Sleep is the number one recovery tool for runners and yet one that’s often disrupted. SomniPods 3 are here to replace your cruddy foam earplugs and give you a system to improve sleep and inhibit disruptors.
I love sleep. I’m pretty cranky when things disrupt my sleep. For that reason I started seeking out earplugs a few years ago to bring with me when traveling. As I discovered in Barcelona, the trash trucks run all night long and this kept my husband awake for 3 nights straight. Meanwhile I had some basic earbuds that improved my sleep, but didn’t block everything out.
Which lead me to the SomniPods 3 and their active noise canceling. I’ve tried sleeping in regular ANC headphones, but the second you turn on your side they fall out or press deeply in to your head and it sucks.
Our Verdict
Improving sleep is a key recovery tool for athletes and SomniPods 3 are a truly comfortable earbud option to help reduce sleep interruptions through Active Noise Canceling and sleep sounds. That they can be used all day as regular earbuds is a great bonus, making them ideal for travel and work situations as well.
Who is it Good For?
- Those dealing with noise sleep disruptions
- Anyone who listens to podcasts or meditations to fall asleep
- Travelers who need to dampen noise which causes body stress
- Quieting snoring partners or loud pets
- Needing to focus during the day
- Looking for a comfortable daytime earbud
SomniPods 3 Overview
Opening the Fitnexa app, I was initially overwhelmed. Like wait, these sleep earbuds have a lot of settings. But
A. There’s an automode, so no more thinking required of me
B. All those options really allow you to customize exactly what you need
Basically they were way more sophisticated than I expected and that turned out to be really interesting.
Getting the right fit is a key for any earbuds, so make sure you read the directions for inserting the earbuds. Basically they go in vertical and then twist to lock in place flat against your ear. I found the default rubber pieces fit me perfectly, which felt like an immediate win since I am known for being wildly picky about earbuds (I literally bought a 5 year old model off someone on IG because I knew they fit when mine died).
The other key element here is that in Sleep mode, it’s going to turn off whatever you’re listening to when it detects that you’ve fallen asleep. This detection is based on motion sensors in the SominPods. After that turns off, it will also ensure that bluetooth disconnects so you won’t be getting any unwanted phone notifications while you sleep.
From there you can have it maintain Auto Noise Canceling or turn that off to save power. In high volume situations, a la my Barcelona trip, ANC absolutely staying on. But if this is more about listening to some white noise or soft sounds to help you fall asleep then you might be fine with the basic noise buffer provided by having in earplugs.
Not only are these designed for sleep comfort, but can easily be used during the day as regular earbuds for music listening or taking phone calls. We love a dual purpose product, but for this are going to focus on the sleep piece.
I love that so many of these tools are now FSA eligible, it makes the cost a little easier to swallow.
Finexa SomniPods 3 Specs
- Price: $189.99 on Fitnexa (HSA/FSA eligible)
- SomniPods Discount: RUNTOTHEFINISH for $10 off
- Battery Life: 8-12 hours after charged (case 48 hours)
- Connectivity: bluetooth
- Warranty: 18 month product failure coverage
- Active Noise Cancelling
- Variety of silicone to adapt fit
- Sleep sound library
- Personalized sleep insights
- Wireless charging
- Guidance through the Fitnexa App
Quick Take
- Comfortable for long wear
- Side sleeper approved
- Holds a long charge
- Options feel a little overwhelming at first
- Leaving case open runs down battery
- Additional membership fee
Tester Experience
I’ve slept in a variety of earbuds and in a pinch tried to put on the sound of a fan and sleep in my running earbuds. This was the best experience and super comfortable! Unlike your running earbuds, the SomniPods will set flush against the ear so when you turn on to your side nothing is poking out and they stay in place.
While I am a great sleeper, I did test out listening to some of the library sounds for nighttime AND some of the morning and daytime sound options. Consider those like your “help me zen out” sounds for stressful situations. You can listen to them without the app as well, and I liked setting the timer for 15 minutes of Beach Breeze…yup, I’m on a beach and not working, I feel happier already.
