> a pillow isolates my left ear, while my right biceps isolates my right ear from sounds
Have you experimented with any kind of ear plugs? I have really good hearing which makes falling asleep stressful if the house isn't otherwise quiet, even with white noise.
I'd love to find a good set of ear plugs or ear muffs or something that can be worn to sleep. Like a sleep mask, but for your ears.
In my experience, most drugstores sell several different variations of foam earplugs, and the ones that work best for me are the ones with the greatest noise reduction — at least 32db NRR or better.
But the biggest single device that has helped me more than anything is my CPAP.
If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, it would be a very good idea to have a sleep study done to see if this isn’t a problem that could be at least partly solved with the right equipment.
You might be able to use normal, foam earplugs. If you sleep on your side, only use one plug for the ear that's not on the pillow. You'll need to get used to having them in your ears, though. I wore them as much as possible (even during the day) for a few weeks until they didn't bother me. Now I sleep like a champ. The only downside is I cannot sleep w/o them.
Have you experimented with any kind of ear plugs? I have really good hearing which makes falling asleep stressful if the house isn't otherwise quiet, even with white noise.
I'd love to find a good set of ear plugs or ear muffs or something that can be worn to sleep. Like a sleep mask, but for your ears.