Bose SleepBuds II

While there’s a wide selection of truly wireless earbuds on the market today, none is quite like the Bose Sleepbuds II. They are designed specifically to help you enjoy a deep, restful night’s sleep by making sound and playing soothing sounds in your ears that help lull you to slumber.

As the name implies, the Sleepbuds II are the second iteration of the product. The first had a faulty battery that led to Bose eventually issuing a recall for them. There was a secondary issue discovered with the charging case after the initial release, but Bose has since rectified that as well. Bottom line: Bose solved the issues and released these new buds to accomplish what the company originally set out to do.

Do they work and are they worth buying? I was excited to try these out because I often have trouble falling asleep. As a daily Fitbit wearer, I am also obsessed with checking my sleep data in the app every morning to see not only how many total hours of sleep I get each night but also the quality of sleep, which my Versa 2 smartwatch breaks down by light, deep, and REM. It also provides a Sleep Score. Being able to track these details about my sleep could provide some meaningful insight into whether or not wearing the Sleepbuds actually made a difference.

But first, let’s go through what they are and how they work.

Bose Sleepbuds II in ear

What are the Bose Sleepbuds II?

The Bose Noise Masking Sleepbuds II look just like any pair of truly wireless earbuds, complete with a convenient and stylish charging case. They come with three sizes of proprietary ear tips (small, medium, and large) to ensure a perfect, snug fit.

Finished in white with a silver case, they work alongside the Bose Sleep app. Pop them in your ears then choose from various pieces of content in the app, from nature sounds to tranquil tones and white noise. Bose says they are “clinically proven” to help you fall asleep faster.

The battery lasts up to 10 hours per charge, which is more than enough for a night’s sleep. But you get three additional charges from the included case, which also doubles for storage.

They work with any mobile device that supports Bluetooth Low Energy, including Apple devices running iOS 11 or later and Android 6.0 devices or later.

Bose Sleepbuds II case

Setting up the Bose Sleepbuds II

The first thing I noticed about the Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds II were that they come in a really neat packaging. And the charging case is equally cool, sliding open to reveal the buds inside along with bright LED lights to indicate charging status.

Download the app then follow the simple instructions for set up: the first thing you need to do is charge them up for at least six hours to ensure they are ready to go. Try the buds to ensure that you have the proper fit. They come with the medium-sized tips already attached and these fit perfectly for me so I didn’t have to change them. But the app walks you through how they should look and fit so you can confirm you have the right size before popping them into your ears overnight.

Bose Sleepbuds II extra tips

Once set up and fully charged, I got ready for a relaxing night of slumber. Before getting into bed, I popped them into my ears, opened up the app, waited for them to connect, then browsed through the various soothing sounds under the “My Sounds’ tab. They are categorized into Noise Masking (Swell, Warm Static, Rinse, Rustle), Naturescapes (Boardwalk, Outbound, Starboard, Window Seat), and Tranquilities (Ode, Wanderlust, Fabled, and Gilded Dream). At first, I tried one of the Tranquilities, which is like an instrument playing a tune. But I found the repetitive nature and tone irritating after about 10 minutes and switched to Rustle, which mimics the sound of a light breeze and rustling leaves on a beautiful Fall day. That was much more relaxing and effective at what I usually wear earplugs for at night, which is basic noise masking.

Bose Sleepbuds II sounds 1

Bose Sleepbuds II sound 2Bose Sleepbuds II sound 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can click on the Sound Library tab to download other sounds as well, so I added a few more, like Campfire, Rumble, and Altitude. Each sound has a detailed description but ideally, just press play to hear a preview before downloading. While you can play a sound without being connected to the earbuds, you need to connect them before you can add the new sound to the buds. In many cases, a lot of them sound similar with just a slight audible difference among them. You can set the sound to play all night or create a sleep timer so it stops after a few hours, for example, once you’re deep in slumber.

A feature I love with these sleep earbuds is that you can also set an alarm that will emit a soothing tone overtop the noise masking sound to help you wake up in the morning. This is great for people who wake up early since only they can hear it versus an alarm clock that might wake up your partner and/or others in the household.

Bose Sleepbuds alarm

Bose Sleepbuds II timerBose Sleepbuds app alerts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a few other settings worth noting in the app. There’s a phone-free mode that lets you use the Sleepbuds II while your phone is off or in another room. Though this disables all alarms, alerts, and sound adjustments, it’s great if you just want to completely shut down for a night and get a full, uninterrupted eight hours (or more!) of sleep. A useful feature if you’re concerned about missing an important or emergency call is Alerts, which you can set up to send a tone to the buds if there’s an incoming call. Finally, there’s an informative bit of information about volume safety, advising you to set an appropriate volume.

Bose Sleepbuds II in ear close-up

Do the Bose Sleepbuds II work?

I tried a different noise each night, sticking mainly with the noise masking options. They were pretty comfortable and never fell out of my ears. I toss and turn a lot in my sleep and they didn’t budge nor did I feel any pain from wearing them in the mornings. But the most important thing is: did I notice a difference in my sleep?

