How Learning to Sleep with Noise Will Change Your Life!

Learning to sleep with noise easier said than done right? Take it from someone who shares their nighttimes with a partner who stresses about any noise that is not acceptable to them at night. Even the ones that have not happened yet.

You can learn to sleep with noise firstly by identifying what kind of sleeper you are. Then follow some simple steps such as managing your state of mind about sleep, changing up your sleeping environment to soundproof it a little and adding some props such as earplugs and white noise to finish off if required.

There is so much information out there about the science behind how and why noise affects our sleep. Which is valid and you can search for that information yourself very easily.

If you have arrived here you are looking for ways of how to block out noise when trying to sleep. So what you need are concise easy to implement steps.

These will allow you to actually be successful at not allowing noise to consciously affect your sleep.

So I’ve put together some steps that you yourself can implement to get the best possible sleep every night.

How Learning to Sleep with Noise Will Change Your Life

Those who obtain the sleep their bodies require on a regular basis have less brain fog, are more alert and generally feel healthier.

Combine that with being able to physically function with ease through the day is an awesome feeling.

When we feel good about how we are functioning other forces like stress and anxiety are harder to break through and affect us.

Overall the more sleep our bodies receive the better we function as a whole.

Everybody Is Different

Environment and what one is used to plays a huge part in noise tolerance.

One person can sleep a few floors above a city street with the noises from below entering an open window and wake up refreshed – it is amazing.

Put this person into a quiet location with only the sounds of nature and quiet everywhere and things could be very different. They may not be able to get their normal restful sleep because they are out of their normal sleeping environment.

Everybody gets used to their usual sleeping environment and usually adjusts to get a good sleep.

Changes to this can occur when new noises start to invade our normal environment.

These noises can be anything from a new louder neighbor, a new addition to an existing neighbor’s family this could be either a baby or a new pet.

Maybe someone in your street gets a new car and really needs to make sure the whole neighborhood hears it.

Unfortunately, these noises will not only be occurring while trying to get to sleep or in the morning before waking.

But they could also be happening intermittently through the night. This is the time that your sleep is being affected without you even waking.

Sleeping with Noise

1. Identify What Kind of Sleeper You Are

You will be able to do this just by identifying how you wake up in the morning.

• Are you feeling as though you have had no sleep at all?
• Feeling okay and ready to start another day?
• Or bounding out of bed refreshed?

Let’s break these categories of sleepers down a little more.

Feeling as Though You Have Had No Sleep at All

This would mean that even if you are not consciously waking through the night to noises. But you could be the very least very sensitive towards some noises which occur through the night.

I am not going to go into the science of why some people are affected by noises throughout the night. Let’s just say that those of us who are affected by occasional nighttime noises are not getting their best night’s sleep.

Ready to Start Another Day

You are probably getting enough sleep according to the routine you would have been following your whole life.

You are not really stressed or worried about getting enough sleep you just go through the motions as you always have.

You can change the way you wake in the morning to be a little more excited to get out of bed by trying a couple of strategies that could give you a sounder sleep.

Wouldn’t it be great to want to get out of bed knowing you’ve had a good sleep?

Waking up Refreshed

I would imagine if you are reading my article about sleeping you are not one of these sleepers.

I have to say that people who wake up refreshed most days are the envy of all.

I am a true advocate of us all waking up refreshed. So let’s try to achieve that together.

2. Identifying the Noises Affecting You

Identifying some of these noise worries could put you on the way to better sleep.

Is It Your Partner

If it is your partner that is causing noise addressing this together is the best way moving forward.

Have some fun work it out together. Try some of those snoring devices that are readily available at minimal cost if this is the issue.

Also, you could both read my article here all about sleeping with a snorer.

Talking or restlessness through the night there are remedies for these as well.

You Are a Parent

Not sleeping soundly because you are expecting to be woken through the night. Being woken a number of times and becoming wide awake after attending to a child.

You Are in College

Some of the noises you will come across apart from trying to sleep with noisy roommates are:

• Talking
• Snoring
• Music
• Parties
• Laughing
• Yelling
• Television
• Roommates studying

Living with Flatmates

The usual noises loud talking, television, music, coming and going late at night, entertaining intermittently.

