Sleep is best induced with silence, but that’s never an ideal scenario in a busy life. Important calls, a crying child, music, TV, or chattering roommates sum up about 90 percent of people’s nightlife. We all know how important sleep is to our lives and our overall well-being. Sleep relaxes our bodies, calms our minds, rejuvenates, and prepares us for the next day. Noise could disrupt our sleep cycle by waking us up during sleep and also affect our sleep quality.
Let us find out how noise can affect your sleep state and what you can do to ensure sound sleep even with a noisy background.
Impact Of Noise On Sleep
Sleep Deficiency
Noise could disrupt your sleep and lead to sleep deficiency. Without a healthy dose of sleep, you may be unable to use your basic skills and accomplish your daily goals. Heavy noise like that of a siren or a horn can wake you up if you are a light sleeper. It may then be difficult to go back to sleep. What do you do to sleep better in such a noisy situation? We will find out soon.
Other Health Implications
If you are often exposed to loud noises, it may weaken your eardrum or in rare cases even rupture it. Severe cases may also cause permanent damage to the cochlea/inner ear and lead to hearing impairment. Other issues linked to loud noise that prevent good sleep are migraines, high blood pressure, heart disease, stress, and anxiety.
Create Brain Confusions
Loud noise, often linked with bad sleep, can confuse the brain. Things you so effectively do may suffer a setback or sometimes can blow out of proportion due to lack of sleep.
10 Ways to Catch a Sound Sleep Amidst Noise
Distract Yourself with a Solid Routine
Well you know when we get into the habit of doing something, we follow it regularly. So, to distract yourself from the noise that you have no control over, follow a solid sleep routine. Practice some self-care, get a warm bath, wear light clothes, dim your room lights, and sleep at the same time daily. The habit you make of your sleep routine ensures your hormones prep you up to sleep well, even with noise.
“If you can win over your mind, you can win over the whole world.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Try on White Noise
While specific white noises like the waves on the beach, rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, etc. help soothe the brain wires and prompt sleep, you can always experiment with other sounds. It’s seen that some babies can sleep well in the noise of a grinding machine, whereas some find it difficult. So what noise can you tolerate and what gives you a good sleep?
Calm Your Mind
We can train our minds to adapt to situations through meditation and mindfulness. Meditation is an age-old practice that soothes our minds and helps us visualize positivity. When we practice mindfulness, we become aware of the present and are grateful for our lives. With better awareness, sleep becomes normal. You can also learn deep breathing techniques to sleep well, get relief from stress and anxiety, and overcome the noise.
“This deep sense of feeling that I’m blessed can help you overcome any obstacle in life. It gives you courage and confidence, and will open you up for grace to pour in.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Use Earplugs
A convenient product that most of us might remember using in dormitories is earplugs. While they may not completely cancel the surrounding noises, they can minimize them greatly. You can also use cotton buds to isolate the external noise. Some people find it relaxing to listen to music using earphones to avoid noise. However, do not go overboard with it. Addiction to earphones can harm the inner ear.
Work Up Your Body
Remember when you feel tired, all you need is a bed to jump in. If you want to sleep better regardless of any external disturbance, ensure you work up your body throughout the day. Ensure discipline in your daily schedule and perfect your eating habits so that you anyway catch your sleep at night. Practice regular physical exercises during the day and be sincere with your responsibilities.
Insulation
If you can do something to insulate yourself from the external noises, then do it. Add insulation to your walls to not be bothered by the noises outside the house, or repair that leaking tap. Seal your windows or invest in thick curtains to block disturbing noises. All these efforts will eventually let you sleep peacefully and not be affected by the noises.
Rearrange Your Sleeping
If your bed is too close to the window, which keeps you up due to the traffic noise or a neighbor’s dog, shift it away from the window. Fill your room with furniture types that could reduce noise. If you feel that sound is coming from a particular room, you may soundproof and insulate the room's interior with natural products like fiberglass, mineral wool, cotton, etc.
Try Smart Apps
There are many apps you may download on your smartphone that can help you sleep better and ignore the surrounding noises. Try listening to a relaxing podcast or dialing into some soothing music to get a sound sleep at night. Here are some of them: Sleep Cycle, Pillow, Headspace, Sleepa.
Stay away From Phone
If your phone is the reason for noise generation, then staying away from it right before an hour to bed is the best practice. Additionally, turn off any alerts that could disturb you in the middle of the night. It is best to keep your phone away if you feel you might not be able to stop using it through the night.
Share How You Feel
Speak to the people who are responsible for the disturbing noises. If it’s your neighbor, talk to them about how it affects your sleep pattern and check if they can do something about it. If a friend or family member is watching TV late at night, request them to manage with earphones. If it’s a source that you cannot control, do something productive until the noise fades away. You can plan for the next day, read a book, or arrange your attire to keep yourself busy.
Stay Positive
We may always face distractions of some kind in life, but it’s important to stay positive and find solutions that help. The above tips tell you how to sleep better in a noisy background. You may analyze other ways to get a sound sleep at night. Most importantly, appreciate the gift of life, and always keep yourself busy so that you naturally exhaust yourself at the end of the day and are spontaneously led into a deep sleep at night.
“Have patience and tolerance, and be positive about everything. In the end, you will always be the winner.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Do you wish to practice mindfulness and rediscover joy? Join us here for a session of Sudarshan Kriya and cleanse the mind of stress and worry.
