TURNIPSEED TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media

Sleeping Tips For Tired Travellers

26/8/2014

 

It's time to sound off on snoring 

The first thing my father said about me after I was born was that my ears looked "interesting". Gee, thanks! Fortunately, my otolaryngologist disagrees and tells me my ears are both perfectly healthy and utterly unremarkable in appearance. But sometimes I wonder if my 'interesting' ears aren't hearing just a little too acutely, as it seems impossible to drown out the sounds around me and get some decent sleep when I travel. 
Ear plugs noise sleeping backpacking Turnipseed Travel
Does this smile look a bit forced? It's because I want to kill someone!
I've slept in some mighty interesting locations and situations, all in the name of value travel, from 5 star resorts to the filth covered floor of the Nairobi airport. But some recent trips have been less than restful and I'm noticing that where I'm sleeping is less important than what I'm hearing.

In London, my favourite hostel became a nightmare when a dorm-mate snored so loudly she actually drowned out the police sirens coming from nearby Kings' Cross. On an overnight trip from Singapore to Sydney, the most luxurious flight of my life was almost ruined by a man who snored so loudly that his buzz saw cacophony boomed through my foam ear plugs, which I had covered with noise cancelling headphones, which were in turn playing loud music. I'm not exactly proud of this, but I may have, um, oh so gently kicked the man in the head. And still he snored on. 

So how's a girl to find a good night's sleep in a noisy world?

How Soundly Do You Sleep?

Ear plugs noise sleeping backpacking Turnipseed Travel
Why oh why can't I sleep?
Ear plugs noise sleeping backpacking Turnipseed Travel
SOOOO sleepy.... yet still awake!
Ear plugs noise sleeping backpacking Turnipseed Travel
Our hotel in Singapore - we were so happy to see this bed! But unfortunately we woke up in the middle of the night - the Singapore Marathon was starting nearby!
Why is it that some people never wake up even to a fire alarm, while others are disturbed by a conversation next door? Noise as low as 40 decibels can wake up one person, while another can sleep through 70 decibels - that's the difference between hearing a mosquito buzzing versus a washing machine running. How soundly you sleep depends on many factors, including whether or not you are hearing familiar and soothing sounds, your comfort in your surroundings, and a multitude of sleep hygiene factors such as stress, room temperature, and caffeine intake. 

It's Not Just The Volume - It's The Kind Of Noise!

Ear plugs noise sleeping backpacking Turnipseed Travel
King sized bed in a suite - bet you'd sleep soundly here, right? Don't count on it!
As any city dweller can attest, the soothing sounds of traffic and sirens can easily lull a person to sleep but the chirp of a cricket in an otherwise silent campground can keep you awake all night long. Some people can't sleep without the steady tick of their alarm clock, while this subtle sound drives others to distraction. The presence or absence of familiar sounds can have just as much an impact on your sleep quality as the volume of those sounds. This certainly explains why you can't sleep with a whimpering baby four rows over but their parents can do so with ease! A lot of travellers I know use soothing musical or nature sounds to drift off to sleep. It's not just the pretty tones that help you sleep - it's their familiarity. 

You're Wearing Your Ear Plugs All Wrong!

The standard response to all my noise related complaints is always "Just wear earplugs". But I've always found foam plugs ineffective and uncomfortable in my 'interesting' shaped ears. 

Turns out I've been wearing earplugs incorrectly all of my life. How difficult can it be to properly wear ear plugs? You just squish them in your ear, right? Wrong! 

Here's what you should do:
  • Roll the ear plug so it's a long, narrow 'snake' shape. 
  • Use your free hand to reach behind your head and stretch the top of your ear up and back. 
  • The earplug should now easily slide into the ear canal.
  • Hold it in place until the foam fully expands.
Picture

Not All Ear Plugs Are The Same! Factor 1: NRR

Picture
Ear plug comfort and effectiveness come down to two main factors. The first is the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). Ear plug effectiveness is rated by NRR - for instance, if the ambient noise is 90 decibels (phones ringing, hair dryers operating, lawn mower outside), wearing NRR 30 earplugs will reduce the noise by about 30 decibels, bringing the noise you hear to 60 decibels (normal conversation level). 

I contacted Mack's Ear Plugs and requested samples of their products to help facilitate this article and they very generously agreed. The first product I tried was the Snore Blockers.  The combination of knowing how to properly wear earplugs and having earplugs with such a high NRR rating really made a huge difference in getting a sound sleep. 

I'm not the only one in my family to appreciate the Snore Blockers. Ryan brought them along for a guys' sports road-trip and they were a massive help to drown out the snoring of his roommates (you know who you are!)

Factor 2: Shape and Feel

Picture
Picture
Picture
A second factor is shape and feel. The standard bright orange ear plugs, compliments of every airline, are tough and exert a lot of pressure on sensitive ears. But softer, smaller, and more gentle ear plugs actually do a better job of reducing noise than the denser, harder freebies. 

