There’s got to be some advantages to being a light sleeper. Right?
Maybe it’s that we’d always hear a break-in? Being the first one to help the kids if they wake up? Never sleeping through an appointment?
These are all handy. But come on. We all know being a light sleeper is a massive pain in the rear!
Especially when it’s hot out:
You’re lying in bed. You’re sweating, tossing, turning.. and that old rickety fan is singing WHIRRR CLAK CLAK CLAK. WHIRRR CLAK CLAK CLAK. WHIRRR CLAK CLAK CLAK.
Aaaaaahhh!
Finding a quiet fan for sleeping is a must for any light sleeper. It’s a gamechanger to have silent airflow blowing a cool breeze on a hot summer night. These fans can make the difference between a restless night and an incredible sleep. But it’s important to find the right one.
I knew this, and dove into researching all the quiet fans on the market. In this guide I’m sharing the quietest fans that encourage a great night’s sleep.
The Quietest Fans for Sleeping
I’ve spent a lot of time on this article… but maybe you’re in a rush. If so? No problem – we all have busy lives. Here are the quietest five fans in a quick table. Read on for full reviews of each and more options.
However, there’s one of these fans that I can’t help but single out…
Need a Quick Recommendation?
Above all the others, this ‘Turbo-Silence’ fan by Rowenta really blew my mind.
It’s a little pricey, but for good reason. The fan is entirely designed and built to be as quiet as possible.
The 5 wide-blades provide a ton of airflow. Over 2,400 ft/minute. No, I don’t quite know what is either. What I can tell you is that it’s powerful!
It’s almost strange. Having that much power but without the noise. There’s a video showing the fan at all speeds in the detailed review below.
The control panel and remote are so modern, with a nice blue tint.
One of my favorite parts is the matching blue tint on the fan blades and remote control. It’s subtle, but visual enough that anyone can see this isn’t your normal fan. This is the kind of model that will always get your friends asking “wow, what’s that?!”
For more detail, read on below. I just had to highlight this fan as a top recommendation.
There’s no better model for quiet airflow to sleep next to. It’s an amazing package, and worth every cent.
Scoring Process
Before we dive into the reviews, I want to be transparent.
There are a lot of fans on the market, and many of them are very similar. So how do you know what’s best?
I selected these top fans based on the following criteria. In approximate order:
- Quietness. If you’re sleeping next to something, it needs to be whisper-quiet.
- Power. There’s no point in a quiet fan if it gives less air than Grandma trying to play the saxophone.
- Build Quality. Even the wortld’s best fan isn’t worth anything if it’s gonna break within a month.
- Customer Satisfaction. One of the best parts of the internet is seeing how many customers end up happy, or with a dud/broken product.
- Ease of Use. Extra features (remote control, timer, sleep modes) make the fan more effortless to use.
- Energy Efficiency. Lastly, I checked for EnergyStar certificates to help keep any electric bills down.
Taking all these into account, let’s dive into the detailed reviews.
Here are the best quiet fans for sleeping next to.
Best Quiet Fans For Sleeping - Our Top Picks
The Honeywell QuietSet fan was made to be used in all sizes of rooms with a high level of cooling and comfort.
It’s shut-off timer ranges from 1 to 8 hours to give you total peace of mind. You can drift off to sleep knowing it won’t be on all night.
With a carry handle built-in, and a cord management feature, this makes it so much easier to move it from one room to the next.
It’s perfect for use in the bedroom as it includes 8 different quiet cooling settings. Featuring oscillation and a breeze setting you can be certain this quiet fan will allow air to circulate throughout the room as silently as possible. With 5 different speed levels this allows you to have complete control on how quiet or loud you want it to be.
Decibels on Sleep Setting: 39dB
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 8 Quiet cooling settings | Bright LED might keep you awake |
| Digital display | |
| Auto shut-off timer | |
| Remote Control |
Our Verdict
We recommend the Honeywell QuietSet fan for sleeping as it’s very affordable for what it offers and is very quiet, which makes it a perfect choice to cool you down as you sleep.
The only thing you may have to watch out for is the LED display may be bright at night, so you might want to cover it if it becomes an issue.