Do You Travel and Stay in Hotels

Hotels exist to have special noises all of their own, these include:

• Thin walls
• Elevators
• Talking in hallways
• Noisy bar refrigerators
• Street noise
• Air conditioning noise

I have an awesome article all about sleeping in noisy hotel rooms for business as well as those who are holiday travelers. Go here to check it out.

3. Stop Stressing About Noise Affecting Your Sleep Before Bed

You need to train yourself to stop worrying about getting enough sleep. When stressed, upset, overtired and anxious we tend to want to blame something for not being able to achieve what we want.

So for you, in this case, it is the noise that is not allowing you to get to sleep or sleep properly.

This thing called noise is reasonably tangible so your worries of not getting to sleep or enough sleep can be pointed squarely at it.

A tangible thing to blame something on can actually work in your favor sometimes because if you are able to blame something then you have something to start rectifying.

You will need to learn some relaxation strategies and combine that with some of the suggestions below and in time you will train yourself to get over the influence of noise disrupting your sleep.

4. Sound Proofing Your Head – Oops Sorry Your Bedroom!

When considering soundproofing your bedroom you should think of a recording studio. Just remember softness absorbs while hardness reflects.

These studios are acoustically designed and set up to stop sound from bouncing around the room. Because they only want to record what they want to record.

When soundproofing your own bedroom you will be able to consider the permanent option if you own your home or a take with you option if you are renting.

Take a look at some of the suggestions below I am certain you will be able to cut out some of the noise. Bonus a little bit of a bedroom decor update!

Sound Proofing on a Budget

There are ways to soundproof your bedroom without spending a lot of money to make the changes.

1. Move your furniture – move your furniture away from adjoining walls or from under windows.
2. Change rooms – move to another bedroom – use this one as a television room. Better yet if the room you put your bed into is smaller turn your old room into a walk-in closest. Complete with chaise lounge.
3. If you have bookshelves or stand-alone wardrobes place these on the wall that is adjacent to your neighbor. Fill it up with books and magazines. You can either put your bedhead up against it or move your bed to another wall.
4. Sofa or a couch can also be placed up against the wall with canvas prints above.
5. Hang a rug – why not utilize a beautiful rug instead of walking on it it could become a piece of art as well as a noise barrier.
6. Seal windows and doors – Don’t use a sealer you will not be able to open the windows – Instead use an adhesive weather shield strip around windows and door jams works a treat – also helps keep the heat and cool inside your room. Money Saver!
7. Check for cracks in other places such as around floorboards and skirting boards. Use a flexible easy to remove sealant to patch the gaps up.

General Sound Proofing of Your Bedroom

There are certainly soundproofing ideas that can be carried out without the need of a full renovation. {Link to Amazon for a selection of soundproofing gear here…}

1. Acoustic soundproof blinds on windows.
2. Soundproof curtains – cheap and easy to install. Amazon link here.
3. Block out blinds can also come with soundproofing when made up. Try these .
4. Bookshelves – use a bookshelf between the wall behind your bedhead and the adjoining wall.
5. Attach a weather seal strip across the bottom of your bedroom door.
6. Draft stoppers are cheap, do the job and you do not need any tools to install them they just slide under the bottom of the door with a pad on either side of the door.
7. Window inserts – reduce noise from outside by up to 50%.
8. Acoustic panels hung over doorways.
9. Rugs – combine with noise-reducing pads between the rug and the hard floor
10. Hardwood flooring can be covered with cork flooring, carpets as well as rugs.

Soft Furnishings

Do not underestimate the power of soft furnishings to soak up unwanted noise. There are so many areas of a bedroom that can easily have soft furnishings strategically placed around it.

These will not only absorb noise after adding them to your room but also give you a new perspective on how you view your bedroom.

It should not be a place where you have a challenge every night to get the most sleep you can over the noise. But a newly decorated cacoon that you will love being in should help you relax and forget about the noise and achieve a good night’s sleep.

1. Bedding – thick luxe quilts and lofty pillows
2. Rugs complete with noise-reducing pads underneath
3. Fabric chair or lounge if you have the room
4. Throw Rugs
5. Throw cushions
6. Canvas prints for the wall – cut out some foam or insulation and insert in the openings on the underside of the print. The foam will absorb even more noise.

