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Frequently Asked Questions

Do you ship overseas?
Yes! We frequently ship overseas and have sent SleepPhones to every continent including Antarctica. Please see our shipping page for more information.

Can I pay by check or money order?
Yes! It will obviously be a little bit slower because we will need to receive the payment by mail before we can process your order. US dollar only please – we cannot accept international checks.
Please make the check or money order out to AcousticSheep, LLC.
Write on a small piece of paper the size, color, any extras, and the shipping address to place your order. Be sure to include the standard shipping charge of $5.00. Mail everything to the following address:
AcousticSheep, LLC
179 Jefferson Circle
Bellefonte, PA 16823

Which MP3 players will work with the SleepPhones?
Almost all MP3 players, iPods, and CD players will work with SleepPhones. The only one that definitely won't work is the newest Shuffle. The first generation iPhone just needs a $3 adapter to work. As far as we know, everything else will work.

First Generation iPhones with the recessed plug need an adapter to work with most non-Apple headphones.	iPhone 3G and 3Gs will work fine, as will all other iPods, including nanos.
The newest Shuffles with the in-line earbud controls need an adapter (Like this, or this) to work with most non-Apple headphones.	The previous versions of Shuffles will work fine.

Which CD players will work with the SleepPhones?
Any CD player with a standard headphone jack will work. Basically, every single personal CD player we've encountered will work. All of the portable boomboxes we've seen also work. Only professional large sound systems with a large jack won't. But there's a simple cheap adapter to solve that problem.

Which laptops or computers will work with the SleepPhones?
Every laptop with a standard headphone jack will work. We have never seen a laptop that would not work. As far as we know, most desktops will work too, but the cord length may be an issue if the computer is kept very far away from the monitor. SleepPhones has a cord length of 4 feet.

How does the Personal Alarm Clock feature work
The alarm clock feature is pretty interesting. Most people wake up with their SleepPhones still on in the morning. It's hard to say what people will do during sleep, but many customers have said that their SleepPhones stay on all night long to block snoring. If they can set their MP3 play, iPod, or CD player to play an alarm in the morning (like our Breakfast Sizzle track on this page http://www.sleepphones.com/downloads), then they can wake up to their own personal alarm clock! It's especially useful if they have roommates or bed partners who go by a different schedule. We do recommend setting a back up external alarm for 5 minutes later just in case they take the SleepPhones off during the night.

I can’t seem to get the website working to place an order.
Please email us to let us know if our website is down! If you can't get PayPal or Google Checkout to work, also email us to let us know. If there is an error message, we'd greatly appreciate you letting us know. Other online places where you may find SleepPhones include Amazon.

Would it be possible to place my order by telephone?
Yes, but it is no more or less secure. We strongly discourage this method because there is much more room for errors in your order. We use Google Checkout to process your credit card because we do not have a merchant credit card account. (We are a very small company.) You will have to leave a message for us to call you back, which may take 1-7 days. 877-838-4790 Thank you for your understanding!

Do you have a location in my city that I could purchase your product?
Currently SleepPhones are found at a limited number of locations. Here is a list of SleepPhones resellers.

How do I figure out what size to buy?
About 80% of people fit into the one size fits most. The XS is for a small person, less than 5'3" (160cm) tall, not much hair, or an elementary/middle school age child. The XL is for big people over 6' (180cm) tall, heavy set, with a good amount of hair. Of the few size exchanges, it has mostly been from people who over-estimated their head size. The headbands do stretch, so if you are between sizes, go with the smaller size.

Can they block out noises all night from neighbors as in heavy footsteps, cats knocking things off tables upstairs, etc?
The headband does not have any special equipment to get rid of external sounds. It would be like wearing 2 layers of fleece of your ears, which doesn't block out too much. But if you listen to some music or the included CD, you can drown out outside sounds. We recommend setting the sound level during a fairly quiet time and not adjusting up too much during the night. Constant sounds above 85 decibels (like a hair dryer) for an extended period of time may cause hearing damage.

Have there been different versions of SleepPhones?
Yes. They are slightly different, and instructions are available below.

