Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Changing the bedroom
• Method 2 of 2: Dealing with a Noisy Environment
• Tips
• Additional articles

If you live on a busy street, have thin walls, or have noisy neighbors, you may not sleep well at night due to noise. Constant sleep deprivation is bad for your mood and can even lead to health problems. Whether the noise is coming from the street or coming through thin walls from noisy neighbors, there are various ways you can reduce or drown it out completely at night.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Changing the bedroom

1. 1 Rearrange the furniture in the bedroom. Sometimes, simply rearranging furniture in a room can significantly reduce nighttime noise. Position furniture to block out or cover the loudest noise sources with large objects, for example:
   • Hang massive bookshelves on the wall that separates you from noisy neighbors. This will help muffle the sound. The more books you place on these shelves, the more you muffle the noise!
   • If your bedroom is adjacent to a noisy living room next door, move the bed to the opposite wall that is farthest from the source of the noise.
   • Move your bed away from windows to reduce street noise coming through them.
2. 2 Use acoustic tiles. Typically, acoustic tiles are installed in recording studios, theaters and concert halls to absorb and diffuse sound; however, you can use it to muffle noise in your home. Acoustic tiles can be ordered online or purchased from a home improvement store. It has a wide variety of shapes and colors, and in appearance often resembles decorative tiles.
   • You can install permanent acoustic tiles if you own the home and temporary if you rent. Place the tile on a wall where noise is coming through so that it absorbs and diffuses sounds, including at night.
   • If you can't afford acoustic tiles or don't like their looks, try hanging a thick tapestry or carpet on the wall that will also absorb sound.
   • Acoustic tiles or thick rugs can also be hung on the ceiling to muffle noise from above.
3. 3 Take care of the soundproofing of the windows. If loud noise comes from outside, it is best to drown it out with soundproof windows. New double glazed windows will cost you a lot. However, there are other, cheaper ways to achieve a similar result:
   • Seal all cracks and crevices in windows with insulating foam. Insulation foam can be purchased at your home improvement store. It will not damage frames and window sills, and at the same time will not allow noise to penetrate through cracks and openings in windows.
   • Place thick or sound-absorbing curtains over all windows in your bedroom. The thick fabric will act as a sound barrier and will significantly reduce noise coming from the street.
4. 4 Take care of the soundproofing of the floor. If the noise that bothers you comes from below, try to erect a barrier in front of it and consider soundproofing the floor. If you are renting an apartment or house, you can simply lay thick carpets and paths on the floor, or even replace the floor covering with a thicker one if the owner does not mind.
   • If you own your own home and don't like carpets, you can add a sound-absorbing layer underneath the floor. The best sound deadening floor material is cork, but other materials such as fiberglass inserts and acoustic floor tiles are also used.
   • To properly block noise from below, create a double barrier: install a soundproofing layer and Place a thick rug on the floor.
5. 5 Move the bedroom to another room. Sometimes the noise at night is annoying due to the poor location of the bedroom in the house or apartment.If your bedroom windows face a busy highway, or if a small child screams through the wall, try moving your bedroom to another room to reduce the nighttime noise.
   • Moving a bedroom is not always possible - you may simply not have another suitable room. However, if you have the opportunity to move the bedroom to another room, try sleeping in it for a few nights to determine if it is really better there.

