Is It Bad to Sleep With Earplugs Every Night?

Q: Can earplugs cause earwax build-up?

Yes, they can. A plug in the ear canal every night can push wax back inward instead of letting it work its way out. Watch for a blocked feeling, muffled hearing, or ringing, and see a doctor rather than removing it yourself with cotton buds.

Q: Do earplugs cause heart disease?

There is no evidence that they do. A 2025 analysis of the German Gutenberg Health Study found higher odds of cardiovascular disease among people who sleep with earplugs, but it could not establish cause and effect, and the authors interpreted earplug use as a marker of heavier night-time noise or noise sensitivity rather than a cause of harm.

Q: Are foam or silicone earplugs better for sleeping?

Foam earplugs usually block more sound because they expand inside the ear canal. Silicone and wax earplugs cover the entrance instead, which many people find more comfortable overnight and less likely to push wax inward. The best choice is the type you can wear comfortably all night.

You have slept with earplugs for years, maybe since the day you moved in with a snorer, and now you are wondering whether it is doing you harm. Short answer: for most people, it is not. Earplugs are one of the cheapest sleep aids there is, and they genuinely work. But using them every night comes with three trade-offs worth knowing, and one recent study got reported in a way that frightened a lot of people for no good reason.

First, They Do Work

Some of the strongest evidence for earplugs comes from the noisiest place people try to sleep: hospital intensive care units. A 2015 Cochrane review found that earplugs, eye masks, or both may improve sleep in ICU patients, and may even reduce delirium, although the quality of the evidence was low.

At home, earplugs are at their best against higher-pitched sound: voices through a wall, a television in the next room, traffic hiss, a party down the street. If that is your problem and earplugs solve it comfortably, you do not need to change anything. If traffic is the main culprit, the full order of fixes is in how to sleep with traffic noise.

The Three Real Trade-offs

1. Earwax gets pushed the wrong way

Your ear canal cleans itself by moving wax slowly outward. A plug sitting in the canal every night can push that wax back in, where it builds up. Signs include a blocked or full feeling, muffled hearing, ringing, or pressure. If that happens, see a doctor or practice nurse rather than digging with cotton buds, which push it further in.

2. Dirty plugs can cause infections

Earplugs trap warmth and moisture, and a plug that has been reused for weeks carries bacteria straight into a warm, damp canal. That is how outer ear infections start. The fix is simple hygiene: clean hands, fresh foam plugs regularly, and washing reusable ones as the packet advises.

3. You may not hear what matters

Earplugs do not choose what to block. A smoke alarm, a child calling out, or your morning alarm all get quieter too. This matters most if you live alone or are responsible for someone at night. It is worth testing once: put your plugs in and ask someone to set off the smoke alarm test button.

There is also comfort. Side sleepers press their ear, and the plug, into the pillow for hours, which is the same problem earbuds have: is it bad to sleep with earbuds in?

That Heart Study, Explained

In 2025, German researchers analysed data from the Gutenberg Health Study, covering 14,675 adults aged 35 to 74. People who said they slept with earplugs had noticeably higher odds of cardiovascular disease, around 1.9 times after adjusting for how bothered they were by neighbourhood noise.

That sounds alarming. It is not evidence that earplugs harm your heart.

The study took a single snapshot in time, relied on a yes or no answer about earplug use, and could not show what caused what. The authors themselves read earplug use as a marker: a sign that someone lives with a heavier noise burden at night, or is more sensitive to noise, rather than something that damages health on its own.

The useful takeaway is not "stop using earplugs". It is that if you need them every night, the noise behind that need is worth taking seriously, and worth tackling at the source where you can.

Where Earplugs Fall Short

Snoring and bass. Foam earplugs typically cut low-pitched sound by about 20 decibels, against about 40 for high-pitched sound, so the rumble of snoring or music through a wall is the part most likely to get through: how to sleep with noisy neighbours.
Tinnitus. Blocking outside sound can make ringing in your ears more noticeable, not less: how to sleep with tinnitus.
Specific trigger sounds. If a partner's breathing provokes real distress, a quieter room can make the trigger stand out more: how to sleep with misophonia.
All-day noise. Plugs are worn for a night, not a working day. If you sleep while the world is awake, they are one layer rather than the answer: how to sleep during the day.

