Lauren Dragan

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Dragan

When Goodnight Moon author Margaret Wise Brown wrote “goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere,” it’s unlikely the noises she imagined were jackhammers, sirens, or a snoring partner. If you, like me, are a light sleeper in a busy world, an uninterrupted night of rest can feel like a fairy tale. Sleep headphones can help. They’re designed for people who want to block out sounds, fall asleep to music, or mask issues such as tinnitus.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Dragan

I test hundreds of headphones every year, and not every pair arrives with a sense of anticipation. But JBL’s Tour One M3 — the updated version of our top pick for the best Bluetooth wireless headphones — was one pair that warranted immediate unboxing.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Dragan

My grandmother Elinor’s wisdom was earned—she lived through both World Wars and earned a degree in fashion design. Elbows! To a young person in the “not a girl, not yet a woman” phase of life, the idea that my elbows might need tending to had not even occurred to me. I examined the pointy bends of my arms and, to my horror, discovered that my elbows were, in fact, dry. At this time, for me, any physical flaw was a possible point of weakness upon which the vultures of mean girls would feed.

Feb 27, 2025 | nytimes.com | Lauren Dragan

“Noise-canceling headphones may be linked to brain condition.” That headline, and variations of it, dominated my inbox last week, due to a BBC report stating that British audiologists are concerned that noise-cancelling headphones could be associated with a condition called auditory processing disorder. Within a few days, more articles repeated the claim. As Wirecutter’s headphone reviewer, I read the article with great interest—and I got a lot of emails from curious and concerned readers.

Dec 10, 2024 | nytimes.com | Lauren Dragan

Hearing health is having a moment, and Apple has played a big part in that. iPhones can alert you when your music is too loud. Apple Watches ping you when it’s time to wear hearing protection. And now, in many countries, the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds can function as over-the-counter hearing aids.