With a digital display and adjustable thermostat, along with all the other features makes it stand out from the rest.
You’ve made it!
This fan is the one I can’t recommend enough as a quiet fan for sleeping.
Rowenta have designed and built this fan so well around running silently. The 5 uniquely engineered propeller blades flow super quietly, but give a ton of aiflow.
See for yourself. This video shows the different speeds.
Notice how the only audible noise is from the air flow, not from the fan.
One thing to note is that this fan is rated a few dB higher than the ones above and below it. So why is it our top recommendation?
That’s because of the effortless ease of use, and the much higher power.
The height on this fan is super adjustable. Meaning it’s guaranteed to give you the angle you want most.
Then the sturdy, heavy base has let them pack plenty of power into this thing. You’ll never have a heat that’s too high for it to handle. All while still being very quiet.
The only downside to be aware of is the controls have a small blue LED that shows what fan speed you’re on. But you can always just cover this up.
Decibels on Sleep Setting: 42dB
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Adjustable height | No storage for the remote |
| 5 extra powerful quiet blades | Expensive |
| Remote control | |
| Timer | |
| 4 speed settings |
Our Verdict
I know I’ve said it before, but I really can’t recommend this fan enough.
For the power and functionality, it’s truly the quietest fan available on the market right now.
From the effortless ease of use, quiet operation, and high power make no summer heat to hot to handle.
The design is also showstopper. It’s subtle, but it almost never fails to have friends go ‘Wow, what’s that?!’. It just speaks quality.
It’s definitely worth checking out.
Rowenta have also recently come out with this brand new table fan.
It’s the little sister to the fan above.
Recreated as a table fan, it’s got all of the same great features. The recognisable blue tint is still there, as is the high build quality, the remote, and the simple control panels.
The main difference is the base of the fan.
With a much smaller base, this fan can’t get up such high power. (Otherwise it would just blow itself over!)
That said, it’s smaller size and lower power does it maker it quieter.
Decibels on Sleep Setting: 38dB
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quietest Fan on the List | Not As Powerful |
| 'Amazon's Choice' Award | |
| High Build Quality | |
| Remote Control |
Our Verdict
A miniature version of the best pedestal fan above.
You’re trading in power for size (and extra quietness) – without losing on build quality or ease of use.
It’s a pretty great deal.
Especially considering this is only around 2/3rds of the pedestal fan price (as I write this).
Definitely worth a look if you have a desk or table in your bedroom.
Here we get into the ‘Best Value’ fan options. I wanted to include these budget-friendly options for anyone needing a balance between quietness and cost.
This Lasko tower fan will provide the quiet cooling you need to get through those warm nights. All for a low cost.
It’s got 3 quiet speed settings, a slim space saving design which is great for kids bedrooms or a smaller guest room.
It’s made of a lasting durable plastic which gives it a decent build quality. It also comes with a remote control which has it’s own storage on top of the unit. Helps prevent it constantly getting lost!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Slim space saving design | More suited to smaller rooms |
| 3 quiet speeds | |
| Programmable timer | |
| Remote control & It's own storage |
Our Verdict
We highly recommend this Lasko tower fan as it’s perfect for smaller bedrooms and has decent airflow which isn’t too noisy.
While it ticks most of the boxes to being the perfect choice for a quiet fan it’s not quite up to the task of cooling large spaces.
With the additional features and the affordable pricing it makes a perfect choice for a peaceful night’s sleep.
The Honeywell QuietSet standing fan is a very affordable stylish looking fan which will keep you cool at night while sleeping. It’s made from a durable plastic, has a shut-off timer, adjustable height and a 1 year limited warranty.
This is the same range as our top tower fan, but got beaten out by Rowenta’s ‘Ferrari’ of a fan.
It comes with 5 speeds/levels of quiet cooling options: including “white noise”. Which is known to promote a healthy sleep. It helps to drown out background sounds which may prevent you from falling asleep or waking up whilst asleep.
If you want to read more about “white noise” and it’s effects you can visit sleepjunkies.com to find out interesting information.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful whole room cooling | Bright LED display |
| Shut-off timer | |
| Adjustable height | |
| Made from durable plastic material |
Our Verdict
If you’re looking for an affordable quiet fan that includes some great features we recommend the Honeywell QuietSet standing fan.