Method 2 of 2: Dealing with a Noisy Environment

1. 1 Use ear plugs. This is a very effective way to muffle outside sounds and noise while you sleep. Earplugs may not seem very comfortable at first, but then you get used to them. There are many types of earplugs. Simple earplugs are available at your local pharmacy.
   • Choose earplugs with a Noise Reduction Ratio (SNR) of 33. This means that these earplugs reduce the noise level by 33 decibels, which is sufficient for most sounds.
   • Be sure to wash your hands before inserting earplugs. Change your earplugs regularly or clean them as directed in the instructions for use.
   • Earplugs are most effective when used correctly. Roll them up with a tube so that you get two thin cylinders, tuck into your ears and hold until they expand and fill the ear canal.
   • While earplugs are a simple and safe way to reduce noise, they come with some risk. Never force them into your ears. The earplugs should be easy and free to pull out of the ears. Do not insert them too deep into your ears to avoid damaging your eardrum.
   • The disadvantage of noise-blocking earplugs is that you may not hear the sound of a fire alarm, intruders or an alarm clock in them.
2. 2 Muffle unwanted sounds with white noise. At first glance, a way to drown out the noise is still bOmore noise seems strange, however, thanks to white noise, you can get rid of extraneous sounds. It is for this reason that during the day you do not hear water dripping from the tap, while at night it seems to you that this sound fills the whole house. White noise is any continuous noise that does not have a certain repetition and frequency, so that you do not notice it. You can purchase a white noise generator, install the appropriate application on your phone, or use the devices available in the house. The following sounds are popular:
   • Fan noise
   • Sounds of rain
   • The sound of the surf
3. 3 Include something distracting. If white noise does not help, there are other types of noise that can be used to muffle extraneous sounds. White noise is only one kind, or "color" of noise, and there are other colors as well. A more bizarre kind of white noise is blue noise, which includes sounds such as birds chirping and children's laughter. Pink noise is characterized by warm, echoing tones; this noise is generated, for example, when you blow into a clam shell. For many people, ambient music or the murmuring sounds of distant human speech is also fine, so try turning on a quiet TV or radio at night and see if that helps.
   • A TV or radio turned on all night can disrupt the natural rhythm of sleep, so it is better to set a timer that will automatically turn off the device after a certain time.
   • If you are using a TV, then turn down the brightness as low as possible so that the light from the screen does not disturb your sleep.
   • If you are going to use ambient music, listen to it first during the day to determine if it allows you to relax, and only then play it at night.
4. 4 Get a high-tech noise cancellation device. If the nighttime noise is so loud that simple white noise and earplugs don't help, consider purchasing a noise suppressor.A large selection of such devices can be found on the Internet. Check them out and choose the device that suits you best. Such a high-tech device can be quite expensive, but it will allow you to sleep peacefully at night. For noise suppression, the following devices are most commonly used:
   • High-tech earplugs with a tiny acoustic filter that allows quiet sounds to pass through and blocks out loud noises above a certain volume level. Such earplugs are well suited for those who want to hear how a child calls him or what people nearby say, but at the same time drown out car horns or the rumble of a construction site coming from the street.
   • Anti-noise headphones. These headphones have built-in microphones that detect sounds from the environment and create a “noise canceling” signal that suppresses these sounds. These headphones are great for suppressing persistent low-frequency noise such as the hum of an airplane, but they may be less effective if the noise is accompanied by sudden changes in volume.
   • In-ear headphones that block out external noise like earplugs, but have a built-in speaker that produces white noise or ambient music. These headphones completely block out external noise and replace it with soothing white noise.
5. 5 Try psychological ways to reduce noise. Sometimes it's enough just to get used to the noise and change your attitude to it so that it stops annoying and unnerving you. This can be accomplished using the same methods and techniques that help you relax during the day. If you change your attitude towards noise, you can improve your sleep. The goal is to overcome negative reactions to nighttime noise. This goal can be achieved in the following ways:
   • Concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus your attention on how your diaphragm descends and your lungs fill with air, and listen only to the sounds of your own breathing.
   • Try to relax specific parts of your body, one by one, and try to focus all your attention on this activity. Start at the feet, work up along the legs to the torso, move to the arms and fingers, and then to the neck and face.
   • Try to develop a different attitude towards noise. Be kind to anyone who makes noise and remind yourself that you will soon get used to it.

Tips

• Remember that you are also making noise. Try not to make too much noise at night!

Additional articles

How to sleep with noise How to stop being afraid of the dark How to deal with the nocturnal rustle of rats How to fall asleep quickly How to become beautiful while sleeping How to improve sleep How to sleep if you are not tired How to stop snoring How to sleep if someone snores nearby Bite fast How to induce sleep paralysis How to fall asleep on a hot night Wake up somebody How to make a person stop snoring