BOLLSEN video library · Bo and Ella

Learn about your ears with Bo

Animated videos with Bo, our hearing specialist. Pick long episodes or 30-second Shorts.

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Bo, the animated hearing specialist
Bo, hearing specialistThe biggest ears on the planet, so he takes noise personally. Bo explains the science in plain words and never oversells.
Ella holding a Life+ earplug
EllaA light sleeper with real-life noise problems. She asks the questions you would ask and tries the advice so you do not have to.

All episodes

Episode 2 · Sleep · 2:31

Why you still wake up at 3 a.m., even with earplugs in

You put your earplugs in, you fall asleep, and at 3 a.m. you are wide awake again. Bo read almost 6,000 emails from people who sleep with earplugs and explains, hour by hour, what really wakes you up and what you can change tonight.

In this episode you will learn

  • Why pushing the plug deeper does not block more (it just presses)
  • The depth trap: deep hurts, shallow falls out on the pillow
  • What still gets through, and what earplugs cannot fix (light, heat, your phone)
  • Will you hear your alarm? (test it tonight)
  • When waking up every night is a reason to see a GP
Read the full guideWatch on YouTube

Earplugs in this episode: Life+ earplugs

Chapters · tap to jump

  1. 3:07 again, with earplugs in?
  2. Best earplugs for sleeping: what really wakes you up?
  3. 11 p.m.: Are you pushing your earplugs too deep?
  4. 3 a.m.: Why did my earplug fall out?
  5. 3:07: Is it even the noise?
  6. 7 a.m.: Will I hear my alarm with earplugs in?
  7. Slept through: Life+ and 40 nights to try
  8. What woke you up?
Read the transcript

Ella: 3:07. Again. And I’m WEARING earplugs!

Bo: Me too. I’m reading your emails. Almost 6,000 of them, from people who sleep with earplugs.

Bo: And most of them say the same thing. Here’s what really wakes you up. By the end… this is her.

Bo: I’m Bo, hearing specialist. Yes, an elephant. Looking for the best earplugs for sleeping? This is what your night really looks like. Hour by hour.

Bo: 11 p.m. You push the plug in deep. Deeper = quieter, right? No. It doesn’t block more. It just presses.

Ella: …I push. Every night.

Bo: 1 a.m. The pressure builds, slowly. By 3, your ear has had enough. 7 out of 10 people who wrote to us about waking up: it was their ear. Not the noise.

Bo: Remember episode 1? Twist, don’t push. Still hurts? Go SMALLER, not deeper. Our AI ear measurement finds your size from 2 photos.

Bo: 3 a.m. Your plug is on the pillow. Here’s the trap: push it deep, it hurts. Keep it shallow, the pillow pushes it out.

Ella: So I’ve done BOTH.

Bo: The way out: a plug that sits flush. Life+ is soft and low profile. It seals without going deep, and nothing sticks out for the pillow to grab.

Bo: 3:07. Is it even the noise? Snoring still gets through a little. But often it’s not the noise at all. Light. A warm room. One glass of water too many.

Ella: And checking my phone?

Bo: Especially that.

Bo: If you wake up every night and can’t get back to sleep for weeks, see your GP.

Bo: 7 a.m. The question people ask us before they buy: will I hear my alarm? A loud alarm still gets through. Not sure? Test it tonight.

Ella: I slept through. Didn’t even meet 3 a.m.

Bo: 4.7 stars from 4,000+ reviews. 40 nights to try them. Even if you’ve used them.

Bo: What woke YOU up? 1 your ear, 2 the noise, 3 the plug fell out, 4 your phone. Comment the number! Code BOELLA02 = 10% off. I’m Bo, from BOLLSEN. Big ears. Small plugs.

Ella: Good night, Bo!

Bo: Next time: sleep, swim, music or kids. Which earplugs do you actually need?

Special · Dogs and fireworks · 2:28

Dog scared of fireworks? Do this before the big night

Last fireworks night Ella’s dog Skye spent the whole night shaking under the table. Bo explains why fireworks hit dogs so hard, how ear muffs turn the bang down, and the one thing to do before the big night.

