Do you live on an incredibly busy street that has a lot of traffic at night? You may hear sirens, car horns, loud motorbikes, and many other sounds all night long. If you’re just moved house and aren’t used to all of this noise, you may be up all night long. You might eventually adjust to the sounds, but if you’re a light sleeper, you may always have a hard time sleeping. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help cut down on the noise.
Use Earplugs
The first thing that many people think about trying is earplugs. There are many different types of earplugs including ones that expand in the ear to help fully block out noise. These small disposable items can help but they do have a few downsides.
First, you may not be able to hear anything that occurs in the house. This means earplugs really aren’t an option for parents with young children since it’s possible you won’t hear them crying. Second, if you run out of earplugs and haven’t purchased more, you may find yourself unable to sleep. You always have to make sure you have a supply on hand.
Try a White Noise Machine
Other people have good luck with white noise machines. You can use your computer, phone, or any other device for this. Simply load up some white noise such as heavy rainfall, the sound of the ocean, or even calming music.
The downside here is that you often get into a volume battle with the traffic outside. Sirens may start blaring and cut through your peaceful sounds so you turn the volume up. Then something else breaks through so you have to turn the volume up again. Eventually, the white noise is so loud that it’s disrupting other people in the house or is loud enough that your neighbours hear it.
Install Noise Reducing Windows
If you hate earplugs and find that white noise doesn’t cover everything, you could try noise reducing windows. These noise reducing windows will help cut down on the sound before it enters the home. While insulated walls and heavy doors can help block out sound, normal windows, even those with double or triple glazing, still let a large amount of sound through.
Windows with secondary glazing, however, do not. The way it’s installed, it breaks up the sound waves before they can pass through the windows and enter the home. It works by adding another layer of glass via a secondary window. The sound waves break up at the first glazed panel and then are further broken down when they hit the second glazed panel.
This means that you can actually reduce the sounds entering your home by as much as 80%. You won’t have to do anything different in your sleep habits, nor will you need to turn on a sound machine. Once these windows are installed, you’ll finally be able to get a good night’s sleep.