We are dedicated to making sure that everyone can have the best possible experience with their Bose products. We have heard your feedback regarding comfort and fit for the Sleepbuds II, but would love more of it. We have set up a survey here to help gather more information.
We want to ensure we fully understand your concerns, so the more detailed information you can provide us about your experience the better.
In the meantime, we have some resources that may be helpful for some people experiencing trouble with fit or comfort.
Please see our article on fitting the Sleepbuds in your ear here.
My first night was similar in the sense that I was wearing two different sizes on purpose and woke up to the larger size one hurting a bit when I woke up. Then, after changing it back to a smaller size, today I had no issues. I'm also a side sleeper and in my short experience with the buds, I've noticed that it can get more annoying if I place my head right in the centre of the pillow. On the other hand, if I place my head sort of in an angle or so to say 1/3rd of the pillow, then I don't experience any issue at all. Placing the head right in the centre will inevitably put all the pressure right from the bud to your ear canal and I don't see a way of preventing that with any type of product that goes into your ear. Not sure if I explained my case correctly but for me, it was a matter of playing with the part of the pillow in which I place my head and the size of the bud.
Thanks. Yeah, I guess I was hoping they'd be comfortable wherever my head lay on the pillow. The size seems to make a difference. Been playing around with them this morning, and seems to be most comfortable with the Large size in the Right and Small in the Left. Even though my ears appear evenly sized.
Will persist for another night and see if I can stand the pain! My ears are still throbbing from last night and I feel as if I'm wearing a phantom Sleepbud.
The size for me was the key. Although I also think my ears are the same size, what changes a bit is the shape of the inside where the top of the bud that secures the fit lands. Keep on playing with them, don't give up just yet 😉
Well, the second night with the Sleepbuds was a little better. I actually slept! I still find them painful and irritating. I can never lay my head in the exact position I want, it always has to be led by getting the Sleepbud to rest in my ear in the most acceptable position.
It's shocking to me, that so many people describe them as "comfortable" or "undetectable". I'm envious if that's truly the case for those people.
I have the same experience after my first night. I woke up several times with pain in both my ears as I am a side-sleeper, too. The sounds are fantastic. I chose Cobblestone which had a soothing sound but the pain is awful. Is there any solution maybe? I will try to sleep on my back but I don't think I will stay all night on my back.
I slept 1 hour less as usual unfortunately. I have a Fitbit analysing my sleeps so I can have exact figures about my sleeps.
I feel your pain. I too am a side sleeper. Tried all 3 fittings. Tried several nights. Was waking up ripping out one side or the other. They really help with sound masking, but I don't think I should have to learn a new way to use a pillow, or change the way I sleep to make the buds painless. They need a different approach other than jamming something in your ear all night.
I was very excited that Second version of sleepbuds came out because I relied heavily on the previous version until they finally just stopped charging. Stating that, I never had any discomfort with the previous series. The new set are painful when either ear is on the pillow. I tried all of the sizes and mix and match once I read the forum. It did not work. I really don’t want to send them back. Last night I found the large covers for my previous sleepbuds (first generation). I used them with the new bud hardware and it worked. It covers a portion of the battery cover which I think causes the problem. Granted, I can’t charge them with the old covers, but that part was an easy fix of just taking them out of the cover and putting them on the charger.
I’m hoping that someone from BOSE reads this as well so that a design adjustment can occur in the future. I really want this product to be successful regardless of sleeping position.
I'm a side sleeper, and I had your problem. I personally solved this problem buying a pillow with a hole (basically pillows for pain relief designed for those who suffer ear pain or underwent surgical operation to the ear). It was kind of expensive, but solved my problem. They're usually a bit low and can cause neck pain if you have broad shoulders, but that too can be dealt with by placing another pillow under it, thus adjusting its height. At the beginning the feeling can be a bit strange, but after a few nights I could sleep comfortably.
After using the Sleepbuds more than a month, I come to the conclusion that I am in between two sizes. The large size fits best in my ear canal and seals better, letting less sound through. The outer part of the large size however is painfull after some hours. The medium size is not painfull, but lets my partner's snoring through more. My wish is to buy an optional large/medium eartip. Large, but with a bit smaller outer part.
I am so happy I’m not the only who who feels this way. I had no discomfort issues with the first generation. This 2nd gen version is definitely uncomfortable to side sleep on. And just uncomfortable period to have in all night even sleeping on the back. I am going to try the suggestion of using the 1st gen covers over the device. I hope this works.
I am also a side sleeper & experiencing the same problem of discomfort. I've tried all 3 Sleepbud eartips as well. All ended up being uncomfortable when sleeping on my side & had to take them out.
I put them aside thinking I can never use them again & went back to using the pliable silicone type ear plugs that I purchased before Sleepbuds II because I know I can sleep on my side with them & have no discomfort.
Last night I decided to try the Sleepbuds again, went into a deep sleep on my back but eventually I turned on my side, not fully like I usually do & that seemed to help a little, but still had some discomfort in my ear. I will persevere with them again. They're a great product, exactly what I need, just a shame I have to change the way I sleep to make them work.
I too tried every possible way because I really wanted these to work but no matter what I did my ears hurt and because of this I can't justify the price of the headphones-for this price they should just be comfortable.
I am a side sleeper and use a very soft bouncy pillow. I also watched the video on YouTube posted by Bose on finding the right ear tips for the best fit. Nothing worked!
I really hope Bose comes out with a version III that is comfortable and also would be a bonus if you can use other audio apps with the earphones such as Spotify/headspace/calm.
I am having the same problem. I'm a side sleeper and am finding these sleepbuds to be not just uncomfortable, but actually painful. My ears are tender all day. I've given them 10 nights and tried a few variations but nothing seems to help. It's really a shame, because they do a great job of blocking my husband's snoring. I plan to return them today. I will also try to add this information to the reviews, because prospective buyers should have access to this information. I wish I had.