In this episode you will learn

  • Why a dog hears fireworks about 4x louder than you, and feels discomfort from about 85 to 90 dB
  • How DOG+ ear muffs (SNR 27) turn a 120 dB bang down to about 93 dB, while she still hears you
  • The training rule: never put them on for the first time when the bangs start
  • The fit check: measure over the ears and under the chin, one finger under the strap
  • When a very anxious dog needs a vet visit
Read the full guideWatch on YouTube

Ear muffs in this episode: DOG+ dog ear muffs

Chapters · tap to jump

  1. She sleeps through fireworks now
  2. Dog hearing protection for fireworks
  3. Your dog hears 4x louder
  4. Turn it down, not off
  5. Practise before the big night
  6. The fit check
  7. When to call your vet
  8. DOG+ and the 40-day trial
  9. What scares your dog most?
Read the transcript

Bo: She’s sleeping through THAT. Here’s how.

Ella: Last year she spent the whole night under the table. Shaking. So did I.

Bo: I’m Bo, hearing specialist. Yes, an elephant. Biggest ears on the planet, so I get it. Looking for dog hearing protection for fireworks night? Here’s what really helps. And the one thing you must do before the big night.

Bo: 1. Your dog hears about 4x better than you. Dogs can feel discomfort from around 85 to 90 decibels. That’s heavy traffic.

Ella: And a firework?

Bo: At its peak? Up to 120.

Bo: 2. Turn it down, not off. DOG+ earmuffs are rated SNR 27. So that 120 dB bang reaches her at about 93. Still loud. But she can sit through it. And she still hears you.

Bo: Vet Matija Medved (Dr.Vet clinic): two ways to calm a dog. Supplements, or something physical. He picks physical.

Ella: Physical. Got it.

Bo: 3. The big one. Never put them on for the first time when the bangs start. Practise now. Sniff. A few seconds on, treat, off. Then a minute. Then a walk around the flat. Aim for 30 calm minutes before the big night.

Ella: So basically… I bribe her with treats.

Bo: Basically. Yes.

Bo: 4. The fit. Measure around her head, over the ears and under the chin. Between two sizes? Take the bigger one. Snug, not tight: one finger under the strap. She can still pant.

Ella: One finger. Check.

Bo: And if she panics so badly she could hurt herself, or tries to run, talk to your vet. Before the big night. Not during it.

Ella: Fireworks night. She’s asleep. She even snores like Theo.

Bo: DOG+: 4 sizes, XS to L. Reflective straps for dark walks. 40 days to try it. Money back.

Bo: What scares your dog most: fireworks, thunder or the hoover? Tell us in the comments. Code BOELLASKYE10 gets you 10% off. Link’s below. I’m Bo, from BOLLSEN. Big ears. Small plugs.

Ella: Good night, Bo!

Bo: Next time: why you still wake up at 3 a.m. Even with earplugs in.

Episode 1 · Sleep · 2:40

Best earplugs for snoring (most people use them wrong)

Ella’s partner snores like a tractor with a whistle. Bo explains why snoring is so hard to block, what a good earplug can realistically do, and the insertion mistake that makes earplugs hurt or fall out. Ella tries it so you don’t have to.

In this episode you will learn

  • Why snoring is bass (110 to 500 Hz) and why every earplug blocks bass the least
  • How a well-sealed silicone earplug takes 69 dB snoring down to about 47 dB
  • The right way to insert earplugs: pull the ear up and back, twist, stop when it seals
  • Why foam fails the pillow test and costs about £146 a year
  • When loud snoring is a reason for the snorer to see a GP
Read the full guideWatch on YouTube

Earplugs in this episode: Life+ earplugs

Chapters · tap to jump

  1. She is sleeping next to that
  2. Best earplugs for snoring
  3. Snoring is bass
  4. Quieter, not silent
  5. The earplug mistake
  6. The pillow test
  7. Life+ silicone earplugs
  8. Reviews and 40-day trial
  9. What does your snorer sound like?
Read the transcript

Bo: She’s sleeping next to THAT. Here’s how.

Ella: He snores like a tractor. A tractor… with a whistle!

Bo: Fun fact. That tractor can hit 77 decibels. A busy restaurant. In your bed.

Ella: I hate that fact.

Bo: I’m Bo, hearing specialist. Yes, an elephant. Biggest ears on the planet, so I take noise personally. Hunting for the best earplugs for snoring? Here’s what works. And the mistake almost everyone makes.

Bo: First, the bit nobody tells you. In one study, over a third of partners of loud snorers had measurable hearing changes. In the ear facing the snorer.

Ella: Which ear?

