“Any frequent traveler knows that finding the perfect sleeping position in a cramped airline seat can be severely limited by your headphones, but sleeping without means listening to the chatter of the over-caffeinated couple next to you.”

At work, I use my Aftershokz Bluez 2S Bone Conducting headphones, which I wrote about previously. On my days off, I love my Monster N-Tunes for high-quality sound as well as my Decibullz for exercising and walking around Philadelphia. As of yet, I have not mastered the art of sleeping comfortably with headphones, but that’s where the SleepPhones by AcousticSheep come in.

I’m a hot sleeper, meaning that my internal furnace sets to high as soon as my head hits the pillow. Any sleep headphones that function as fuzzy earmuffs will have me waking up with sweat in my eyes. The SleepPhones offer a cooler neoprene headband option with Bluetooth functionality and excellent sound quality. The Bluetooth is a key feature here, as I have woken up near strangulation from headphone cords sneaking around my neck as I roll around.

The SleepPhones have a slim flexible battery pack located at the back of the headband. The ultra-thin speakers are tucked into small cloth squares next to your ears. And the best part is everything is removable so that washing is easy and wearing doesn’t become a disgusting necessity.

Just like the AfterShokz, I think the original purpose of these headphones is not exactly the best use of their unique design.

Any frequent traveler knows that finding the perfect sleeping position in a cramped airline seat can be severely limited by your headphones, but sleeping without means listening to the chatter of the caffeinated couple next to you. The SleepPhones by AcousticSheep let you sleep in any position without any annoying pressure-points. Couple it with a nice neck pillow and a plentiful amount of TylenolPM and I might be able to sleep through an entire red eye.

The AcousticSheep website has a promotion running for 25% off any purchase site-wide and free shipping in the US for any order over $50. This promo drops the price of their wireless headphones to $75 + free shipping, which is a great deal for a unique pair of Bluetooth headphones.

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Both options offer a range of audio quality, but always limit what you can hear of your surroundings. Now this might sound great if you’re sitting next to a baby on an airplane, however, what if you’re biking through a crowded city? Or hiking next to a winding river in beautiful windy canyon? You may end up missing out on calming nature sounds or the honk of a crazed city driver.

Science has come through once again with a new audio option that allows you to listen to your favorite tunes without blocking out the sound around you. They are called Bone conducting headphones. Yes, you read that correctly. Instead of covering up your precious ear-holes, the AfterShokz Bluez 2S use your cheekbones to communicate with your inner-ear bone. By sending the sound vibrations through your cheekbone, you can leave your ears open to your surroundings. The coolest part is that you can plug up your ears and you will actually hear your music better!

You’re probably thinking, “that sounds cool and all, but I bet the sound quality is pretty low.” I was in the same boat, thinking that the quality will get lost when communicating through the density of my skull. So I purchased a Bluez 2S a while back and have found myself coming back to them again and again (to the point of listening to them while writing this.) I was skeptical before, but I am a believer now. The sound quality is great, with high treble coming through spectacularly and low bass less so, but still equivalent to other in-ear headphones in the $99 price range. The volume range is extraordinary, with only the faintest buzzing audible by others at high volume in a quiet room.

I thought I would be using these while I bike around downtown Philadelphia, or at least while working-out. However, their most useful application is in the office. I have two co-workers who enjoy politely playing classic rock at low volume on either side of me. During those not so rare stretches where the office goes completely quiet, I feel like my brain is slowly turning to pudding from front to back. The AfterShokz have solved that problem while simultaneously allowing me to hear when the boss starts making his rounds, giving me enough time to close “non-essential” tabs.

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