I'm so tired.
December 2, 2009 10:11 AM Subscribe
Please help me sleep through the night again.
I have read other questions on here, but they've dealt with what almost anyone would consider to be an irritating noise (barking dogs, yowling cats, aboveground subways outside the windows). I'm struggling with something a little different.
I have always been a very light sleeper—I need almost total darkness, quiet, constant temperature. I typically wake several times during the night for one reason or another, but in general I have no problem falling asleep or falling back asleep. I usually go to bed around 11:30 and get up at 7:30.
However. The steam pipe in the bedroom makes a dripping noise. It’s a quiet tink...tink...tink that starts when the heat in the building kicks on, anywhere between 3 and 5 a.m. It is driving me CRAZY.
Things I have tried but that aren’t working:
1. Earplugs. I have a phobia of having things in my ears, thanks to a doctor’s scope puncturing my eardrum when I was three years old. Nonetheless, I have been trying this for about a month, but even the slim-fit earplugs are painful and give me anxiety about having something in my ears. I can’t sleep all night with them in, so I’ve tried putting them in when the noise starts, but the coordination I need wakes me up fully and it’s hard to then get back to sleep with such discomfort. (I’ve also tried a pillow or blanket over my head but it either doesn’t drown out the noise enough or falls off and wakes me back up.)
2. Moving to another room. I’ve tried training myself to stay half asleep and go to the couch in the living room. It’s a little better—the couch is comfy. But the entrance to the apartment opens into the living room, and the apartment across the hall runs a daycare, so starting at 5:30 or 6 the squeals of arriving kids keep me up.
3. White noise. The speed a fan needs to be at to drown out the dripping noise is stress-inducing on its own—it’s something I can’t tolerate even while wide awake. My experience with white noise machines in a therapist’s office leaves me expecting the same outcome—we decided that I’d rather risk people overhearing private stuff than deal with the sound the machines made, if that tells you anything.
The problem is coming from a steam pipe, not a radiator, and it’s not going to go away until the heat shuts off for good—as late as May 31! The entire boiler system in the building was serviced within the last month, and the pipe is not “broken” so it’s not going to be “fixed”. Our radiators are all turned off, and I have no control over when the boiler comes on or over this pipe at all.
I have lived in many New York apartments, each with their own quirks, and have gotten used to all of them (one of them had crazy banging pipes that I got used to, and this isn’t nearly that bad!). But after two solid months of this, I’m despairing that I will ever just get used to this noise and be able to sleep more than a few hours at a stretch again. We’re six months into a one-year lease. If I can’t find a workaround, I will definitely consider moving when the lease is up but it’s not an option right now.
I feel like this is ridiculous. The noise is not that loud—I notice it during the day but it’s not aggravating then. My boyfriend can sleep right through it. I hate that I am such a light sleeper but I don’t know how to fix it. The lack of sleep is catching up to me, affecting me at work, causing me to be forgetful and cranky. People work midnight shifts or train themselves to sleep while travelling—this is something I should be able to overcome! How do I do it? Or if I can’t, what are other noise-masking options I’m overlooking?
I have read other questions on here, but they've dealt with what almost anyone would consider to be an irritating noise (barking dogs, yowling cats, aboveground subways outside the windows). I'm struggling with something a little different.
I have always been a very light sleeper—I need almost total darkness, quiet, constant temperature. I typically wake several times during the night for one reason or another, but in general I have no problem falling asleep or falling back asleep. I usually go to bed around 11:30 and get up at 7:30.
However. The steam pipe in the bedroom makes a dripping noise. It’s a quiet tink...tink...tink that starts when the heat in the building kicks on, anywhere between 3 and 5 a.m. It is driving me CRAZY.
Things I have tried but that aren’t working:
1. Earplugs. I have a phobia of having things in my ears, thanks to a doctor’s scope puncturing my eardrum when I was three years old. Nonetheless, I have been trying this for about a month, but even the slim-fit earplugs are painful and give me anxiety about having something in my ears. I can’t sleep all night with them in, so I’ve tried putting them in when the noise starts, but the coordination I need wakes me up fully and it’s hard to then get back to sleep with such discomfort. (I’ve also tried a pillow or blanket over my head but it either doesn’t drown out the noise enough or falls off and wakes me back up.)
2. Moving to another room. I’ve tried training myself to stay half asleep and go to the couch in the living room. It’s a little better—the couch is comfy. But the entrance to the apartment opens into the living room, and the apartment across the hall runs a daycare, so starting at 5:30 or 6 the squeals of arriving kids keep me up.
3. White noise. The speed a fan needs to be at to drown out the dripping noise is stress-inducing on its own—it’s something I can’t tolerate even while wide awake. My experience with white noise machines in a therapist’s office leaves me expecting the same outcome—we decided that I’d rather risk people overhearing private stuff than deal with the sound the machines made, if that tells you anything.
The problem is coming from a steam pipe, not a radiator, and it’s not going to go away until the heat shuts off for good—as late as May 31! The entire boiler system in the building was serviced within the last month, and the pipe is not “broken” so it’s not going to be “fixed”. Our radiators are all turned off, and I have no control over when the boiler comes on or over this pipe at all.