Version	Version 3	Version 2	Version 1
Dates Sold	October 23, 2009 - July 20, 2010	July 11, 2009 - October 22, 2009	July 1, 2007 - October 22, 2009
Product Pictures
Colors Available	midnight black, deep blue, dark lavender, soft gray, quiet lavender	black, lavender	lavender, gray
Sizes Available	XS, One Size Fits Most, XL	XS, Standard, XL	XS, S, M, L, XL
Cord Position	cord is in the back	cord is in the front	cord is in the front
Band Material	fleece is 88% recycled plastic bottles, 12% spandex	fleece is 88% recycled plastic bottles, 12% spandex	fleece is 100% all new polyester
Speaker Adjustment	speaker positions are adjustable by pushing the speakers around within the headband Speaker Placement Instructions	speaker positions are adjustable by pushing the speakers around within the headband Speaker Placement Instructions	speakers are adjustable via the 2 small strings on the right side
Washing	may be machine-washed after removing speakers via the Velcro® seam Speaker Placement Instructions	may be machine-washed after removing speakers via the reinforced slit in the top seam Speaker Placement Instructions	headband including speakers may be hand-washed occasionally Washing Instructions
View Instructions	sleepphonesv3i.jpg	sleepphonesv2i.jpg	sleepphonesv1i.jpg

How long does it take for an order to reach Australia (or Canada or the UK)?
Typically, orders sent overseas arrive by first class mail within 2-4 weeks, but we cannot guarantee that. Reports from customers vary from 1 week (Canada) to 5 weeks (Russia).
This is what the USPS website says:
Express Mail® International 5 Days
First-Class Mail® International Varies

I have not received any of your emails regarding my recent order. When do you send the emails?
You should get an email from Google Checkout or PayPal immediately, depending on how you ordered. When we process and ship your order (usually within 1-3 days), Google Checkout or PayPal will send you another email with your order tracking information. If you have an email spam blocker, please add noreply@checkout.google.com or service@paypal.com depending on your payment method. Also add no-reply@stamps.com to receive an email with your tracking number. If there are problems with the order, we will send you an email from customerservice@sleepphones.com.

I live in the US, and it's been more than 10 business days since my order. Can you give me an update?
Uh-oh! Most US customers will receive their orders within 7 business days. If you have received an email with a tracking number, you can check to see if it's still in transit. If you have not received any emails, you may need to look in your spam or junk mail folder for emails from us or from Google Checkout or PayPal. Occasionally, payment may be declined due to a typo. Google Checkout cancels an order if the required information is not updated within 7 days. If your order was canceled, you would need to place another order. If it's unclear what has happened to your order, we can certainly help you find out! Just email customerservice@sleepphones.com.

All I can seem to manage to do is multiply how many are added to my cart. I'm up to 9 now and I only want 1.
When looking in your shopping cart, is there a checkbox on the left that is labeled remove? If so, click on it for all of the ones you want removed. Then click Update cart. That should remove everything you don't want. Then when you have what you want, click on either the Google Checkout or PayPal button, which is below the Update cart button.

I have a coupon for free shipping with Google Checkout, but I don't know where to enter the code.
Once you are in Google Checkout, look for the box where you can enter coupons. Type in your code and click on Apply. Then you should see the discount in your shopping cart.

What makes SleepPhones better than other headphones?

• SleepPhones speakers are of excellent quality, with an emphasis on bass response. We get them from the same supplier that makes speakers for a famous audiophile headphone company. Their products often sell for hundreds of dollars.
• SleepPhones are fully adjustable. Not only are there different sizes, the speakers can be moved forward or back, depending on a person's ear position.
• Regular headphones are too bulky for sleep. They will come off by the morning (cannot use the private alarm clock feature). Plus, a side sleeper cannot possibly use them.
• Earbuds and earphones should not be worn for sleep (or any extended period of time). Earphones do not breath, raising the risk of outer ear infections (swimmer's ear) from moisture buildup, especially the fancy silicone ones. Also, wearing earphones to sleep can cause a skin ulcer to form in the thin skin over ear cartilage. This can happen in just one night and may take weeks to heal.
• SleepPhones are very lightweight, since most of it is just fleece fabric.
• Noise-canceling and Dolby technologies may render some binaural beat, biofeedback, and hypnosis audio ineffective.
• Since SleepPhones are made with fabric with minimal hardware, you can roll it up and carry it compactly.
• SleepPhones can be washed.

