Adding This To My Night Routine Transformed My Sleep (No, Not Melatonin)

A good night's sleep is core to any well-being routine—and I'm always looking for ways to optimize mine. I've upgraded my pillow (success!), tried mouth taping (not a success!), and even swapped to red-light-free light bulbs (to be determined!) in the quest to improve my snooze.

But what I didn't expect to be the biggest game changer was sleep earplugs—specifically the new Loop Dreams. These buds reduce outside noise by 27 dB by forcing sound to go through a hollow channel.

First things first, I should clarify this is not my first rodeo with Loop. As concerns about ear health continue to be a topic of conversation, I've found myself monitoring my exposure to loud noises.

I love concerts and boutique fitness classes where the music is loud enough to rattle your bones (and damage the delicate hairs in your inner ear). After one too many warnings from my Apple Watch about noise exposure, I purchased a pair of Loop Earplugs last year.

Since then, I've been adamant about protecting my ears in loud environments, but I've also found myself wearing them when I need to focus. We're in the midst of an epidemic of noise1, in which we're constantly inundated with sounds.

This noise pollution can lead to elevated blood pressure2 and tinnitus—which means protecting your ears isn't just for super-loud environments.

Of course, I still want to interact with the world, which is why I love Loop. Their clever design muffles noise rather than blocking it out entirely.

The ear tips force noise to go through a channel that's narrower than your ear canal, called the acoustic channel. This reduces the volume of sounds without blocking them out entirely.

As you might have guessed by the name, the Loop Dreams are made specifically for sleep. They offer some of the brand's highest noise reduction at 27dB—but it's still not a total noise blackout.

As someone who lives alone, I want to be able to hear certain noises when I sleep. For example, I don't want to hear the hum of my ice machine or air purifier, but I do want to hear if my dog is barking aggressively. I feel safe when wearing the Loop Dream.

What's more, I actually find this design even comfier than Loops past. The new release adds memory foam to the silicone ear tip. This allows the Loop to better mirror the ear's natural shape—and yes, it's actually comfortable for side sleepers.

When you open the box, you'll have a choice of ear tips. Initially, I kept the medium option but ultimately chose to size up slightly for a better fit. As expected, they fit snugly into my ear canal.

My first thought: I could feel the difference with adding memory foam to the silicone tip. They felt softer but hugged the sides of my ear canal better. The fit felt more secure than previous iterations—and I also could hear even less.

The first night I slept with my Loop was at a hotel in Chelsea. Although I was on the eighth floor, some lingering noises still made their way into the building. When I woke up the next morning and took out my Loop Dreams, I was surprised by the amount of noise traveling its way into the hotel room. I hadn't even noticed!