It’s really tough to tell. I had very high hopes after the first night as my sleep score, based on Fitbit data, was 10 points higher than usual, even though I got the same number of hours of sleep as usual. But after that, it went down to typical numbers. Did I feel more refreshed in the morning? Not necessarily. I did, however, feel slightly less stressed and anxious while trying to fall asleep. I did notice, however, that while my hours of sleep and overall sleep scores remained pretty consistent, the time I spent in deep sleep tended to be higher when I wore the earbuds versus when I didn’t. Deep sleep is, of course, when your body and mind is most relaxed, your heartbeat and breathing slows down, and it’s tough to wake you up. It’s an important part of the nightly sleep cycle.

The Sleepbuds II worked effectively for noise masking as well, at a similar level to the standard foam earplugs I usually wear that fit directly into my ear canal and expand to block noise.

Bose sleep buds II

Are the Bose Sleepbuds II worth buying?

If you have serious issues with insomnia, have a hard time relaxing at night with your mind constantly racing, experience a lot of stress and anxiety, the Sleepbuds might be worth the investment. The soothing and tranquil sounds might make a difference in helping you alleviate some of that stress, getting to sleep quicker, and feeling more refreshed when you wake up. If you’re just a light sleeper who is easily awoken by even the slightest distracting noise or live in a city where there’s a lot of noise overnight that impedes your sleep, you might be able to get by using just a decent pair of quality foam earplugs that fit securely in your ear canals to block out noise.

It’s worth noting that if you live alone, for safety reasons, it makes more sense to opt for a device like a white noise or sound machine over earbuds, to ensure that you still have a level of situational awareness in the event of an emergency. But if you live with others, especially someone who snores, or if you have to wake up for work at odd hours, these buds can quietly wake you up without disturbing anyone else.

Check out the Bose Noise-Masking Sleepbuds II at Best Buy Online. 

Christine Persaud
With 20+ years of experience in trade and consumer tech journalism, I have covered the tech space since before social media was a "thing" and the smartphone as we know it was even invented. Writing for various technology, lifestyle, and entertainment sites, I have covered and reviewed hundreds of tech products, from home appliances to wearables, fitness tech to headphones, TV entertainment products and services, and more. I'm also a passionate foodie who loves to cook and bake, a TV show fanatic (happy to give what to watch recommendations!), and proud mother to a 12-year-old son.

387 COMMENTS

  1. I would listen to Rustle to fall asleep because I know the sound of a light breeze has always put me to sleep when I am lying in my hammock.

  2. I have struggled with sleep issues for more years than I can remember. Averaging at best 4 hours a night (fitbit says just over 2 hours with next to nothing for deep sleep if at all) wouldn’t it be a treat if these actually helped.

  3. Unfortunately I don’t see my old psychology prof’s lectures as an option to help put me to sleep, but I do know the low sounds of delta waves does the job for me. Rumble might do the trick as well since the name implies a lower tone and grumble like my old psych prof.

  4. I have been using them for a few nights now. You do need to experiment. The first night l had the alarm on and it was super loud and seemed to come from the phone too. I find most of the sounds are very similar but in two sets – one straight noise and other with a music background. I hoped the rain would be good as l always like real rain, but it is quite poor. Surf noise okay. I have not compared my Fitbit results yet.

  5. Very small and fit great however my wife purchased a set for 2020 Christmas and will return all of the choices sound similar although you can download to your phone Bluetooth but will not communicate with other sources for that price you should be able to listen
    To other sleep sounds and music from pandora or YouTube
    Bose there are fantastic but do not wish to be only limited to your choices
    Dan Kinley
    Anderson sc

  6. Great concept because they do block out everything and the sounds will put you in a trancelike state by lulling you to sleep,, and I stayed asleep until 230 PM which was a miracle,, however for 250.00 I just couldn’t live with them not playing music at all, so I took them back and swapped them for the noise cancelling buds that were 279.00

  7. The real question i have with this is how are they for side sleepers.

    I’ve found its really hard to get a good pair of ear plugs that can be worn when sleeping on your side. The plus always feel like they’re being shoved into my skull.

    • Daniel, I am a tosser and turner when I sleep, but primarily go from one side to the other. And I didn’t find them being uncomfortable at all. I usually sleep with foam earplugs (hubby snores!) and I didn’t find these felt any different. As long as you select the right-sized eartips and insert them properly, it shouldn’t be an issue.

    • Hi Mike. That sound depend on how loud you have them and how soundly you sleep. I wouldn’t suggest wearing these if you have to listen for a baby unless another adult is in the house as well. If you have a baby monitor, however, and can increase the volume for that to ensure you can still hear the baby crying, that might work. But if you’re alone with a baby, I would recommend a sleep machine instead.

  8. Thanks for the comment, Joe. That would be nice – one parent listens to tranquil sounds while the other is on duty, and vice versa! If you guys need different-sized eartips, you could use the same pair or buds, though you’d have to keep swapping the tips out. But for a good night’s rest every second night or so, I imagine that would be totally worth it. Good luck and glad you enjoyed the review!

  9. These are sweet and would totally be helpful for my wife and I taking shifts on a crying new born! Thanks for the review!

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