For over a decade — perhaps even longer — I've been completely obsessed with sleep, or more accurately, my lack of it.
As a lifelong light sleeper, my challenges escalated when I moved in with the love of my life, only to discover he was a serious snorer. Just when I thought my sleep struggles had peaked, having my first child took things to a whole new level — let's just say it was the final straw in my never-ending battle with sleepless nights.
As a result, I’ve tried pretty much every sleep-aid gadget imaginable. There was one that really helped and I feel like I owe it to all my sleep-deprived brothers and sisters out there to present a full review. I’m talking about the Anker Sleep A20 Bluetooth Sleep Earbuds…
Soundcore Sleep A20 by Anker Sleep Earbuds
© Anker
I sleep every night with ear plugs, (I just can’t sleep without them) so I was excited to upgrade from the foam ones I’ve been using for as long as I can remember. I charged them up and put them in, and was surprised at how comfortable and lightweight they are. You can sleep on your side and hardly feel them, and they stayed put all night. If you have big or small ears, it’s no worry - they come with a variety of different earbud sizes - as well as outer silicone sleeves - you can change to get the perfect fit.
The set-up was easy, download the app and connect the earbuds, and choose a sleep sound to download to the device, which it can automatically switch to when it detects you’ve fallen asleep. There are a wide range of different ‘white noise’ type effects plus soothing nature sounds etc if that’s more your thing.
I engaged the auto-switching mode and fell asleep listening to some relaxing tunes (you could also play your fave audiobook or guided meditation if you prefer) Then the next thing I knew, it was morning. I’d slept through the whole night! Can’t remember the last time that happened!
And it wasn’t just a one-time occurrence, I’ve had many sleep-totally through nights since starting to use the earbuds. There’s also a great alarm feature, but you need to bear in mind that the battery life is 8-10 hours depending on which functions you’re using so make sure you’ll have enough juice left if you’re relying on them to wake you up.
There’s a handy smart volume control - which automatically adjusts to your surroundings to mask external noise. However, you can only adjust manually adjust the volume through the app - so you need to set the volume to a level that suits you before you put your phone away.
There’s also a sleep-tracking functionality which I have found very interesting, and the buds themself come with a USB charging cable (but no plug) and a great little charging case which is big enough to not lose easily but small enough to just pop them in your bag if you’re going travelling.
I am honestly over the moon with these earbuds - and the Amazon reviews agree - with several hailing them "better than Bosch". I wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone who struggles with sleep.
What are verified Amazon shoppers saying about the earbuds?
The headphones have a decent 54% five star rating based on 2,295 global reviews. Words such as “amazing” “well worth it” and “comfortable” pop up again and again, which is very encouraging.
“Swapped to these from Bose. Worth it,” says one happy shopper. “Great night sleep with these on. I slept no problem on my side, I didn't feel them in at all which was surprising. There's a few different tips and wingtips to choose from to get it just right, but the setup out of the box was fine for me. The app is great, had no issues connecting either. “
Another reviewer is very impressed with the battery life. “This us where they are amazing! I'm not sure how long on bluetooth mode they have as haven't tested, but on sleep mode I have so far had 10 hours and they were still going!”
We’re there any negatives? Quite a few customers noted that there’s no ANC noise cancelling. Says one reviewer: “Once I'm playing something though, it's perfect. Just don't expect to not hear some exterior noise with these on. Hopefully in this form factor one day, we'll have ANC.”
Opinion was slightly divided about the passive noise cancelling, but this reviewer says the key is making sure you fit them correctly:”I see some people complain about the passive noise cancelling not being good. with the right ear tips I found these to block about 90% of the noise with active noise cancelling enabled. They're really good at blocking noise for earbuds that don't have active noise cancelling.”
My experience is similar. I wish I’d found them sooner!
