I too had the same problem. I sleep on my stomach with my ear (either side) resting on an arm. The cartilage in my ears were getting sore. There were nights that I could not sleep with them for more than a couple of hours. I was ready to pack it in with the sleepbuds.
Last night I decided to try an experiment. I took a cotton pad and cut it into quarters. I inserted the sleepbuds and placed each piece of the pad behind the wing tips. This cushioned the wing tips against the cartilage.
I was able to sleep in comfort without waking up for the entire night. I used the largest of the ear tips. You might want to try the different size tips to see where your comfort level is. I wish Bose had made the wing tips with memory foam and no loop. I intend to keep my sleepbuds. I hope this works for you. Try it. You have nothing to lose.
I totally agree with this and I too have sores in both ears. I have tried all the different sizes. I wish they would design it differently. I would pop it out to charge, if they had the silicone that covers the charging part rather than have it digging into my ear each night. Unfortunately I own three pairs of them as I LOVED the first ones. One box has not been opened yet, but I can't return them for a refund. I can understand them not being willing to take the opened boxes back, but very disappointed they would not take the unopened one when they are causing so much pain and discomfort. I am now resorting to putting medical tape in my ear before putting in the buds.
If you bought them directly from Bose, they have a 90 day trial policy that indicated if you aren’t satisfied within the time limit, you can return the set for a full refund. I purchased my set at a local retailer here in Toronto on April 20th, and the Policy at this store was only 30 days trial. I figured that was long enough.
Since I have been using parts of cotton pads to cushion the cartilage in my ears, I have had the best nights sleep. The Sleepbuds have been more comfortable with the pads than without.
I am having a problem with sore ears too. Wondered if it was the hot nights (sweaty) and leaving something in your ears for so long. I have what looks like a small burn in each ear, just inside antitragus. I have tried changing sizes. The small can fall out, medium default appear to be the best for me.
Most nights I do get a really good nights sleep with them and it definitely drowns out noises, snoring being the main issue. Better sleep than before and couldn’t sleep without them now (I tried!) however I wake up with sore ears and they do feel sweaty. Maybe it’s been the warm weather recently.
What looks like little burns seems to be subsiding, just crusting over. I am not sure if it is a placement issue. The instructions are not great and so tiny. A proper full sized picture would help.
I would really love a solution to this that isn’t trying different sized ear buds because I’ve definitely done that, many times over.
I find these brilliant for noise (snoring partner) but my ears really hurt - one more than the other. I wake up constantly trying to shift the pillow around and create a dip in it for my poor ear! I think my sleep is more disrupted by this than the snoring so i think I will have to return them.
Wish I wasn’t a side sleeper, but alas that appears to be all I can do.
I cannot understand why I’m not seeing Bose come up with any solutions here? These are seriously pricey to have so many people complaining of pain?!!
@disappointedwithsleepbuds We're sorry to hear about the pain you are experiencing from your Sleepbuds. Please reach out to our local customer support for further assistance with this. Global Contact Us > Select your country > Scroll to the bottom of the page > Click 'Contact Us'.
I have tried wearing mine for three weeks now, thinking that the pain that wakes me up in the middle of each night would go away once I get used to them, but the little spot just outside the ear canal that the metal charging spot makes contact with when I sleep on my side has gone from being sore, to having little scabs, to bleeding. I had my GP look at my ear, and he said the "cavum concha" is being irritated by the charging contact pressing against it when I sleep on my side. I purposely go to sleep on my back, but obviously role over onto my side during the night. I will let my ears heal for a week then give it another try with the surgical tape solution before returning them. Question: do I put the surgical tape in my ear (where I was getting the sore spot) or on the earbud (to cover the charging contact)?
Thank you to everyone who provide their experiences with their Sleepbuds II in this thread.
We appreciate and are listening to your feedback, but would love more of it. We have set up a survey here to help gather more information on the fit of the Sleepbuds II.
We want to ensure we fully understand your concerns, so the more detailed information you can provide us about your experience the better. As always, we are dedicated to making sure that everyone can have the best possible experience with their Bose products.
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.
- You can read how to change the ear tips here.
- Also please watch this video:
Thanks!
I couldn’t return my Sleepbud II’s as they were replacements for the faulty I’s I owned previously.
I put the medical tape in the ear over the sore. Just started getting them again, so will resort back to the tape again.
I have since returned the sleep buds - they were making my sleep worse not better due to the discomfort. Such a shame.
I did so much research, and these seemed to be a great fix for my sleep issues. I asked for, and received, a set for Christmas. But, like everyone here, I love how they keep outside noise out and provide calming sounds, but I wake up every couple of hours because my ears are hurting! I am a small person and I use the smallest option, but still can't get a good night's sleep. I've even had a few sores on my ears after trying to use them for multiple nights in a row. I'm going to have to try to return them. ☹️
They are extremely uncomfortable. I spoke to my doctor and he said those Bose sleepbuds might be causing permanent damage to the inside of my ear.