Are the speakers relatively flat?
Very. We had our speaker supplier custom make our speakers to be as flat as possible while delivering excellent sound quality.

Will the SleepPhones put pressure on the sides of my head preventing me from falling asleep?
Hopefully not enough pressure to prevent you from sleeping. It's important to get the right size so that it's not too tight around the head. At the same time, if it's too loose, it may slip around too much when you sleep or the speakers may be too far from your ears. It may take a couple of night to get used to sleeping with a headband on.

Are SleepPhones compatible with hearing aids on the "T-switch" or "telecoil" or "Telephone switch"?
Unfortunately, SleepPhones do not have the T-switch technology and may not work well with hearing aids.

Are SleepPhones effective for people who are hard of hearing?
SleepPhones can play music quite loudly, so just turn up the volume to compensate for mild hearing loss. The binaural beats are based on a stereo sound principle and won't work as well if the hearing loss is not the same on the left and right ears.

Do you plug them in somewhere?
They do not need a separate power source. You can just plug them into your CD player or MP3 player. They are just basic headphones that will play anything you would like.

I’ve noticed that after my wearing my phones for a few weeks, I seem to be waking up with them slipped down to my neck, or moving as my head moves on the pillow. They probably have stretched a little...
One way to change the way it fits would be to put it on in a different way. Most people simply slip it over their head and hair, which works but does slide a bit more. Another way is to pull the SleepPhones all the way down to the neck, then pull up the front to rest on your forehead. That way, the back is a little lower and is at the lower portion of your hairline. The band would not be in direct contact with the pillow, which helps it stay in place. If that doesn't work for you, we would be happy to help you find the right size.

Can you plug these headphones into a normal radio too?
Yes, you can plug them into a normal 1/8"/3.5mm jack for the radio. It's the normal headphone plug size.

I listened to the CD that came with the SleepPhones and tried to figure out why there is a humming in the background. Is it suppose to be there or do I need to turn the volume down?
The humming is actually the binaural beats. Try to ignore it. We made them as soft as possible but still audible so that they would work. If you listen to them very closely, however, they are very fast beats in the beginning and towards the end of the sleep tracks, they are much slower. If you can't hear the humming at all, then you may not be getting the full effect of the binaural beats. Studies have shown that they can still work at 1% of the total volume, but in our experience, it seems to work slightly better when louder than that. Ideally, they should be barely audible when you concentrate on them.

I would like to know if one always hears binaural beats while using the SleepPhones? Or, do you have the binaural beats because they are incorporated into the CDs or mp3 downloads?? I'd prefer having the option of NOT having binaural beats, if possible.
The SleepPhones will play any music and sounds supplied by the audio device. They do not automatically play the beats. The music in the Nature Sounds CD has the beats, but you don't need to listen to the CD. Feel free to use the SleepPhones like any other pair of headphones!

I will often listen to talk radio shows from a radio that only puts out a mono signal, thus only one side of the headphones will function. Do sleep phones have a mono-stereo switch?
No, but here is an adaptor you can use.

The speakers are less loud the further from the ears. What do I do about that?
True statement, due to basic physics. Smaller size SleepPhones will help the speakers be closer to the ears. This does help to increase volume slightly.

What I'm worried about is that it seems that the iPod is attached to the head band. Because I sleep on my side and turn over through the night, how do I deal with the iPod flopping all over the place with me?
The wire is at least 4 feet long, so we've actually included a velcro tie to reduce the wire length as needed. You can stuff the iPod under your pillow.

Is it marked clearly which is the right and left ear? I need to know that for what I intend to use them for.
The red speaker is for the right ear. The gray speaker is for the left ear.

Is the CD MP3?
The CD is in a traditional CD format. There should not be any compatibility issues for CDs internationally. MP3 music can be downloaded from our website if you prefer.

Can you tell me whether I need an iPod in order to use this system?
You do not need an iPod to use this system, although having one makes listening to different things all night long easier. An iPod Nano costs about the same as nice programmable CD player.

