Maybe I've seen too many horror movies, but aren't you concerned about not hearing an intruder and being able to respond? Maybe I'm paranoid. :)

Yeah this is my primary qualm just as a dad with four young kids, I’m addition to needing to hear them if they have a night terror or something. I still use them occasionally though.

Wear earplugs and adopt a dog. Best of both worlds.

Is the risk of intruders a real or a perceived problem? How does it weigh with sleep quality?

Frankly, my sleep is so poor that if they mind the noise level they can take what they can carry.

A would be intruder did bang on my door at 3am (I guess to test if anyone was in) and I looked pretty pissed off and menacing when I opened the door (ex prop forward rugby player) and they ran off. Maybe not the smartest move on my part.

Apparently they immediately decided to break into my neighbours a few doors down while people were sleeping.

As I sit in bed at midnight, winding down from my day, this comment gave me a great belly laugh. Thanks!

Smoke detectors are another reason

You will never not hear a smoke alarm while wearing ear plugs.

They are effective at attenuating noise, ineffective at eliminating it.

Except for me… I sleep through smoke alarms without any earplugs or medications. :/

Luckily smoke detectors and true (loud) emergencies seem to punch right through without any issues.

I wear ear plugs every night. The disposable foam ones are good enough to prevent me from being woken up by my partner getting ready before me, but I would most certainly hear a fire alarm. I'm laying in bed right now with them in and I can still hear the fan pointed at me. They significantly reduce low-mid range frequencies, but they're not 100% soundproof