Ditch pricey sleepbuds and opt for this pillow instead.

Tech companies are always eager to sell us pricey gadgets that promise to solve our everyday challenges. Take sleepbuds, for instance. These tiny engineering wonders fit snugly in your ears, allowing side-sleepers to drift off while enjoying podcasts, audiobooks, music, or white noise without disturbing their partner. But why shell out over $200 for a specialized pair when you can grab something much cheaper that never needs charging, maintains a solid connection, and won’t require replacement in a few years due to battery wear?

Enter piercing pillows, designed specifically for those with freshly pierced ears. These pillows feature cutouts that keep your ear suspended while you sleep, preventing pressure on sensitive tissue. They also work perfectly with bulkier earbuds like AirPods, Galaxy Buds, and Pixel Buds, making them a versatile choice for any modern earbud user.

There’s a wide selection of piercing pillows available in various shapes, sizes, and firmness levels. I opted for the $55 Ear Pillow from Blissbury, mainly because it has two ear cutouts for added flexibility.

I tend to sleep in two positions: one I call the authoritarian cuddle, where my bottom arm is fully extended under one side of the pillow while my top arm wraps around the other side, and the other is a classic fetal position. Blissbury’s piercing pillow accommodates both styles comfortably.

I appreciate that the cutouts are positioned just below the centerline, allowing them to align naturally with my ears when the pillow is snug against my shoulder. This design makes it easy to find the earholes even when tossing and turning at night.

The memory foam in the Ear Pillow meets my preference for a thicker, firmer pillow, although I wish it had the same firmness as the $59.99 Ikea Klubbsporre pillow it replaced. The Blissbury pillow’s thickness is adjustable between 4 and 5 inches thanks to a removable insert, and the outer cover can be taken off and washed as needed.

Measuring 26 inches (66cm) long and 15 inches (38cm) wide, the Ear Pillow is slightly narrower than a standard US pillow. This means a standard pillowcase will sag a bit, which is actually helpful since the extra fabric can be stuffed into the earholes. I use mine with a pillowcase that matches my bedding because, apparently, that’s what adults do. Blissbury even includes foam fillers for the holes in case the Ear Pillow ever gets demoted to a guest pillow.

However, if your partner snores, sleepbuds might still be the better option. I found the Soundcore Sleep A30’s noise-masking features quite effective at drowning out light to moderate snoring. Just keep in mind that even the latest sleepbuds often require side-sleepers to adjust their pillows to avoid excessive pressure and muffled audio.

I’ve been using Anker’s A30 sleepbuds for nearly a year. After a rocky start, a series of firmware updates resolved most of the initial issues. But no amount of software can overcome the limitations of devices that rely on tiny drivers and batteries. After spending a week with the Blissbury pillow, I can’t help but feel a bit foolish for spending four times as much on earbuds that don’t outperform the AirPods Pro I already had.

Consumer electronics makers want us to think they’re the only solution to the challenges of modern life. But sometimes, all you really need is a uniquely shaped piece of foam.