Do you have to use an ipod or does the headband work to get rid of sounds?
The headband does not have any special equipment to get rid of external sounds. It would be like wearing 2 layers of fleece of your ears, which doesn't block out too much. But if you use an iPod or CD player or anything that will play music, you can drown out other sounds.

I want to pump the sound into my ears all night--how does this work if the Nature Sounds CD is just 30 minutes long? Neither my stereo nor my computer seem to automatically replay a CD--when it ends, it ends.
Well, there's really no solution other than to buy a music player that will loop a track. I would recommend a programmable MP3 player, like an iPod. It's rechargeable, fully programmable with sleep, alarm, and other features to make full use of SleepPhones. A CD can only play up to 80 minutes of music anyway, since that's the limit of its size, so there's really no way around the problem of all night noise without a music player that will play all night long.

If i purchase a CD player (cheaper than getting an ipod) to play the CD, do you know if they're programmable for 60 minutes?
There are many varieties of CD players out there. Most are programmable, but to varying degrees. It sounds like you want one with these features:
AC power capable (for playing all night long, no batteries)
Headphone output
Programmable
For those features, you would need to buy these types of players, for example.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Dream-Machine-ICF-CD843V-Digital/dp/B0001M2FY...
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-CFD-S350-Cassette-Portable-Boombox/dp/B0007XH...
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-CFD-E100-Portable-Cassette-Recorder/dp/tech-d...
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-CFD-F10-Cassette-Recorder-Silver/dp/tech-data...
You can ask your local electronics retailer for help to make sure that those features are available in the CD player you buy.
You can easily use a CD player with the Nature Sounds CD. Just set your CD player to loop one sleep track the entire night, or you can set it to play just the sleep induction track once. If you want to listen to other CD programs for helping you sleep, that's perfectly fine too. SleepPhones will plug into any standard 3.5mm (1/8") jack.

I just purchased the sleepphones and have a question about how to properly set up playing the CD. The 2 sleeping tracks are 30 minutes long. Then there's the awake track. So if i just hit play on the cd player, there's only about 70 minutes of sleep inducing sounds followed by something to wake me up. How am i supposed to get it to play the sleep tracks for 7 or 8 hours followed by the wake up track?
Unfortunately CDs only hold about 70-80 minutes of music, and we wanted to include enough tracks on the Nature Sounds CD for people to have some options. Using a programmable MP3 player is best (such as an iPod), since you can then control for tracks that help you fall sleep, stay asleep, and wake up. Some CD players have a sleep function where it automatically turns off at a specified time. To get both the sleep and wake up capabilities, your music player would need to be programmable.

So for example, the image to the left shows an iTunes Playlist that will play the Newport Waves Sleep Induction track for 30 minutes (Newport Waves), then keep the listener in deep delta stage 4 sleep for almost 70 minutes (NWStage4MP3) then wake the listener up within the last 17 minutes (Breakfast Sizzle). You can just program the NW Stage4 MP3 more times if you want to stay asleep for seven to eight hours.

My wife and I would both like to sleep with your SleepPhones. Do we have to use two different iPods?
If the two of you both listen to the same track to fall asleep and you want to use just 1 iPod or CD player, you can just plug in a splitter. I'm sure you can get some for about $3 or less at other places, but for your reference, this is the splitter at radioshack.

Do you have any data to indicate that this is an effective way to sustain sleep?
A well-conducted medical experiment takes hundreds of thousands of dollars, clearance by many scientific and ethics boards, and many years. We are planning to conduct a well-designed double-blind placebo-controlled trial in the future, but we are a small company right now and do not have the resources (that is, money) yet. Dr. Lai (the inventor) is a clinical family doctor - the type that you see for a physical or a cold, not a medical researcher. She does not conduct medical experiments. SleepPhones have not been approved by the FDA for treating sleep disorders.
However, previous research on binaural beats shows that it is quite effective. There are many competitors in the binaural beat field who have done independent research, but they do not also offer the sleep headphones. We welcome you to do your own research online regarding binaural beats. We have heard from many very satisfied customers, and their comments are listed in the testimonials section of our website. We do not claim to cure any diseases or offer medical treatments for illness.

