sleepbuds via the Bose Sleep App; since the app is proprietary, you cannot use your own music or sound therapy from outside the app. That said, the Bose Sleep App is great and offers a combination of different kinds of sounds including various types of noise (white noise, pink noise, brown noise), river or water-based sounds, and environmental/ambient sounds. You can find the ideal sound combination to mix with your tinnitus, enabling you to hopefully fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. 

My Experiences Using The Sleepbuds

An important note about covering (or “masking”) your tinnitus with sound therapy: for some patients, their tinnitus is too loud to be completely covered or masked. That said, if you can completely mask your tinnitus, it’s generally recommended to only do so during the evening while you sleep. During the day, you want your brain to perceive the sound of your tinnitus, so that you can ultimately train your brain to tune it out.

During my personal testing of the Sleepbuds, I found that they offered excellent comfort; I could barely feel them, even when I put my head against my pillow. For my initial tests, I combined white noise with water sounds. Typically when I sleep, I keep a small fan on, as it helps me go to sleep with my low-level tinnitus. During my test run with the Sleepbuds, I was able to fall asleep within ten minutes.

The noise combination that I picked helped calm my wandering and restless mind, and completely masked my tinnitus. Even after I woke up briefly in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I was able to fall back asleep very quickly upon putting the Sleepbuds back in my ears. Moreover, the sound patterns offered by the Sleepbuds were never cyclical, repetitive, or boring.

With the Sleepbuds I got a full eight hours of sleep, and when I woke up I felt fully rested. I usually notice that my tinnitus is loudest in the morning right when I wake up, which is fairly common among tinnitus patients and something we must come to accept. That said, when I woke up with the Sleepbuds, I could still hear my sound combination, and thus didn’t get sucked into a negative thinking pattern about the loudness of my tinnitus.

Some potential things to consider when using the Sleepbuds are WiFi and Bluetooth use. In order to use the Sleepbuds, you will have to keep your WiFi and Bluetooth on in order to keep your phone connected. Those who are wary of prolonged exposure to electromagnetic frequencies thus may want to consider this before purchasing the Sleepbuds.

My Conclusion About the Sleepbuds

The Bose Sleepbuds II retail for around $250, and generally offer a good value for your money considering that they can help you sleep consistently for years. That said, we also offer reviews of some cheaper options, including sound therapy speakers and headbands, if you don’t prefer to wear anything in your ears while you sleep.

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