Bo: The one facing him.

Bo: Snoring is so hard to block because it’s bass. Like thunder. Like your neighbour’s subwoofer. And every earplug blocks bass the least. So the number on the box flatters everyone. What really matters? The seal.

Ella: The seal. Got it.

Bo: A good silicone plug takes average snoring from 69 decibels to about 47. Under the line where light sleepers wake up. Not silent. Quieter. Give it three nights. And your alarm? Still works.

Bo: Now, the mistake. Most people push. Harder, deeper… ouch. Don’t. Pull the top of your ear up and back, twist the plug in like a screw, and stop as soon as it seals.

Ella: For me that’s… a lot of ear.

Bo: If it hurts, go smaller, not deeper. Not sure which size? Our AR KI TECH online ear measurement finds your perfect fit. Full video on that soon, so follow and subscribe!

Bo: And the pillow test. Foam sticks out. You roll over and… pop!

Ella: So THAT’s why I find them in the bed!

Bo: Or in the dog.

Bo: Silicone sits flush, so the pillow can’t grab it. And foam at 40p a night? That’s about £146 a year.

Ella: So I’ve been paying £146 a year… to find them in the dog.

Ella: Okay. Life+. Let’s see.

Ella: I can still hear him. Faintly. I just… don’t care anymore.

Theo: Did I snore?

Ella: …What?

Bo: And if he snores like a chainsaw, or stops breathing for a moment? That’s a GP visit. For him.

Bo: 4.7 stars from over 4,000 reviews. 40 days to try them, even used. Money back.

Bo: Tractor, chainsaw or leaf blower? Tell us in the comments. Code BOELLA01 gets you 10% off. Link’s below. I’m Bo, from BOLLSEN. Big ears. Small plugs.

Ella: Good night, Bo!

Bo: Next time: why you still wake up at 3 a.m. Even with earplugs in.

Bo's cartoon Shorts

Sound science in 30 seconds

Cartoons of about 30 seconds where Bo explains one surprising fact about sound or your ears. Every fact is checked, and the sources are under each video.

4 Shorts so far · new ones every week

The alarm only teenagers can hear

Some shops play an alarm that only teenagers can hear.

What Bo explains

Most adults standing right next to it hear nothing. The hair cells for the highest notes sit at the wide end of your cochlea and are usually the first to wear down, often from your late teens. So the alarm never checks your age. Your ears already did.

Sources: NIDCD (US National Institutes of Health); Macquarie University audiology via The Conversation.

Yanny or Laurel? Which do you hear?

Half the internet heard one name. The other half heard a completely different one.

What Bo explains

This is our own remake: the word “laurel” sits in the low pitches and “yanny” in the high ones. In a test with more than 550 listeners, the Max Planck Institute found that sounds above about 1,000 Hz push people towards Yanny and sounds below push them towards Laurel. So your speakers and your ears pick the word.

Sources: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (2018), Wikipedia “Yanny or Laurel”.

Your ears clean themselves

Your ear canal has a built-in conveyor belt, and it's been running your whole life.

What Bo explains

The skin inside slowly moves outward, from the eardrum to the opening, and earwax rides along with the old skin. Chewing and talking help it on its way. At the opening the old wax dries, flakes and falls out. And earwax isn't dirt: it protects the skin and keeps it from drying out.

Sources: American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (ENThealth), NHS.

What your dog really hears during fireworks

Do dogs hear fireworks differently from us? Yes. Dogs hear pitches almost twice as high as people do.

What Bo explains

Human hearing tops out around 23,000 Hz. A dog's goes up to about 45,000 Hz, and dogs pick up slightly quieter sounds too (LSU School of Veterinary Medicine). In a University of Bristol survey, almost half of dog owners said their dog showed at least one sign of fear around noises like fireworks, thunder or gunshots, and fireworks came up most often.

Sources: LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, “How well do dogs and other animals hear?”; Blackwell, Bradshaw and Casey, University of Bristol (2013). Sources checked by BOLLSEN Hearing Protection, 2 Nov 2026.

Bo is a cartoon character, not a doctor. The sources for every fact are listed under each Short.

Bo and Ella are animated characters with AI-generated visuals and voices. Bo is not a real doctor. Every script is based on our published guides and reviewed by Alen Kurbegovic, founder of BOLLSEN Hearing Protection. If noise or snoring affects your health, please talk to your GP.