The Bose Sleepbuds 2 are the best headphones for sleeping. The most comfortable for all-night wear, they seal out external noise (even snoring) and have 50 different sound and white noise options to help you fall asleep and stay there.

The Sleepbuds II earbuds are an investment that could pay dividends in quality hours of sleep.

The price point is unfortunately slightly prohibitive. But Bose appears to be the only company making earbuds designed specifically for sleep, so it can charge whatever it wants without fear of competition. If you have luxury money to spend, these are truly invaluable addition to your sleep arsenal.

Combining unmatched comfort and effective in-app sleeping aids, the SleepBuds II are well worth trying if you struggle to nod off

Even though these buds are probably the best possible design for sleeping, not everyone will find them comfortable. I tested these for about two weeks, and the first few times I tried them, I woke up in the middle of the night to take them out. It just felt odd. Although I eventually got used to it, I still occasionally wake up with a mild ache around the entrance to my ear canal.

For those who can afford the high price, the Bose Sleepbuds II are a fantastic device for masking sound and helping get a good night's sleep.

You know, as an overall experience, I’m very happy with these. I do wish that they weren’t quite as expensive as they are for what you’re getting. But they do what it says on the tin better than anything else I’ve tried to date. What would I like to see in the future? Just even more slimming down of that dynamic, active electronics part so that you really can lie on your side without noticing anything.

To tell you the truth, as someone who is not used to falling asleep to anything but relative quiet (I live in NYC, so it’s got to be “relative”), the idea of purposefully listening to sounds or music seemed a little off to me. But I have to say, after trying it out, it is not a bad idea at all. I like listening to rain, and there were several noise-masking “rainy” sounds that worked quite well. The buds didn’t mask everything, but they took care of random street noises and the baby next door quite well. And other noises were, if not completely masked, deadened to the point where they weren’t much of a disturbance. (I can also see where the Sleepbuds would be ideal for napping on a plane or train.)

In a bid to make up for the mistakes the original Sleepbuds made, Bose’s latest sleep-masking earbuds bring plenty of improvements, such as a much better, comfier fit, increased battery life and a better range of sounds to help you drift off. The design is exactly what you’d expect from Bose, with everything exuding a high-end, sleek aesthetic you’d be proud to sit on your bedside table. Performance is just as good, too, successfully masking the annoying sounds that keep you from getting some much-needed rest. However, this comes at a cost - one which might prove just a little too much for those looking to get a decent night’s rest. If you suffer from poor sleep and you’ve got the money to throw at it, the Bose Sleepbuds II could be the gadget of your dreams.

The Bose Sleepbuds II are more than capable of doing what they're supposed to do, which is to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. It's just such a subjective thing that it's hard to know how broadly successful they might be for everyone.

Overall, Bose Sleepbuds II is more suitable for users who have difficulty falling asleep. Its built-in soothing sound effect, coupled with passive noise shielding, will indeed make it easier for people with insomnia to fall asleep.

The problem is, since this is such a niche single-purpose gadget, there should be basically zero inconveniences for $250. Sure, the Sleepbuds 2 helped me sleep, but not much more so than Headspace or my own nature recordings. Brian meanwhile, had to develop a convoluted system of playing a podcast on his phone loud enough that he could hear it over the Warm Static on the Sleepbuds to really find a workable solution.

The Bose SleepBuds II are undoubtedly among the most comfortable earbuds to use when falling asleep, even for side sleepers, but the high price and restrictions on playing music or podcasts from outside the Bose Sleep app may put some off.

Bottom line: Bose Sleepbuds II simply work. I've been getting more and better sleep than ever thanks to them.