How to Use Earplugs Safely

Pick a type that suits you. Foam plugs expand inside the canal and block the most. Silicone and wax plugs mould over the entrance instead, which many people find more comfortable and less likely to push wax inward.
Insert gently. Roll foam plugs thin, ease them in, and let them expand. Never force them deep.
Keep them fresh. Replace foam plugs regularly and clean reusable plugs as directed. Always handle them with clean hands.
Give your ears nights off. Occasional plug-free nights let the canal dry and clear wax naturally.
Protect your alarms. A vibrating alarm or a phone under the pillow helps if you struggle to hear your morning alarm.
Stop if your ears complain. Pain, itching, discharge, a blocked feeling, or new ringing are reasons to take a break and see a doctor.

Earplugs or Masking?

Earplugs subtract sound. Masking adds a steady sound so small noises stop standing out. They suit different problems.

Earplugs tend to win for loud, intermittent noise such as traffic, aircraft, voices, or a noisy hotel corridor, and when you need the most reduction possible. In a 2026 sleep lab study, earplugs protected sleep from aircraft noise where pink noise did not: is white noise bad for you?
Masking tends to suit tinnitus, racing thoughts, light snoring or a partner's breathing, side sleepers who find plugs painful, and anyone who needs to stay able to hear an alarm or a child.

If snoring is the reason you started with earplugs, we cover the alternatives in detail here: how to block out snoring without earplugs.

How Lullabar Fits

The Lullabar is a pillow speaker. It slides under your pillowcase, and the sound travels through the pillow fill to the ear resting on it.

Nothing in your ears. No wax pushed inward, no plugs to wash or replace, no pressure on your ear canal when you lie on your side.
Built for the noise earplugs miss. A 40mm driver keeps brown noise full at low volume, which is the range where snoring sits.
Your ears stay open. Nothing seals the canal, so loud sounds such as an alarm are not blocked the way a plug blocks them.
At sleep volume, your partner hears nothing. Only your pillow carries it.
All night or on a timer. 10+ hours of battery, or 30, 60, or 120 minutes on the device. 11 built-in sounds, no phone needed.

The honest limit: masking does not make your room quieter. For very loud, higher-pitched noise, earplugs reduce more. And a genuinely loud snorer will still come through anything you play against them.

How sound through a pillow works: what pillow conduction audio actually is.

Common Questions

"Is it bad to sleep with earplugs every night?"

For most people, no. The main risks are earwax build-up, ear infections from unclean plugs, and not hearing alarms. Choosing a comfortable type, keeping plugs clean, inserting them gently, and giving your ears occasional nights off keeps those risks low.

"Can earplugs cause earwax build-up?"

They can. A plug in the ear canal every night can push wax back inward instead of letting it work its way out. Watch for a blocked feeling, muffled hearing, or ringing, and see a doctor rather than trying to remove it yourself with cotton buds.

"Do earplugs cause heart disease?"

There is no evidence that they do. A 2025 German study found higher odds of cardiovascular disease among people who sleep with earplugs, but it could not show cause and effect, and the authors saw earplug use as a marker of heavier night-time noise or noise sensitivity rather than a cause of harm.

"Are foam or silicone earplugs better for sleep?"

Foam plugs usually block more sound because they expand inside the canal. Silicone and wax plugs cover the entrance instead, which many people find more comfortable overnight and less likely to push wax inward. The best choice is the one you can wear comfortably all night.

"What can I use instead of earplugs?"

Sound masking. A steady sound such as brown noise or rain, played quietly close to your ear, makes snoring and small noises stand out less without anything in your ears. It suits tinnitus, light snoring, and a partner's breathing especially well, and it leaves you able to hear an alarm. For loud, intermittent noise, earplugs usually do more.

The Bottom Line

Sleeping with earplugs is not bad for most people. Keep them clean, insert them gently, give your ears a break now and then, and make sure you can still hear your alarms.

But if you need them every night, and they still let the snoring through, it is worth asking what you are blocking and whether masking would serve you better.

Try the Lullabar for 30 nights and see how your ears feel with nothing in them.

Is It Bad to Sleep With Earplugs?