Sleeping well

How to Sleep Through Noise

 
Max. D Gray
By Max. D Gray. April 28, 2022
How to Sleep Through Noise

Sleep is an important function that allows your body and mind to recover so that you are refreshed and awake when you wake up. While some sounds can promote sleep, others jolt us awake and make it hard to fall back asleep. Even when you are asleep, sounds can be so disturbing that they wake you up. For restful sleep, it's critical to protect your sleeping environment from unwanted noise. But what to do when the noise that keeps us from sleeping is beyond our control?

This oneHOWTO article is designed to help you if you ever find yourself in such a situation by giving you tips and advice on how to sleep despite the noise.

You may also be interested in: How to Overcome Fear of Sleeping Alone

Contents

  1. Consequences of not getting enough sleep
  2. How to sleep with snoring
  3. Wear earplugs
  4. Cover the noise with other sounds
  5. Make some adjustments in your bedroom

Consequences of not getting enough sleep

Sleep is crucial to our health, and many of us lack it. Ideally, we should be able to sleep at least 7 hours a day. The health of our brains depends on quality sleep, which helps eliminate toxins that accumulate during the day. Anyone who has spent a night tossing and turning can attest to the negative effects of not getting enough sleep. Without proper sleep, our bodies, and brains can not recover and recharge, leading to a number of problems. Some symptoms include:

  • Inactivity during the day: if we do not sleep well at night due to noise, we may feel sleepy and exhausted the next day. Therefore, you are unlikely to perform at your best at work or at school.

  • Emotional imbalance: when we sleep poorly, it affects our mood, making us more likely to become frustrated and angry. In the long run, poor sleep can lead to emotional imbalances.

  • Concentration and memory problems: Sleep deprivation can affect our ability to be creative, remember, and process information. Our brains also become weak when we have had little or poor sleep over a long period of time. We then have a hard time concentrating and remembering things.

  • Sugar cravings: When we do not rest enough, our brains demand large amounts of sugar to compensate for the deterioration and get through the whole day just fine. If the lack of rest becomes a habit, we could suffer from obesity, diabetes, and other health issues due to the excess glucose in our bodies, which also translates into a shorter life expectancy.
  • Weakening of the immune system: The reason you need a good night's sleep is because this is how our bodies regenerate at night. Without it, our immune systems would be among the first to deteriorate.

If you want to know more about what happens to your body and mind when you do not get enough sleep, then read on in this other article about the consequences of little sleep.

How to Sleep Through Noise - Consequences of not getting enough sleep

How to sleep with snoring

It can be very annoying to sleep with someone who snores. Fortunately, there are some things you can try to improve the situation for you and your partner.

  • Buy a humidifier: Often the cause of snoring is the dryness of the environment. Therefore, using a humidifier in the bedroom could be an effective solution. However, if this is not the main cause of your snoring, this would only be a short-term solution.

  • Change sleeping positions: most often, snoring occurs when you sleep on your back, as the throat is compressed by gravity. In this case, it is better to sleep on the side. You can ask your partner to try sleeping in this position instead of on their back. However, if they tend to move around at night, and eventually go back to this position, try waking them up or gently help them to get back on their side.

  • Eat healthier: People with more body mass snore more at night. This is due to the fact that being overweight makes you more vulnerable to sleep apnea. By reducing or removing your excess weight, not only will your health improve, but your snoring will decrease or disappear.

  • Nasal bands: supermarkets and pharmacies sell nasal bands that prevent snoring. These bands help open your nostrils, so you can breathe better and stop snoring at the same time.

If you want more information, you might be interested in this other article on How to stop snoring.

Wear earplugs

Another possible solution is to use earplugs to avoid noises at night. Earplugs are a simple, affordable and effective way to block out sounds that might otherwise disturb your sleep. Common models fit in the ear canal by compressing when inserted and then expanding once in place, while others sit in the external ear canal. They are easy to find at pharmacies and some supermarkets, and they come in different sizes, materials, and prices. Choosing the earplug that best works for you is not an easy task.

In order to make that decision easier, here are some of the factors that you should consider.

  • Price: The price of a pair of earplugs usually depends on the materials and reusability. The best value for money depends on your intended use. If you plan to use the earplugs every night and do not mind cleaning them regularly, reusable earplugs will probably save you money in the long run.

  • Materials: earplugs can be made of a variety of materials, including foam, silicone, wax and latex. Foam is usually the most common and least expensive option.

  • Comfort: Several factors can contribute to how comfortable earplugs feel to you, including the material, size and shape. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to predict which earplugs will be most comfortable for you, so finding your ideal pair can be a matter of trial and error.
How to Sleep Through Noise - Wear earplugs

Cover the noise with other sounds

It's also possible to try to drown out the noise by listening to something else you enjoy. Here are some of the most common ways to do this.

  • Buy a white noise device: White noise devices are a wise investment for those who have trouble sleeping due to a noisy sleep environment. Many people benefit from white noise, since it masks sudden loud noises with a continuous tone. There are also pink sounds, such as the sound of steady rain, and brown sounds, such as the sound of a river, that also work well.

  • Apps: If you can not or do not want to invest in a portable noise device, sound machines, CDs, and smartphone apps can provide these types of relaxing sound patterns to accompany you to sleep. Normally, you can choose from a wide range of white, brown, or pink noise.

  • Use devices to mask unwanted noise: Fans are the original white noise devices, but your air conditioner, ceiling fan, or air filtration system can also provide you with effective white noise without having to invest in a device for this purpose.

Make some adjustments in your bedroom

There are some steps you can take to reduce and regulate the noise in your bedroom. Some of them are quite simple and other require some planning.

  • Install rugs or floor coverings: If you live in a busy household with hard floors, it may be worth installing super-soft rugs or even switching to carpeting to dampen sound.

  • Thick curtains around the windows: just as with carpets, curtains can help muffle noise from outside and other areas of the house.

  • Double glaze your windows: This can be a bit expensive, but it is a very effective way to muffle sounds from outside. Worst case scenario, you can keep your windows closed at all times and buy a fan to get you through the summer months.

  • Change the position of your bed: Your bed may be right next to the window, which does not help reduce noise. If there is not enough space to move the bed, you might be able to sleep on the other side, where your feet were before.

If you want to learn more about how to prepare your bedroom and bed for a good night's sleep, do not miss this other article on how to set up the perfect bed.

This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Sleep Through Noise, we recommend you visit our Mental health category.

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