Permanent Sound Proofing of Your Bedroom

If you live in a permanent location and do not want to move you may want to consider a substantial bedroom renovation which could include:

1. Soundproofing walls with acoustic panels – these panels can block out up to 0.85 percent of noise.
2. Ceiling and floor insulation can be costly but not only will you benefit from a noise barrier you will save money on your heating and cooling costs.
3. Flooring – if you have hardwood in your bedroom you may want to consider laying carpet with an underlay to absorb more noise.
4. A false insulated wall could be erected between your wall and the offending wall of the adjoining apartment or your flatmate’s bedroom next door.
5. New double or triple glazed windows again as well as the noise barrier heating and cooling costs will be reduced.

5. Dealing with Outside Noise

If trying to sleep through train noise, traffic noise, or local walk-by traffic if your bedroom is at street level it can be a little difficult to block out. Why not consider a couple of options below?

If you are a tenant don’t let the fact that you do not own the home you are living stop you from implementing some noise buffers especially if you are considering staying long term.

Seek permission from the owner or your rental agent. It is my experience that if the tenant pays for a job well done and agrees to leave improvements in place when moving it can only benefit the owner with any future tenancy agreements.

1. These will take a little time to grow but you could consider planting trees or hedge bushes outside the bedroom window which will absorb noise coming from the street.
2. You could also consider having shutters mounted on the outside of the window. Or something similar there is so many modern innovations on the market today – do some research.

These two suggestions as well as implementing some of the other ideas for soundproofing inside your room could do the trick.

6. Random Noises in Your Street

These can vary from one-off parties at a neighbors house to building works to early in the morning.

Then there are the others that are actually controlled by local laws. For example, times that music in the street must be turned down permitted firework times and building site noise.

These will vary all over the world so it is best to investigate your rights at a local level. Then if you are informed and some of the above outside noise issues become regular you can report to your local authorities.

Even dogs fall under this local authority category if barking is an issue in your street.

Let them handle it don’t do it yourself.

7. Loud Noises Delivered by Nature

No avoiding these two from time to time. Sleeping through a thunderstorm or sleeping when it is windy outside. Feel free to check out my two resources where I have done all the homework for you. Just use some of the suggestions and you will be sleeping through both of these weather events if they ever come your way.

Thunderstorms here…

Windy weather here…

8. Bedtime Routine

We should never underestimate the importance of a bedtime routine.

Those who are working and need to leave their homes at a certain time each day to get to work have a routine to get them up and out of the house in the morning. This is because it is important to get there on time.

The same can be said for mothers. They need to start their days at a certain time to make sure everyone gets to school on time.

So incorporating a regular bedtime routine can only improve our sleep. Then, in turn, assists with functioning at your top capacity all day.

1. Food – do not eat meals too late in the evening – allow a couple of hours for it to digest before bed.
2. Caffeine – no drinks containing caffeine, including coffee, black tea, energy drinks, cola even hot chocolate after dinner. Even better after lunch will get your body ready for sleep.
3. Alcohol – helps you relax but not necessarily go to or stay asleep
4. Warm shower or tub – time to relax before bed
5. Electronics Off – 2 hours before bed electronics off including television, if you want something to do before bed read. Blue light disrupts your melatonin, therefore, keeps you awake.
6. Essential Relaxation Oils – burn them while bathing, place directly in the tub or a couple of drops under your pillow. You can choose your favorite relaxing scent or just use lavender.

9. Accessories to Help Block out the Noise

1. Ear Plugs – comfortable foam ones are available with varying degrees of noise-canceling properties. Remember to consider that you will need to be woken up either by the morning alarm clock, children throughout the night and for safety fire alarms.
2. Headphones or earbuds – As with the earplugs, there are so many available. I purchased these at Amazon to test out if I could actually wear them all night. I could wear them so I have just upgraded to these and I love them.
3. White Noise – this can include fans, air conditioners, and white noise machines.
4. Apps – so many available. These are really a personal choice kind of thing. Go to the app stores they supply some free as well as being able to sample apps before purchasing paid options.

To Finish – How Learning to Sleep with Noise Will Change Your Life!

If you are someone who allows noise to control their sleep habits it is my hope that I have given you some strategies so you can turn this around and get the sleep you need.

As always here’s to better sleep!