If one does continue to listen to the binaural beats tracks throughout the sleep session, does this factor result in difficulty waking?
Not if a waking track is used for the period just before the alarm. The included CD has a track that helps you to wake up. If you can program your music player, you may be able to set the track as your alarm.

If a person is listening to binaural beats tracks with the SleepPhones product, will they be unable to hear the alarm offered to awaken by a usually adequate alarm clock?
You will be able to hear the alarm clock. It will only be slightly attenuated by the fabric around the ears.

How do I program my iPod?
If you have an iPod or an iPod nano, you can program it to shut off in 30 minutes of sleeping and set an alarm for the morning.

• On your computer...
  1. Load up iTunes
  2. Insert your CD and import the songs to iTunes, or download the MP3's from this website
  3. The track information should automatically load from iTunes. If not, you can rename the tracks.
     • Track 1: Harriman Birds
     • Track 2: Rowayton Stream
     • Track 3: Wake Up!
  4. Add a playlist by clicking on the + sign on the bottom left. Name the playlist for the sleep tracks, such as "Sleep Brainwaves."
  5. Add another playlist for the morning tracks, such as "Morning Brainwaves."
  6. Drag Harriman Birds and Rowayton Stream (or your sleep download) into the sleep tracks playlist.
  7. Drag Wake Up! (or your morning download) to the morning tracks playlist.
  8. Safely disconnect your iPod by ejecting it from iTunes.
• On your iPod...
  1. From the top menu, click on Extras then Clock.
  2. If you have not set your clock, you may set it now. Once set, click on Clock.
  3. Take note of the Alarm Clock and Sleep Timer features.
  4. Click on Alarm Clock to turn it on, set the time you want, and select your morning playlist as the sound to play.
  5. Next, set the Sleep Timer to 30 minutes.
  6. Click on the Menu button to get to the top menu.
  7. Select Music then Playlists then your sleep playlist then the song you want to help you sleep!
  8. You're done!
• In the future, all you need to set is the Sleep Timer, unless your alarm time changes.

Can I wear ear plugs with SleepPhones?
While you can wear ear plugs with SleepPhones, doctors generally do not recommend using earplugs for an extended time period such as sleep. They tend to cause irritation or even ulcers in the thin skin of the ear canals. Also, if air is not allowed to circulate in the ear canals, painful outer ear infections (swimmers ear) are much more likely.

Can I use SleepPhones for purposes other than sleep?
Absolutely!

• Some people even wear them as exercise headphones, since they absorb sweat and are washable.
• SleepPhones can also be headphones for a personal alarm clock, where you won't bother other people in the room. The morning alarm track on the CD gently wakes you up with nature sounds and binaural beats!
• SleepPhones are basically high-quality headphones in a headband design.
• The 3.5mm (1/8") plug can fit into CD players, computers, iPods, and just about any device that uses regular headphones.
• Since it has a full frequency response, it can play music, meditation, hypnosis, self-improvement, biofeedback, audio books, or podcasts.

How do I protect against hearing damage?
As with any headphones, you should not listen to it at 85dB or higher. Studies show that you can tolerate only up to 8 hours a day of music at 85dB before risking hearing loss. At 90dB, you should not listen to that more than 4 hours a day. Generally any music less than 80dB would not be expected to cause hearing damage. Most hair dryers are between 80-90 dB. As long as you keep the volume less than a typical hair dryer, then you should be fine.

What do I do with the lavender sachet?
Lavender has a very relaxing scent that has traditionally been recommended for inducing sleep. Our lavender sachets are made with the premium quality lavender. Our intention is for you to keep the sachet in the box with your SleepPhones so that the calming effects of aromatherapy accompany the use the binaural beats for sleep. However, you may use it for months in your linen drawer for a fresh scent every time you get your towels, socks, or personal effects. It doubles as a moth repellent. You can tie it to your car's rearview mirror too. Squeeze or shake to release more scent over time. When the scent has dissipated, you can remove the paper and tie it tightly a few times to throw in with your laundry on low heat. The fresh scent can still last up to 3-5 laundry cycles! (Remember: For the laundry, you will want to tie it off very tightly so the lavender does not spill.) When you are completely done with the lavender, you can scatter it around your deck or patio as a natural insect repellent.