A few months ago I started listening to meditation tracks to fall asleep.
In theory it was great, until I woke up with a pain from a large earbud digging into my face or I woke up because suddenly an ad decided to play.
This is where the SomniPods shine. First the fit remains comfortable and with the sleep setting, it detects that I’ve gone to sleep and after 30 minutes will stop playing anything. This is ideal for staying in that deep sleep! But of course if you’re listening to something with Delta waves you want to hear all night, you can turn that off.
I had an additional testing opportunity when we realized our most recent AirBnb was near train tracks! On night two I put in the SomniPods for general blocking and then gave them a double tap for the most serious noise canceling when I heard a train.
What You Get
I’m always curious what’s in a box, so let’s do a quick run down.
- 2 SomniPods
- 1 USB C charging cable
- 1 Portable Wireless Charging Case
- 12 options to customize fit
- Download the Fitnexa App for free to customize your settings and control the earbuds
- Optional subscription upgrade for additional sleep assistance tools
The charging case is small, so it’s very easy to drop in a bag for travel or keep on a nightstand. Plus I like the look of these, their just small and feel really nice.
But more importantly for those of you wondering about the app and subscription, no fees are required to use the SomniPods 3. It’s 100% up to you if you wanted to upgrade for additional access to AI tools that will evaluate your sleep and provide recommendations. You’ll see a free 3 month trial, so you can check it out and decide if you need that additional assistance.
For me the upgrade wasn’t necessary.
3 Usage Modes
As noted, these could be used as everyday earbuds, but what we want for sleeping changes a bit. Like no thank you to hearing notifications from my phone at 3AM. Fitnexa thought of this and developed 3 modes, you can change modes any time via the app or set it as an option for triple tap on one earbud.
Normal
Using them during the day, then you’ll simply want it in normal mode to listen to your music.
Basically they’re just normal earbuds at this point, where you can also turn on ANC. Ideal for using on public transportation, flights and work. Reminder to our runners if you’re traveling to a race, it’s really helpful to block out that plane noise. The ongoing noise can increase your body’s stress levels.
Sleep
In this mode, you can listen to something from the sound library or simply have on the noise canceling feature. It’s your tool to unwind, block out the harsh noises that are interrupting your sleep and avoid any notifications from your phone.
Also if you don’t have WiFi, SomniPods 3 includes three built-in local sleep audio options
AutoMode
Do you listen to podcasts to fall asleep? This is the option you’ll enjoy most.
It allows you to listen to your show, but once it detects sleep will then turn off the player and ensure that bluetooth is disconnected so you won’t get any phone notifications during the night either. Now you’re just wearing earplugs that have Active Noise Canceling to keep you asleep the rest of the night.
Again you can opt to have ANC turn off to conserve battery or if you don’t have a lot of noise you need blocked.
SomniPod App
In the app you’ll find all the key controls you need. It’s straight forward and easy to use. I admit I was initially concerned it would be overwhelming with options, but it wasn’t. There are plenty of options, but easy to use and for most people you’ll set up your style once and not think much about it after that.
And for those who care about phone storage (me with too many videos), it’s really small and should not grow.
- Options to set up controls for double and triple tapping an earbud
- Meditations
- A library of sounds – for both night time and day time
- Choosing your modes and your sound type preferences (huge for those who really know sound levels!)
- Mindscape is an additional AI feature that I did not test (again I don’t have huge sleep problems, so didn’t need).
If you’ve been looking for something to improve your sleep, the best tool for recovery, I’m happy to report the SomniPods 3 are a great experience.
What to read next?
- Running Recovery Tools: What Works vs. What’s Just Expensive Hype
- Post Marathon Runners Blues: 7 Steps to Mental Recovery after a Race
- Does Running Burn Muscle? How to Run Without Losing Gains
The post I Finally Found Earbuds I Can Actually Sleep In appeared first on RunToTheFinish.
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