Mack's Ultra Soft ear plugs lived up to their name and were incredibly soft and malleable. But they were my second choice after trying the Dreamgirl Soft ear plugs. I have to confess, I was reluctant to give them a try and was a bit suspicious of anything pink that was designed for girls but I quickly became a convert. Their slightly smaller size made them perfect for my "interesting" ears and I was able to use them night after night on our camping trip.  

Some Travel Friendly Alternatives

In addition to traditional foam ear plugs, travellers can also use a moldable silicone putty, which can also double as ear sealers for swimming. They're excellent for anyone who hates putting anything in their ear canals. I gave them a test drive at the cottage and I'm happy to report there was no water leakage. There are also specialty ear plugs for musicians, commonly referred to as "Hi-Fi" style, and are important if your travels include tons of concerts.

Double Protection Doesn't Really Work

You can't double down on SPF when you wear different sunscreen products and when you wear noise cancelling headphones over ear plugs, you don't enjoy their combined NRR rating.  At best, you gain an extra 5 decibels of NRR when both devices are used properly. By all means wear both if you have them (and are desperate), but you'll likely find it doesn't work as well as you hope. Many noise cancelling headphones are more geared towards style than function and  Forbes has published a great article reviewing different models.

Sweet Dreams!

Since researching this article, I'm sleeping more soundly when I travel. I'm now taking earplugs with me on every trip and I no longer look at them as a last-resort. Knowing how to wear them properly has been a huge help, but that's nothing compared to finding ear plugs that are soft and gentle. If you're a fellow traveller who has given up certain forms of value accommodation because of noise concerns, I would urge you to reconsider and try these steps to enjoy sweet, silent, dreams! 

I'd love to hear from you - what do you do to sleep soundly?


If you enjoyed this article, you'll also like:
Does A Sleeping Bag Count As Carry-on?
Why We Stayed at a Holiday Inn in Stylish Singapore
Is This The Best Hostel In The World?
Andrea Rees link
28/8/2014 07:59:10 am

Great post! Who knew there was a wrong way to wear ear plugs and that this topic could be so interesting! Your posts and blog always provide such informative pieces.

Vanessa
28/8/2014 09:30:07 am

Aw, thank you! I know - who knew that ear plugs were such hot topics? I had no idea about anything before I started my research!

Jenna link
28/8/2014 09:44:39 am

Ugh, I have issues sleeping with noise as well! I hate putting anything in my ears besides headphones, so I'll usually use my noise canceling earbuds with my white noise app. I didn't know there are so many different types of earplugs--I'll might just have to give them another try!

Vanessa
28/8/2014 12:44:53 pm

I'm going to look up white noise apps next - I think it's a good idea to have one on hand for the rough nights.

Talon link
29/8/2014 07:25:56 am

You can also go to an audiologist and get some customized perfectly to your ears. I'm not sure you could hear a jackhammer while standing next to it with those ones. lol

Vanessa
29/8/2014 07:56:17 am

That's a great tip!!

Dante Harker link
29/8/2014 09:49:21 pm

I found the silicon ear plugs are really great, they don't seem good value compared to form but they are much much better. Plus, you can split the silicons ones in two saving money and you can wash them. Other than that, my best tip for sleeping while travelling is to catch up on sleep whenever you get the chance, don't see it the same way as when not travelling - that sleep is for night time - if you can catch a couple of hours in the afternoon do that :)

Vanessa
1/9/2014 02:25:58 am

I absolutely agree - sleep when you can! Everyone thought we must have been so jetlagged on our round the world trip but the truth is that we slept all the time - any time, any place - and stopped caring about what was logical (aka sleeping at night). There were times when I would go to bed 4 hours earlier than Ryan and he would go out to a pub. There were times when I was waking up 2 hours earlier than him - but somehow we never got too exhausted.


Comments are closed.
    Recent Posts
    Posts by Location
    Turnipseed Travel Category Canada
    Turnipseed Travel Category USA
    Turnipseed Travel Category Europe
    Turnipseed Travel Category Africa
    Turnipseed Travel Category Australia
    Turnipseed Travel Category Asia

    Post Categories

    All
    $200 Challenge
    200m Challenge
    Accommodation
    Africa
    Amsterdam
    Anti Adventurist
    Asia
    Australia
    Belgium
    Business Travel
    Camping
    Canada
    Central Counties
    Cozy Travel
    Destinations
    Europe
    Experiences & Activities
    Female Travel
    Food And Drink
    Gear And Packing
    Golf
    Greece
    Guest Posts & Interviews
    Health
    Inspiration
    Making Travel Memories
    Montreal
    Most Popular Posts
    National Parks
    Norfolk County
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Paris
    Partners
    Pet Travel
    Photo Essay
    Preparation
    Press Trip Portfolio
    Reviews Accommodation
    Reviews Gear Packing
    Round The World
    Saving
    Toronto
    Transportation
    Travel Cooking
    Travel Memories Series
    UK & Ireland
    United States

    Posts by Date

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Disclaimers, Privacy, and Cookie Policy

Top 100 Travel Influencer
As named by the Obama White House in 2014.​
White House Study Abroad Logo 2014
Turnipseed Travel Logo 2019
DMCA.com Protection Status
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media