Getting a Good Sleep Despite a Noisy Environment

Ah, the bliss of knowing you’re off to a goodnight sleep — deep and sound. And as you were lowering yourself to your soft bed, you close your eyes and breathe deeply, you suddenly hear the music your next-door is playing. While their volume is not exactly wild party noise, you find yourself unable to doze off because you can still hear it.

Among the noisiest places to live in is the city. If your apartment is near the streets, the train or if you’re just unfortunate to be around raucous neighbors, a good night’s sleep is not as easy as lights off. Here are things which can help you adjust more to this less than ideal environment and somehow get yourself a rest.

Most people nod off while watching TV. This is good because it means you can sleep despite given a few decibels of noise. Since dozing off means you’ll wake up a bit later to turn the TV off, going back to bed for the real sleep will not be as tough because you’re already drowsy.

Close all windows. If you don’t have central air, closed windows could mean warmer temperatures for you. To make this work, you can half-close the windows in the other rooms so that cold night air can still get inside the house, but keep your bedroom windows closed to shield you from those riot outside.

Soundproof your home. And we don’t mean adding insulation and soundproofing material (which could be fire hazards). Sealing gaps in windows and doors with caulk can help plug those seams where noise get get through. Installing storm windows can also help dampen sound coming from outside. Landscaping like hedges and trees can also help deflect noise that can otherwise get straight to your home.

Wear ear plugs. If the noise really gets to you, you can buy a set of ear plugs that you can wear while sleeping. They’re usually made out of memory foam or silicon. Just plug and sleep. A word of caution though, prolonged use can cause a build up of earwax.

Get into the habit of relaxing. There is a lot of relaxing methods used today to help people feel calmer and more at peace with himself, regardless of how much racket is going on outside. Learn yoga and other meditation techniques. You can also make your home more relaxing by altering the mood — the aromatic scent of lavender will reduce your anxiety.