Noises from next door

dnme

Graces7 wrote: »

Puzzled as as we have said they are freely available in so many shops and cheap. And they do help. Trust on that.

Yes I know, Its just that someone posted a link here, to a pack on Amazon and I went ahead and ordered them as I thought they were being recommended as being particularly good. But as I say, I hare them, hate having to wear them. If they do work, then I fear I wont hear my alarm.

Not only that, but even during the day, I'm listening to next door. Electric switches, washing machines, doors, their oil burner etc. Its driving me insane. I'm getting angry and I just dont want to be that person.

Plus, this morning as I write this, I'm wrecked. No energy, flat out on the couch, tired and very grumpy. I need peace and quiet.

bbam

I wouldn't be mentioning this to them if I were you. They have done nothing wrong and you'll just seem like a crank.
I mean you can't ask them to
Close their windows at night, and eight O clock at a weekend isn't really that early either.

Try the ear plugs.

Also when I worked nights I found that noise distraction works well. Get a cd with background noise, sea or rain sounds worked best for me. Stick on the cd in your room at night and the more local sound of it will distract you from other sounds.
Be patient at it as you need to give time for your sleep habits to change.

There is also a speaker device that goes into your pillow, a friend who also worked nights had one and swore by it, he reckoned it would drown out lawnmowers in the summer which is something.

Leave your neighbours alone and work this out yourself. You'll just seem like a crank and they'll probably spread the word about the new crank next door.

dnme

bbam wrote: »

I wouldn't be mentioning this to them if I were you. They have done nothing wrong and you'll just seem like a crank.
I mean you can't ask them to
Close their windows at night, and eight O clock at a weekend isn't really that early either.

Leave your neighbours alone and work this out yourself. You'll just seem like a crank and they'll probably spread the word about the new crank next door.

Since I moved into this house, Once I realised that I could hear them, I have been tiptoeing around, gently closing doors, creeping up stairs etc. I had the intelligence and the consideration to realise that if I can hear them, they can here me so I'll make an effort.

Then I moved rooms.
Then I posted a thread on boards
Now I have decided to move.

I havn't gone near them, nor will I. I am the one taking the hit and making the sacrifice.

When I'm paying big money to rent a house, I dont want to have to tiptoe around. I dont want to have to wear earplugs. I want to be able to have a lie on at the weekend, I work very hard all week for that.

bbam

I agree cometly and understand your position. I was merely saying they your right to a lie in at the weekend doesn't exceed their right to live normal lives.

I grew up in terraced housing so understand how mundane sounds carry through solid walls. I also worked nights for twelve years and understand how devastating sleep depravation is.

I was giving a suggestion based on my experience. It's a pity your driven to move and I'd worry you won't get a completely quiet house anywhere if it's adjoining another house. Best of luck.

dnme

bbam wrote: »

I agree cometly and understand your position. I was merely saying they your right to a lie in at the weekend doesn't exceed their right to live normal lives.

I grew up in terraced housing so understand how mundane sounds carry through solid walls. I also worked nights for twelve years and understand how devastating sleep depravation is.

I was giving a suggestion based on my experience. It's a pity your driven to move and I'd worry you won't get a completely quiet house anywhere if it's adjoining another house. Best of luck.

Many thanks.
I'm a rural lad all my life and that's what I'll stick to. I'll live with the ear plugs for now until a nice detached house comes along. There was a time in my life (teens, 20's and 30's where I could sleep through a war. I literally used to have 2 radio alarm clocks, both set to switch on radio at full volume as their alarms, and I used to sleep through that (while waking everyone else up). In recent years my sleep seems to have changed, I wake up now at the slightest sound. A tap, a click, anything. Its horrible, and when I do wake up, it can take me hours to get back to sleep. There are sounds I actually love from nature. A stormy night or rainfall. Love those sounds and can happily fall to sleep to the sound of rain on a skylight.

iguana

Graces7 wrote: »

Does not work if you have sensitive hearing and simply adds to the issues.

I have extremely sensitive hearing and it works just fine. White noise is actually proven to aid sleeping even when noise disturbance isn't an issue and studies have shown it's almost as effective as prescription sleep medication in treating insomnia.

the_syco

dnme wrote: »

There are sounds I actually love from nature. A stormy night or rainfall. Love those sounds and can happily fall to sleep to the sound of rain on a skylight.

Rain & thunder; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pSyYhRYeIM
Light rain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgG4vDfcJek
75 minutes of thunder and rain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvRv-243Cmk

As for anyone that fears not hearing their alarm clock, you can get alarm clocks with vibrating pads that you put under your pillow

Graces7

iguana wrote: »

I have extremely sensitive hearing and it works just fine. White noise is actually proven to aid sleeping even when noise disturbance isn't an issue and studies have shown it's almost as effective as prescription sleep medication in treating insomnia.

For YOU, yes, but not for everyone. If it works for you fine but studies do not impress me one iota.

My issues re hearing are neurological and any sound affects and wears me out.

Different means for different people. Which I have no problems with.

iguana

Graces7 wrote: »

For YOU, yes, but not for everyone. If it works for you fine but studies do not impress me one iota.

My issues re hearing are neurological and any sound affects and wears me out.

Different means for different people. Which I have no problems with.

But that means you are not the norm, not the other way around, my experience matches that of the vast, vast majority of people. In 70% of insomnia cases they aid sleep. In far more cases of outside noise causing sleep disturbance they remove the problem entirely. Just because they don't work for you, the exception to the norm, doesn't mean that the OP shouldn't try it. The odds are it will solve his problem because it does for most people.