I intend on using them for a meditation product called Holosync which relys on a full range of audio responses. Do you feel your product would meet my requirements?
Our technical guy has answered it very thoroughly on this forum. Please read his response here: http://www.learningstrategies.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Numb...

I would like if your product SleepPhone is compatible with multidimentional music.
We researched their website. Yes, we believe that they would be compatible with SleepPhones. All subliminal sounds would be transmitted by SleepPhones, so the music should be effective.

Are they wireless?
They are not wireless.
There are several reasons for this. Any wireless technology would require the headphones to have a huge heavy bulky battery to be able to play all night. This would interfere with the sleek lightweight design.
We also worry about the wireless device (e.g., Bluetooth) electromagnetic radiation being so close to the head for an extended period of time. Wired headphones would release much less EMR. Of course, there is no hard evidence that EMR is harmful to your health. In the future, if the technology improves and the World Health Organization releases their EMR study results, then we will definitely consider making SleepPhones wireless.

Have you done any research as to whether your headphones pose a health hazard for emf's?
Although we have not done any formal research on the potential hazards of EMFs ourselves, there has been much research done in the field already. The amount of electricity it takes to power the headset is minimal, much less than that needed to operate a cell phone, for example. The problem with cell phones is the radio transmitter, which directs the EMF to the cell phone. Further studies are ongoing by major organizations around the world.

SleepPhones generate much much less EMF than cell phones, so the risk should be minimal. Our SleepPhones are just like any other headphones on the market (and generate less EMF than most of the other fancy ones), so we believe that the risk is minimal. I personally use it every night, and I am less worried about that than using my computer all day.

The headphones slip around on my head. Are they too big? Do they routinely stretch after you've been wearing them?
If the SleepPhones are slipping around your head, though, then they are too big. They do stretch a little bit, but they shouldn't be moving around.

I do not have the software necessary to download the mp3s. Would it be possible to include them in a different format?
Special software for downloading is not necessary, but it may be necessary for listening to MP3s. Usually Windows Media Player (normally included and pre-installed if you have a Windows computer) is able to read MP3 files. iTunes is a great free software for most sound file types. The MP3 format is the most compact way to send sound files. The files are so large already that any other format would not be practical, so unfortunately we cannot use another format.

When "ripping" music from the CD to my MP3, it took a very long time to copy. Is this due to the binaural technology? It may be taking longer than you are used to because the tracks are very long themselves. Two tracks are 30 minutes long, and the other one is 10 minutes. Binaural technology should not affect the ripping process.

Does it get hot with the fleece headband?
Most people do not have a problem with this. The body can adjust to the head being a little bit warmer by dissipating heat from other places. The high-quality fleece has excellent wicking properties, so sweat and oils should be moved away from the skin, not trapped there. That helps you stay cool and dry.

Are you a green company?
We strive to be as eco-friendly as possible. Please see our Corporate Responsibilities page for more information on what we are doing.

Do you donate to any causes?
We have donated to the National Sleep Foundation, Listen & Learn: Music for a Different Kind of Audience, Autism Speaks, and National Public Radio. We sponsor various informative podcasts.

I’m a nurse. Can I let my patients try it without infringing on any copyrights?
Feel free to let your patients try it! You can wash the SleepPhones too, so if you discover that it's dirty when you get it back, just wash it!
I believe the rule about copyrights and personal use is whether or not you charge for letting your patients try it. We would be glad to send you some brochures to pass around if you would like.

Do any health insurance companies cover your product?
We don't have any contracts with health insurance companies. SleepPhones have not been evaluated by the FDA for treating insomnia. We do not claim to treat any diseases.

How did you come up with the name "AcousticSheep"?
Better than the time-honored tradition of counting sheep, special acoustic sounds like binaural beats induce relaxation and drowsiness.

Is satisfaction guaranteed?
Yes. We offer a full money-back guarantee for 90 days. If you are not satisfied for any reason, please let us know what we can do to correct the situation. We are always looking to improve our products so do not hesitate to contact us with suggestions. customerservice@sleepphones.com
Or you may call 877-838-4790. We are a small company and are not always available to receive calls. Please leave a message.