I have lived in many New York apartments, each with their own quirks, and have gotten used to all of them (one of them had crazy banging pipes that I got used to, and this isn’t nearly that bad!). But after two solid months of this, I’m despairing that I will ever just get used to this noise and be able to sleep more than a few hours at a stretch again. We’re six months into a one-year lease. If I can’t find a workaround, I will definitely consider moving when the lease is up but it’s not an option right now.
I feel like this is ridiculous. The noise is not that loud—I notice it during the day but it’s not aggravating then. My boyfriend can sleep right through it. I hate that I am such a light sleeper but I don’t know how to fix it. The lack of sleep is catching up to me, affecting me at work, causing me to be forgetful and cranky. People work midnight shifts or train themselves to sleep while travelling—this is something I should be able to overcome! How do I do it? Or if I can’t, what are other noise-masking options I’m overlooking?
I'm a light-ish sleeper and I have trouble falling asleep when there are noises and such. Things that work for me are:
1. Exercising and being too tired not to fall asleep
2. drinking a glass of bourbon in the hour before bed (not every night).
3. having a fan or other white noise.
posted by ghharr at 10:24 AM on December 2, 2009
1. Exercising and being too tired not to fall asleep
2. drinking a glass of bourbon in the hour before bed (not every night).
3. having a fan or other white noise.
posted by ghharr at 10:24 AM on December 2, 2009
Maybe a tabletop fountain? It's a pleasant running water sound that would overshadow the dripping noise, and (I assume) would be less stressful sounding than a fan or white noise machine. I'm a light sleeper myself and have slept with one of these running all night. You can get one for as cheap as $30-$40 so it's not a huge investment. Read the online reviews to find one with a quiet pump, and don't forget to refill it every night so it won't run dry.
posted by castlebravo at 10:27 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by castlebravo at 10:27 AM on December 2, 2009
I am in very much the same boat -- light sleeper, waking two/three/four times a night, near-total darkness, dislike earplugs, the whole bit. I endorse the white noise approach: for the last couple of years, I have turned the fan on every night before I hit the sack. I now sleep, if not precisely well, at least much better than I used to.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:29 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:29 AM on December 2, 2009
The New York Times just reported on research showing that physical activity during the day helps you sleep better at night.
posted by bluedaisy at 10:36 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by bluedaisy at 10:36 AM on December 2, 2009
if using a computer for color noise like Lyn Never suggested sounds appealing, you could also use a scheduler to make the color noise start or fade in at about 2 am and end or fade out around 6. That way you'd never have to hear it while conscious.
posted by egg drop at 10:39 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by egg drop at 10:39 AM on December 2, 2009
If you are a side sleeper, you might find that only using one earplug (in the "up" ear) will a) help with the noise while b) causing less anxiety than using two.
posted by kestrel251 at 10:49 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by kestrel251 at 10:49 AM on December 2, 2009
Have you tried going to bed a half hour earlier or later? That might put you at a different point in your sleep cycle when the steam comes on, and allow you to sleep through it. Barring that, low level fan/humidifier/air purifier/white noise. You could try with something that comes on at around the right time, but sometimes the very thing that was supposed to help me sleep is the thing that wakes me up if it's a "new" sound (that is, turning on or off), so I often have the noise on all night.
posted by cocoagirl at 10:51 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by cocoagirl at 10:51 AM on December 2, 2009
Have you considered putting insulation around the noisy pipe? They make insulation for pipes of different sizes, it's foam, and it should block the noise. Here's one supplier. Just make sure you get insulation that is appropriate for the type of pipe- especially in terms of temperature.
I'm a light sleeper too, the table fountains have worked in the past. Chopin's Nocturnes were written for an insomniac, I think.
posted by mareli at 10:54 AM on December 2, 2009
I'm a light sleeper too, the table fountains have worked in the past. Chopin's Nocturnes were written for an insomniac, I think.
posted by mareli at 10:54 AM on December 2, 2009
Talk to your doctor. They may be able to prescribe a mild sleep aid for you. There's a plethora of sleep aids these days. At some point, the anxiety of not being able to sleep makes it impossible to sleep, making the cycle hard to break on your own.
posted by chairface at 11:09 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by chairface at 11:09 AM on December 2, 2009
If you can sleep on your back ok, a pair of ear protection headphones should block out a lot of noise whithout being inside your ears.
posted by orme at 11:15 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by orme at 11:15 AM on December 2, 2009
Thirding a tabletop fountain.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:19 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by oneirodynia at 11:19 AM on December 2, 2009
Is the sound caused by the water dripping onto something? I had a leaky faucet in one apartment and I fixed it by simply placing a sponge in the sink for the water to drip onto.
posted by chrillsicka at 11:21 AM on December 2, 2009
posted by chrillsicka at 11:21 AM on December 2, 2009
On another front, think about meditative technique for dealing with the stress of these noises - as someone who spent years getting way bent out of shape about ticking clocks and the like, only after doing guided meditation was I able to permit those noises to happen while still falling asleep. Besides general mindfulness, There are a couple different techniques that I have found helpful:
paradoxical intention - focus on the offending noise as intently as possible, explore every detail of its sonic landscape, understand the rhythm, tone etc. Pay attention to your thoughts about what is going on. I liken this technique to repeating a word over and over in your head until its meaning disappears. The thoughts going on behind the scenes slowly subside.
