Sleep is my favorite thing to do in the world. To me, a solid eight hours of sleep [1] is better than indulging in a day at the spa or enjoying a five-star meal. No supplement or cup of coffee can give me the energy I get from a restful night of sleep, and no amount of makeup can make me look as refreshed. But loving and getting sleep are two different things.
While I would love to clock in a solid eight hours, work, kids, and Netflix get in the way of my slumber goals. What's worse, when I do go to bed, I'm an extremely light sleeper. While many people complain that their partner snores during the night, I complain that my husband breathes. I'm such a light sleeper that I sometimes get woken up by my neighbor's alarm clock or a distant goose that is honking at the morning sun. In complete silence, I can fall asleep rather quickly. But if there's a distracting noise, I toss and turn.
I've tried white noise [2], fancy headphones, and basically anything Amazon has to offer [3] when it comes to minimizing sound while I'm sleeping. Naturally, the best solution was actually the least expensive. Isn't that how it always works?
I'm not a diehard NASCAR fan (or even a fan at all), but I know enough about the sport to know that those races get loud. So, when I found ear plugs touted as "the officially licensed ear plugs of Nascar," I assumed they had to be good. I gave the Moldex Sparkplugs Disposable Foam Earplugs [5] ($31 for 200 pairs) a try, and I have never looked back.
Are they stylish? Nope. Are they high-tech? Absolutely not. But they work like a charm. And at the price of 16 cents per pair, I don't feel pressure keeping track of them when traveling or otherwise.
Are they stylish? Nope. Are they high-tech? Absolutely not. But they work like a charm.
Before bedtime, I crack open a package of these tie-dye looking earplugs and twist each one into what looks like a tiny snake. I then put one into each of my ear canals, and it expands to the point that it blocks out noise. Like, snoring husband- or barking dog-level noise. When I wear these ear plugs, a bomb could go off, and I would likely continue to sleep soundly. They are comfortable, they don't fall out, and they work. I now fall asleep quickly and stay asleep when my husband takes a 2 a.m. trip to the bathroom or my daughter goes into the kitchen at 6 a.m. In other words, since I started using these ear plugs, I'm more refreshed, well-rested, and in a better mood.
Using NASCAR-grade earplugs has been a game changer for me. They are easy to use, inexpensive, and block out any random noise that keeps me up (or wakes me up). While having tie-dye pieces of foam sticking out of my ears isn't the sexiest sight, it's well-worth the trade off for a restorative night, so I can tackle the day with a clear mind and bag-free eyes.