It’s got powerful whole room cooling with oscillation and multiple speed settings to send you off to a peaceful sleep. Just be aware of the bright LED display which could be covered if it causes a problem.
This Avalon clip on fan is a powerful little fan which will keep you cool while you sleep well. Despite it’s smaller price tag it’s very capable and gets the job done.
It’s easy to use, the adjustment to switch from tabletop to clip on fan is simple. You just loosen the butterfly screw on the head of the fan and use the attachment base you need.
The clip has a sturdy grip so don’t worry about if falling off during the night. It comes with 2 quiet speeds which won’t disrupt other family members.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 2 quiet speeds | Won't cool a large area |
| Adjustable head-tilt | |
| Easy to use |
Our Verdict
For a very affordable price the Avalon clip on fan is versatile and can be used the way you want it.
We highly recommend it if you’re looking for a cheaper option for a low budget which still allows you to get a restful sleep.
What Decibel Rating Is Worth It?
Not sure what decibel rating to shoot for?
Don’t worry, I know how you feel.
These ratings can be confusing. Especially since they’re not even on a normal scale! They change exponentially as they increase.
Here’s a great graphic from ResearchGate that gives us a great idea.
Generally, a ‘quiet’ appliance is rated at 55dB or below. This is for air conditioners, heaters, etc. These fans have quiet settings at around 40dB – the level of a quiet library!
Courtesy of the lovely researchers at ResearchGate
Buyers Guide - Key Points
There are a ton of fans out there, and most of them are practically the same. So how do you know which one to buy? One helpful tip is to consider fan aspects one by one. Which is most important to you? By knowing what you value most, it can make it easier to find a fan that suits you best.
(In this guide, it’s highly been focused on fan quietness. But there are other factors, too.)
In this section we’ll be going over the most important features and key points you should be looking out for when purchasing a quiet fan to keep you cool while sleeping.
You should ask yourself what you want most out of a quiet fan for sleeping. Is it to cool down the entire room for a while before bedtime, or does it need to be very quiet as the heat is unbearable that you need it switched on all night?
Fans, even quiet ones, are very similar. How do you know which one to choose? Knowing what type of fan you’re looking for can help you decide which model is the right one for you.
Type of Fan
To make sure you purchase the correct type of fan, you should think about what size the room is and how much space you have available. There are a decent amount of different fan types in this guide for you to take a look at, it depends on your own personal situation and your preference.
Build Quality
Making sure the quiet fan is built out of a sturdy material is important, as you don’t want any rattling of parts to make any extra unnecessary noise. A heavier base makes for a silent fan because it’s less likely to rock and rattle.
Additional Features
Here are some additional features to look out for that make the quiet fan much better. These often come with a bit of a price increase, but the added quality of life can be so worth it
- Remote control
- Oscillation
- Multiple speed/quiet settings
- Auto shut-off feature
- Timer
- Adjustable height
Warranty
This is a really important one to look out for since you’re using a fan to keep you cool throughout the night or day. It’s going to be constantly left on for many hours at a time, possibly every day throughout the warmer nights. So make sure it comes with at least some kind of warranty to keep you covered since it will be getting a lot of usage.
Energy Efficiency
With some of the more pricey quiet fans it can be well worth the investment in the long run. The longer you are using one of these energy efficient fans instead of a maybe more costly air conditioning unit, overtime the higher price value and pay for itself in energy savings.
Conclusion
After reviewing each of these quiet fans each one has their own different perks and features which would suit a wide range of different people. It’s just down to you to choose the perfect one for you.
Each one of these fans will ensure a peaceful sleep which will leave you waking up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. We hope you have managed to find one suitable for you but if not don’t worry, here is a bestseller list from Amazon.com which will have a much wider range of quiet fans for you to choose from.
I hope this article has helped you figure out your potential new sleeping partner. A quiet fan really can improve your sleep and well-being. I sincerely hope you’ll be resting well again soon!
Thanks for reading, and have a great day.
-Craig
