How to block out sound when sleeping near noisy neighbours? If you have noisy neighbors then you have surely asked yourself this question and maybe you’ve even thought about a few solutions. We’ve thought about it too and have outlined a couple of things you can do starting right from this moment to have a more restful sleep.
HOW TO BLOCK OUT SOUND WHEN SLEEPING (FREE FIXES)
1. Go for the obvious
Maybe your neighbor is just having a party celebrating his birthday and it will just be for the night or maybe a newborn is crying and you can’t sleep. The obvious solution in both these cases would be to sleep in another room where it’s not so noisy. Maybe go into your living room or even in the kitchen if you have a bed there. If you don’t have a spare room to go to then you might want to check out the next “fix”.
2. Redecorating anyone?
Here is how to deal with noisy neighbours at night in case you just don’t want to go and talk to them. The solution is as simple as doing a little redecorating in the room where you are sleeping. If you have a noisy neighbor that is living bellow you, you can try and put a thick carpet on your floor and see if that does something. If the source of the noise is located in the upstairs apartment things are more difficult to fix, but if you have a problem with a neighbor living next to you, you can just move your bed near another wall or put a bookcase on the problem “wall” and see if it stops some of the noise.
Did you know that even a plant can reduce noise if you place it between yourself and the source of the noise? Try it.
HOW TO REDUCE NOISE FROM NEIGHBOURS (FIXES THAT REQUIRE MONEY)
While you need to spend some $ for these they might be the best ways on how to block out noise when trying to sleep.
1. Think about insulating your floor
If you have constant problems with a downstairs neighbor you can think about trying to insulate your floor (if you have a landlord check with him/her before doing this). Always call in a professional to do this – don’t try to save a buck or two on something like this, this is not the moment to try this. When insulation is not an option you can buy a very thick area rug (if you don’t own one already in another room maybe.)
2. Ever heard of acoustic tiles?
Acoustic tiles are a wonderful way to reduce or even eliminate noise coming from your upstairs neighbor. They aren’t very expensive and will do a great job in allowing you to rest even when there is considerable noise coming from above. If you don’t know where to start, this seems to be one of the best choices.
3. Probably the absolute best way to block out noise from neighbors while sleeping AKA the white noise machine
White noise machines are genius devices that create relaxing sounds (white noise, waterfall, rain or other nature sounds) that have a double purpose: reducing/eliminating exterior noise and helping you relax your mind so you can fall asleep and have a more peaceful sleep. To sum it up, white noise is better noise!
Some people like to have a white noise machine close to their head so that they don’t hear other noises. Others put their machines near the wall where the noise is coming from.
White noise machines are a popular way of covering up noise. Test this out and see what works in your case.
IF NOTHING WORKS, GET DIRTY
1. The dreaded chat
Sometimes you just need to go directly to the source of the problem and have a chat with your neighbor. Try to remain calm because screaming won’t solve anything. Explain that you have to go to work the next day and appeal to him/her by saying things like “I know you want to listen to loud music, I feel the same sometimes but I have a hard day at work tomorrow and I would appreciate it if you could turn the volume down. Thank you!”
Be polite and try to be friendly when talking. If you know there is going to be noise later on you can even go and talk to your neighbor in the daytime and try to avoid a sleepless night. Sometimes (this might surprise you) your neighbor won’t even realize that the noise is bothering you.
2. Phone the authorities
If you did your best and tried to reason with your neighbor but he still doesn’t understand, you might need to either call the cops on him or a local government noise pollution agency/department. Many countries have such a department that deals with noise related incidents. Give them a call and explain that you tried your best with your neighbor and he won’t nudge. You can easily find a phone number online. What time can you call the cops for noise? You’ll need to check what are the hours in your area.
Hopefully you won’t have to get to the last 2 options, and you can find a solution prior to them. To a more restful sleep! And we also got you covered if you want to fall asleep fast.
Have you had to do with this problem? How did you handle it? Was calling the police really necessary and did you try other (peaceful) ways of solving this? Share your suggestions in the comments. What are your tips on how to block out sound when sleeping?
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