Kokoon Nightbuds Review – Sleeping Earbuds for Side Sleepers

Sharing is caring!

I slept badly. I’m a light sleeper, the tiniest noise wakes me up, and I’m prone to anxiety and heart palpitations when I try to fall asleep.

Today, I am in good health; I also practice good sleep hygiene. I’ve also reviewed various products to improve my sleep and tried every medication I could get my hands on.

There are two appealing aspects of Kokoon Nightbuds to me. Sound-isolating earbuds for side sleepers and various meditation practices and white noise for when I’m having a hard time falling asleep.As an added bonus, you can get sleep analysis, but I already have Garmin Phoenix 6 for this and a Withings Sleep Analyzer Pad.

Specification

• Premium Audio
  • Balanced armature driver
• feature
  • Silicone ear tip size options
• connectivity
• Battery
• sleep tracker
  • In-ear optical heart rate sensor
  • Monitoring Heart Rate Variability

Settings and Applications

You need to download the MyKokoon app and register an account. It will guide you through the setup process, but you basically have to pair the headphones like any other Bluetooth headset. When off, press and hold the power until it informs you that it is in pairing mode, then pair.

You can then set up your profile, which is basically when you go to bed and wake up.

You can then play your own audio like a normal Bluetooth headset, or choose one of the many built-in audio options,

App audio issues

The first time I tried these, I had immediate problems with audio stuttering. Then I saw a lot of bad app reviews, with several users confirming this was a common problem.

One user said:

If you open the app, then use the audio in a different app, then go back to the app, the sound stutters and you have to disconnect each time to fix it.

This pretty much sums up my question.

This is a bit concerning, as the company seems to want users to be willing to pay a subscription fee to use the app, but more than 40% of users rate the app one or two stars.

comfortable

The standout feature of these earbuds is the physical design, which frees them from many other issues. Reportedly, 74% sleep on their side, so you would think that would be the focus when designing sleep earbuds.

Other brands have gone two different routes:

• A headband that’s good for side sleeping but doesn’t block out too much noise (I believe it overheats my head).
• Or true wireless earbuds, which is a flawed design when you think about it, you actually have to pack all the electronics in the earbuds, which inevitably makes it more uncomfortable than sleeping on your side.

Kokoon takes an old-fashioned approach and wired Bluetooth headphones, but then designs everything to be as flat as possible. I’m not saying it’s a flawless design, but it seems to be the best.

Kokoon claims your ears are just 5.4mm thick, compared to 12.7mm for the Bose Sleepbuds.

The end result is relative comfort while sleeping next to you. When I tried to sleep, I found the earbuds were barely visible; they certainly didn’t cause discomfort. However, when I inevitably woke up, I did have some sense of accomplishment. Generally, I experience similar pain with earplugs for extended periods of time. Not painful, but I always have to take them off when I wake up.

Meditation/White Noise

One thing I don’t put enough effort into when trying to improve my sleep is meditation, which is probably one of the most effective ways to improve sleep.

I haven’t, and I’m not particularly fond of oral sleep guidelines; it’s annoying to have someone talking to me when I’m trying to fall asleep.

However, I do like white noise and I think the drift track is my go-to, it provides a calming effect without any irregularities or treble that would irritate my notes.

Notably, there is some static white noise in the headphones. This is common in most headphones and speakers, and usually ambient noise or whatever you’re listening to will block it.

However, having these in a quiet bedroom caught my eye. It’s like very mild tinnitus. The only problem here is that if you wake up at night with the audio turned off, you may experience this tinnitus-like feeling, which can be annoying, and is one of the reasons people use white noise soundtracks in the first place.

sleep analysis

Unfortunately, due to my cursed sleep, I couldn’t successfully test sleep analysis, as I always take off the headphones at some point in the night, as I usually wake up after the first sleep cycle.

Looking at other reviews, sleep tracking seems rudimentary and can be hit or miss with sync.

I’m assuming other people will take it off at night like I did, so it’s going to be very inaccurate for anyone who does.

Sleep tracking across the industry is generally poor and prone to irregular readings, so I’m not too concerned about that. Most wearables will do the job, and if you haven’t already, I’d recommend an affordable option like the Honor Band 6. Alternatively, the dedicated under-mattress Withings Sleep Analyzer is also a great option.

Expensive subscription pricing

Kokoon Nightbuds uses a subscription-based model. It’s kind of weird, really.

You can pay £169.99 a year, currently 20%, which is £135.99, or pre-purchase (technically just two years) for £229.99, which is currently £207 off.

They’re just bluetooth earbuds, so if you don’t want to use the Kokoon app and use something else, they should still work.

On the Amazon page, they have more information, which I think is only for the more expensive up-front models. After two years, if you renew your subscription, you’ll be eligible for the next generation of Nightbuds for free. Or £4.99/month without new equipment.

I don’t understand why they can’t charge a flat fee and then try charging five dollars a month after a year of free app access (not that I’m particularly in favor of this),

However, I often say that you can’t sacrifice improved health and good sleep, so if these work for you, they’re good value for money.

alternative

Kokoon has a nifty little graph comparing them to several major alternatives.

While I’m critical of Kokoon, I’m not entirely sure that any of the following are significantly superior options.

• 1MORE ComfoBuds Z £90
  • These are basically just lightweight earbuds, and there’s an app with 30 soothing sounds so you can play your own audio.
• Bose Sleepbuds II currently £219 or £190 at Bose
  • Similar in price to Kokoon Nightbuds, there’s no extra cost to use the app, however, there’s no option to play any other audio, which is a bit odd.
• QuietOn 3 Earbuds
  • These are a little different. They don’t connect to your phone, but offer active noise cancellation. They’re designed to be thin, and if you’re just trying to block out noise, they’re probably the best on the market.
• SleepPhones v7 £80
  • These are designed for side sleepers and will be more comfortable, but the headband design won’t block out noise like in-ear earbuds

Depending on your requirements for sleep earbuds, you can use a regular pair of earbuds to block out the sound. I personally like the Loop earbuds because the looped design makes them easier to remove from your ears.

comprehensive

I have mixed feelings about the Kokoon Nightbuds. I don’t have much experience with sleep earbuds, but if you’re a side sleeper, these do seem to have the best overall design, which most people do. As far as I can tell, the slim design is unbeatable, and it’s worth it in itself.

I do find the white noise track helps with my sleep and I love the 20 minute timer. So there’s a lot of potential there.

I haven’t had much luck with sleep tracking, but I think it’s inevitable given my poor sleep.

However, there’s something wrong with the app, which isn’t what you want from something running when you’re trying to fall asleep.

The pricing model is weird, overpriced in my opinion, made worse by the fact that over 40% of reviewers thought the app was terrible.

Overall, I think the company is a winner in terms of overall hardware, but they really need to rethink subscription-based pricing and at least make a good app if they’re going to get people to pay to use the app.

Last updated on Jun 11, 2022 / Affiliate Links / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API