Most of the time I’m a very light sleeper, it doesn’t take much to wake me up and then I can struggle to fall back asleep quickly. Long plane flights (for example from Australia to Sweden and back!) are simply exercises in sleep deprivation.

I’ve tried various ear plugs over the years but always found them either ineffective or uncomfortable (meaning I still couldn’t sleep!) or both. I nearly always sleep on my side, and regular ear plugs just aren’t designed for it. This has been no small problem. I have 2 cats that like to reenact Chariots of Fire in the middle of the night, a toddler who grinds his teeth when he’s not babbling about whatever he dreams about, and a fiancee that (occasionally) snores … working nights and sleeping days when nobody was at home virtually became the only way to get a decent sleep!

Then, a few weeks ago I found these! They’re a small ball of silicon rubber. You place them over (not in) your ear canal and then mold them until you get a nice fit. Done properly you get a little vacuum suction and then they’re just brilliant. My life has changed! I’m waking up feeling so much more refreshed. They don’t completely block noise, but they dull it such that it doesn’t wake me.

Life is good