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As a contrasting anecdote: I've got an otherwise satisfactory shared living setup right now, but the fact that I can hear everything -- and hear everything well
by wwweston 13y ago
As a contrasting anecdote: I've got an otherwise satisfactory shared living setup right now, but the fact that I can hear everything -- and hear everything well, especially conversation in the kitchen, footfalls on the main staircase adjacent to one wall, and footfalls in the room above mine -- essentially means I'm unable to sleep when and for as long as I choose (and often not getting as much sleep as I need). It's pretty common for +30db impulses to find their way through my walls and ceiling.
My options for fixing this problem seem to be moving, invest in soundproofing for a property I don't own, or somehow get a significant behavior modification program to take sustained root among 9 other people (some under 8 years of age).
All of them suck, but I'm leaning toward the first one.
- Scramblejams 13y agoEarplugs with an old cell phone shoved into your pillowcase to act as a vibrating alarm? Supplemented by some ambient noise (like a rain machine) as needed. Worked wonders for me.
- lostlogin 13y agoMoving was the solution for me. After a while irritating noises weight heavily on me and set me right on edge. Our 'new' house is unrenovated, old, draughty, damp, leaks and it very run down. I love it to bits and its problems are slowly being dealt to. Unlike problems caused by others, the other stuff is within my power to change.
- wwweston 13y agoMy experience is that earplugs + ambient noise works OK for conversation and some limited higher frequency noise, but that it's essentially useless for the kind of low-frequency impulse noises that footfalls make.
- annnnd 13y agoI am guessing noise cancelling headphones are not a real option for sleeping, but maybe something like this exists in a form of speakers? It should be doable, you just need something to track where your ears are... I haven't seen anything like this yet though.
- wwweston 13y agoAgain, I suspect the trick is impulses -- noise canceling tech I'm familiar with does pretty well with steady-state noise like jet engines or highway sounds, but not with sudden and short bursts like dropping a handful of dishes in the kitchen. If there's something I'm not familiar with, though, I'd love to hear about it.