It's been a weird year for sleep. For me, the levels have fluctuated between too little and too much, but more often than not they have been leaning towards the former. 2020 has given most of us no excuses for sleep deprivation, from personal stress to broader social concerns.
And, fortunately, in recent years there has been no lack of technological solutions to the problem of insomnia. Of course, the underlying problems can be difficult to isolate and even more difficult to treat. There is no silver bullet. This is the lesson I keep learning again in this work: no single piece of technology will cure all my ills. (I'm sure it's nothing years of extensive and expensive therapy can't fix.)
Sleep headphones are not, per se, a completely new phenomenon. Bose seriously entered the space in mid-2018, offering one of the most refined (and expensive) approaches to the category. The company has gone in a completely different direction than, for example, Kokoon, which offers an over-ear solution.
Sleepbuds are, as the name suggests, completely wireless earbuds. This second generation allows Bose to solve some of the bigger problems than the original, including some major battery complaints. It was a pretty big strike against a $ 250 pair of headphones with, literally, a job.
The complaints about the battery and connections, I can say, a priori, seem to have been resolved. The units I've been wearing to sleep and turn on for a few weeks have had no major connection issues to speak of (assuming you keep your phone close to your bed and all that that entails), and the battery generally gets me through a night whole a little less than the remaining 20%. After waking up, throw them into the case and let them charge for the next few hours.
All in all, the build is solid, as you'd expect / hope for from the company name and accompanying price. I really like the design of these things in general from the illuminating metal charging case with its sliding lid to the earbuds themselves. Being someone who finds the slightest irritation a major obstacle to falling asleep, I was pleasantly surprised at how discreet the buds are. They fit comfortably and stay flush with your ear, so nothing snags. The soft, rubbery wings also do a great job of keeping them in place.
The biggest limitation of gems is actually by design. Like the originals, the Sleepbuds II only work with the included app. It is used to pair them, locate them and offers the Bose music library. The company generally does a good job of curating their sleep sounds, which range from nature sounds like rain and wind to self-selected ambient tunes. I got into the habit of hearing the sounds of the ocean while reading Moby Dick nightly. A great way to fall asleep, all in all.
I appreciate the decision to hinder functionality to some degree - I suspect I'd probably start listening to podcasts and TV shows on the item, left to my devices (so to speak). But I'd like to see what buds could do with, say, binaural beats or other environmental selections. Ultimately, I think giving the consumer the choice is ultimately a net positive.
That said, the headphones are well tuned for their limited (but expanding) sound library. There's no active noise cancellation, but passive bud cancellation themselves and onboard sound do a good job of blocking out things like ambient noise or snoring. They probably can't compete with, say, construction noise, but they do a good job with thinner barriers to sleep. They will probably also be a good choice for long flights, when we start doing them again.
There are a handful of headphones currently positioned for the sleep market, but the Bose look is the most refined package at the moment. Price will understandably be a stumbling block for many, and the limited sound library may be a problem for some. But if you have the money - and find it hard to sleep and stay asleep - it's worth exploring.