Graces7

dnme wrote: »

Since I moved into this house, Once I realised that I could hear them, I have been tiptoeing around, gently closing doors, creeping up stairs etc. I had the intelligence and the consideration to realise that if I can hear them, they can here me so I'll make an effort.

Then I moved rooms.
Then I posted a thread on boards
Now I have decided to move.

I havn't gone near them, nor will I. I am the one taking the hit and making the sacrifice.

When I'm paying big money to rent a house, I dont want to have to tiptoe around. I dont want to have to wear earplugs. I want to be able to have a lie on at the weekend, I work very hard all week for that.

Not taking a hit or a sacrifice; simply an adjustment and a learning. NB re sounds,, I saw a wee cottage on daft ie that was by a waterfall.. No way for me, but for some here that would be perfect. My idea of hell that would be.

I started avoiding having neighbours many years ago. Noise was one of the reasons; here traffic noise can be an issue as we are near the timber lorry route; had I realised this maybe I would have taken a different house. But another move is and was impossible for health reasons so the ear plugs are the answer for me. And over the months I have adjusted.

NB the cheaper ones I find better; the ones I have now are the ones welders buy which is good enough for me at 50 cents. I was at a very noisy market yesterday and they were such a blessing.

Good luck with your search..so many properties around now.

mark17j

not all Semi detached houses are like this, I have lived nextdoor to a big family for the last 15 years and i've never heard a sound outta that house.. it's all to do with the build quality of the place, the only thing i've ever heard from their side is them dilling holes a few times over the years...I suggest you're doing the right thing moving as u can't approach people and get petty about these type of sounds.

riclad

NEXT time viewing house ,visit after 6 pm, see can you hear noise,tv etc from next door or just try and rent a totally detached house.
OLD victorian, houses may be better ,re sound insulation. ,as the walls are thick.
You could try and buy old type headphones, from charity shop, as they cover the whole ear.
see
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BUILDERS-DIY-MUFFS-DEFENDERS-PROTECTORS/dp/B003B2N98O
these would keep out most of the noise ,
I Don,t know if you could sleep wearing them.
you could probably buy em in a hardware shop,builders providers.
there must be People stuck in negative equity ,cant move house ,and they can hear every noise from next door.ie bad sound insulation in house walls.
i lived in old terraced house, never hear any loud or irritating noise from next door,
house was 50 plus years old.

the_syco

the_syco wrote: »

Rain & thunder; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pSyYhRYeIM
Light rain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgG4vDfcJek
75 minutes of thunder and rain; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvRv-243Cmk

As for anyone that fears not hearing their alarm clock, you can get alarm clocks with vibrating pads that you put under your pillow

Listen to the white noise. Live near Dublin? Pop into the DeafHear shop (35 North Frederick Street, Dublin 1) to get a vibrating alarm clock.

Boardieman

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a quiet semi detached house. We've been renting one for the last year and as much as our neighbours are lovely people we can hear their kids screaming all day long and even the occasional bedroom antics at night. I always tell people never buy a semi detached house but so many people just get excited by the idea of buying a cheap house and end up stuck with them for life. My sister did this, beautiful house, but she can hear everything her neighbours do. Some really awful buildings were thrown up during the property boom. I'm currently in the process of buying in the country where I can have a bit of piece and quiet.

mark17j

Boardieman wrote: »

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a quiet semi detached house. We've been renting one for the last year and as much as our neighbours are lovely people we can hear their kids screaming all day long and even the occasional bedroom antics at night. I always tell people never buy a semi detached house but so many people just get excited by the idea of buying a cheap house and end up stuck with them for life. My sister did this, beautiful house, but she can hear everything her neighbours do. Some really awful buildings were thrown up during the property boom. I'm currently in the process of buying in the country where I can have a bit of piece and quiet.

Well they're allot better than terraced anyday, I wouldn't like to live in a row of terraces, even though the modern ones of today do look rather nice.
It's all to do with how lucky you are to get nice people.
A detached house in Dublin suburbs would be ideal, or a semi with good neighbours. living in the country can be a bit scary these days.
I live in a semi myself, and never hear my neighbours

Chris_5339762

If you own a semi-d (or even rent one), you could probably move the bed to a part not touching a neighbours room. That might help.

dnme

Wow folks, this ol' thread still going ? Many thanks for all the input though.

I moved house months ago. BTW I tried all suggestions given including moving to each of the three bedrooms. Nothing helped. The noise travels through the woodwork. Even HQ earplugs did not stop the noise completely.

I am now in a stand alone house and back enjoying peace and quiet. I'll never go near semi-detached setup's again. Particularly modern builds.

Peace & Quiet . . . bliss.

riclad

I lived in semi d, next door ,woman with 3 kids, i Can,t remember
hearing any noise,house 12 years old.
MANY houses , in the boom were never inspected,insulation ,was badly fitted, or there was a low level of insulation.
Your post indicate a technical,building sound insulation problem.
IF viewing a house ,best to do so after 6pm, see can you hear noise from next door.
SAYING EVERY semi d is badly insulated ,or has a noise problem is simply
incorrect .
I lived in 2 semi d,s when i was younger.
I,M glad to hear you moved out
i,d be wary of anything built after 1996.RE insulation sound levels etc if i was buying or renting.
Theres good modern builds,and there,s bad ones.