Tech companies love to sell us expensive gadgets to solve all of life's little problems. Sleepbuds sold by the likes of Anker and Ozlo are a good example. These miniature marvels of engineering sit flush in the ear, and allow side-sleepers to doze off listening to podcasts, audiobooks, music, or white noise without annoying their partner. But why pay over $200 for a second pair of highly specialized buds when you can spend a fraction of that for a product that never needs charging, never loses its Bluetooth connection, and won't need replacing in a few years after the battery wears out?
Piercing pillows, as the name suggests, promise pain relief for anyone with a freshly pierced ear. They feature cutouts that suspend the ear while sleeping, to avoid putting pressure on the sensitive tissue. I'm here to tell you that they also work great with bulbous AirPods, Galaxy Buds, Pixel Buds, and any other modern earbuds you might already own.
There are dozens of piercing pillows to choose from in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and firmness. I bought the $55 Ear Pillow from Blissbury for a few reasons, primarily because it has two ear cutouts for added flexibility.
I sleep in two side positions. One I like to call the authoritarian cuddle, where my bottom arm is fully extended under one side of the pillow while my top arm strangles the other side. The second is just an unsprung fetal position. Blissbury's piercing pillow accommodates both positions nicely.
The base of the pillow aligns with my shoulder so hunting for the earholes at night becomes effortless. The cover can be unzipped and washed and a simple 1-inch, included foam insert lets you adjust the thickness.
I also like that the cutouts fall just below the centerline allowing the holes to align naturally with my ears when the pillow is nestled up against my shoulder. That makes the earholes relatively easy to locate when tossing and turning at night.
The memory foam used in the Ear Pillow also suits my preference for a relatively thick, firm pillow — though I do wish it was as firm as the $59.99 Ikea Klubbsporre pillow it replaces. The Blissbury's thickness is adjustable between 4 and 5 inches using a removable insert. The outer cover of the Ear Pillow can be removed and washed as required.
The Ear Pillow is 26 inches (66cm) long and 15 inches (38cm) wide, which makes it slightly narrower than a US Standard pillow. That means a Standard pillowcase will sag a bit, which is good because the extra fabric can be stuffed into the earholes. I use mine with a pillowcase that matches my bedding because I've been told that's what full-grown adults do. Blissbury ships the pillow with foam fillers for the holes in case the Ear Pillow ever gets demoted to a guest pillow.
Sleepbuds might still be the way to go if your partner snores, however. I found the Soundcore Sleep A30's masking algorithms to be very effective at canceling out light to moderate snoring. Just know that even the latest sleepbuds often require side-sleepers to adjust their pillows just so to make sure the pressure isn't too acute and the audio isn't muffled.
I've been a dedicated user of Anker's A30 sleepbuds for almost a year. After a bumpy start, a flurry of firmware updates corrected most of the early issues. But there's no amount of software that can overcome the inherent limits of devices that require drivers and batteries that are much smaller than traditional earbuds. Having spent a week with the Blissbury pillow, I now feel silly for spending 4x the amount on earbuds that are inferior to the AirPods Pro I already owned.
The makers of consumer electronics would love for us to believe that only they can smooth out the friction of modern life. But sometimes, all you really need is an oddly shaped piece of foam.
To expand on the topic: sleepbuds have become a booming niche in the audio gear market. Companies like Anker (with its Soundcore line) and Ozlo have developed wireless earbuds specifically designed for sleeping. These buds typically feature a low-profile design so they don't protrude from the ear, making them comfortable for side-sleepers. They also incorporate noise-masking algorithms that can cancel out snoring or other ambient noises without playing music. However, these devices come with trade-offs. They require frequent charging (often nightly), rely on Bluetooth connectivity which can drop, and have small batteries that degrade over time. Many users report that after a year or two, the battery life diminishes to the point where the buds are no longer usable for a full night's sleep. Moreover, they are expensive, often costing $200 or more.
On the other hand, piercing pillows have been around for decades, primarily used by people with ear piercings to avoid pressure on the healing hole. They are essentially memory foam pillows with one or more cutouts that allow the ear to sit in a cavity, relieving pressure. But as it turns out, these pillows also work perfectly for anyone who wants to sleep on their side while wearing standard earbuds. The cutout prevents the earbud from being pressed into the ear canal, which can cause discomfort and also muffles the sound. By using a piercing pillow, you can use any pair of earbuds you already own — whether they are wired or wireless — for listening to audio while falling asleep. There's no need to buy dedicated sleepbuds.
The market for piercing pillows is diverse. Beyond the Blissbury Ear Pillow, there are options from brands like Cushion Lab, Tempur-Pedic, and various small Etsy sellers. They come in different shapes: some have a single cutout, others have two. Some are rectangular, some are contoured for neck support. Prices range from $20 to $100. The key features to look for are adjustable height (to match your sleeping position), removable and washable covers, and memory foam of appropriate firmness. Many users who have tried both sleepbuds and piercing pillows swear by the latter for its simplicity and longevity.
Another advantage of a piercing pillow is that it doesn't require any electronics. You don't have to worry about battery life, firmware updates, or connectivity issues. It's a purely physical solution that works as long as the foam holds its shape — which can be years. And if you have a partner who is sensitive to light or noise, you can still use your earbuds without disturbing them. The pillow is silent and doesn't emit any light.
Of course, there are some downsides. Piercing pillows are larger than standard pillows and may not fit in your existing pillowcase well. Some people find the ear cutouts to be too small or not positioned correctly for their anatomy. And if you sleep on your back or stomach, you might not benefit from the ear hole at all. But for dedicated side-sleepers, they offer a compelling alternative to expensive tech gadgets.
In conclusion, while sleepbuds have their place — especially for those who need active noise cancellation to drown out loud snoring — a simple piercing pillow can often achieve the same goal at a fraction of the cost. It's a reminder that sometimes the best solutions are the simplest ones, and that we don't always need to upgrade to the latest gadget to solve everyday problems. The Blissbury Ear Pillow, and others like it, prove that a well-designed piece of foam can be just as effective as a $250 pair of smart earbuds.
Source: The Verge News