Reaffirm your own safety. Sleep leaves me in a vulnerable state and if I don't feel 100% safe then I'm not going to be comfortable falling asleep. Foreign noises can easily trigger feelings of fear/frustration/anxiety. I reaffirm my safety by not only rationally understanding my safety, but also imagining how safe I am (in a cocoon for example). If you feel unsafe, then do things that will make you feel safer.
By all means, do what you can to minimize the offending noises, but if you find another thing pops up to replace it, you may have to tackle the problem cognitively.
posted by Dmenet at 11:31 AM on December 2, 2009
paradoxical intention - focus on the offending noise as intently as possible, explore every detail of its sonic landscape, understand the rhythm, tone etc. Pay attention to your thoughts about what is going on. I liken this technique to repeating a word over and over in your head until its meaning disappears. The thoughts going on behind the scenes slowly subside.
Reaffirm your own safety. Sleep leaves me in a vulnerable state and if I don't feel 100% safe then I'm not going to be comfortable falling asleep. Foreign noises can easily trigger feelings of fear/frustration/anxiety. I reaffirm my safety by not only rationally understanding my safety, but also imagining how safe I am (in a cocoon for example). If you feel unsafe, then do things that will make you feel safer.
By all means, do what you can to minimize the offending noises, but if you find another thing pops up to replace it, you may have to tackle the problem cognitively.
posted by Dmenet at 11:31 AM on December 2, 2009
I am you. I feel your pain.
I sleep with the radio on, just audible enough to hear the voices (NPR -- our local station has BBC World Service through the night) but not too loud so I get caught up in the actual words.
We also have a white noise machine that has settings including rain (light and persistent) and waves on a beach. The rain one works really well for me. You might want to look at some of these appliances -- if you find white noise/static too distracting, one of the other settings might work.
posted by vickyverky at 12:26 PM on December 2, 2009
I sleep with the radio on, just audible enough to hear the voices (NPR -- our local station has BBC World Service through the night) but not too loud so I get caught up in the actual words.
We also have a white noise machine that has settings including rain (light and persistent) and waves on a beach. The rain one works really well for me. You might want to look at some of these appliances -- if you find white noise/static too distracting, one of the other settings might work.
posted by vickyverky at 12:26 PM on December 2, 2009
I know this sounds weird, but have you tried playing music? I have a special playlist that I only use when suffering from insomnia and it really works. Listening to the music distracts me from irritating noises and eventually I drift off to sleep. The playlist triggers such a strong Pavlovian response, I can't even listen to those songs during normal hours without getting sleepy. (And try a comfy pair of headphones instead of earplugs if you don't want to play the music out loud.)
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:28 PM on December 2, 2009
posted by LuckySeven~ at 12:28 PM on December 2, 2009
Are you overweight? You might want to get checked for sleep apnea (or, better, just lose weight and eat better). Waking up so often sounds like it might be related.
posted by phrakture at 3:15 PM on December 2, 2009
posted by phrakture at 3:15 PM on December 2, 2009
Sleep headphones? These are soft fleece headphones (it looks kind of like a wide headband), designed to wear to bed. It says they can help drown out noise (though they are designed to listen to music etc in bed). Haven't tried them myself, though I am would like to try them.
posted by AnnaRat at 8:59 PM on December 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by AnnaRat at 8:59 PM on December 2, 2009 [1 favorite]
Sorry that this is a non-specific piece of advice but for general better/deeper sleep, in addition to exercise I strongly recommend getting as much sunlight as you can during the day.
posted by HopStopDon'tShop at 5:03 AM on December 3, 2009
posted by HopStopDon'tShop at 5:03 AM on December 3, 2009
Sleep issues got so bad for me that I was prescribed Trazadone.
IT has made an unbelievable difference in my life.
posted by Irontom at 8:00 AM on December 3, 2009
IT has made an unbelievable difference in my life.
posted by Irontom at 8:00 AM on December 3, 2009
my wife is a very light sleeper and she swears by Mack's earplugs, which don't go into your earhole (for lack of a better term). Instead, they get flattened into a disk that is stuck on over the hole. They last her a few nights, then get tossed when they get dirty/hairy/nonsticky, but they are pretty cheap.
posted by midwestguy at 1:07 PM on December 3, 2009
posted by midwestguy at 1:07 PM on December 3, 2009
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White noise machines don't give you the flexibility of a computer/mp3 player/stereo. Find the noise you prefer, and then experiment with placement/volume - you may find that playing it louder in an adjacent bathroom or hallway is actually more effective for you than playing it right near your head.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:18 AM on December 2, 2009 [1 favorite]