Noisy neighbour: Heathrow How do I learn to deal?
December 13, 2011 1:32 PM Subscribe
How do I get used to the constant whine of jet engines above my head?
Noisy neighbour won't shut up, well noisy neighbour is Heathrow and when I say neighbour I mean more like 20 miles away. Who knew East London was affected?
Well not me anyway. So just moved to South East London from a very quiet flat in a small town. I love the neighbourhood I'm in now very much and since Heathrow is the only downside at the moment I want to stay here and see if I can get used to it.
I am right under the flight path, I find the constant whine of jets above mildly annoying and I'm trying to get over that one before I start twitching, and the 04:30 wakes me every morning which is a bit of a problem.
Are there any Londoners out there with tips on how to filter out this noise so it becomes another background thing like cars etc, and also does one get used to it and learn how to sleep through that first 04:30 flight of the day? I notice many seasoned Londoners who are also under the flight path, and much much closer to the airport, don't seem to notice this stuff so there must be some hope for me right?
Noisy neighbour won't shut up, well noisy neighbour is Heathrow and when I say neighbour I mean more like 20 miles away. Who knew East London was affected?
Well not me anyway. So just moved to South East London from a very quiet flat in a small town. I love the neighbourhood I'm in now very much and since Heathrow is the only downside at the moment I want to stay here and see if I can get used to it.
I am right under the flight path, I find the constant whine of jets above mildly annoying and I'm trying to get over that one before I start twitching, and the 04:30 wakes me every morning which is a bit of a problem.
Are there any Londoners out there with tips on how to filter out this noise so it becomes another background thing like cars etc, and also does one get used to it and learn how to sleep through that first 04:30 flight of the day? I notice many seasoned Londoners who are also under the flight path, and much much closer to the airport, don't seem to notice this stuff so there must be some hope for me right?
Best answer: In an odd coincidence, just about everywhere I've lived has been pretty close to an airport - a lot of the time a military airfield to boot. I found that eventually I just stop noticing - except when the sound stops. I imagine you'll eventually become used to it, or you'll go mad. One or the other.
posted by zomg at 1:37 PM on December 13, 2011
posted by zomg at 1:37 PM on December 13, 2011
Response by poster: @zomg I've lived near airports before but not one quite this busy! But yes, this is my greatest desire. Unfortunately the noise may stop if we have an easterly or if we have another volcanic eruption so let's hope I don't backslide.
If anyone has any mental trickery they used to help them not go mad that would be great.
@michaelh thanks for the white noise link, it's one of the best I've heard, but I want to get used to rather than mask, thanks!
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 1:43 PM on December 13, 2011
If anyone has any mental trickery they used to help them not go mad that would be great.
@michaelh thanks for the white noise link, it's one of the best I've heard, but I want to get used to rather than mask, thanks!
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 1:43 PM on December 13, 2011
Best answer: Just give it time. I used to live directly under the flight path for a major airport (about 10 miles away), and for a while, the noise drove me nuts. After a month or two, I completely stopped noticing. You'll get used to it soon enough and you'll stop noticing entirely.
What worked for me was to not get annoyed by the noise. Instead of acknowledging it by going "what the fuck another plane I AM GOING INSANE FROM THE NOISE" I started forcing myself to just go "Oh, plane." and continue to go about my business. The trick is to stop yourself having an emotional reaction to the noise. Try taking a deep, calming breath when the noise starts, and when the noise stops, forget about it and keep on with whatever you were doing. If you don't let it irritate you (easier said than done, I know), the process of not-noticing the noise goes a lot quicker.
In the meantime, double-glazing is definitely a necessity. Triple glazing is a good idea, but only if the noise is still driving you round the bend after a few months. Perhaps try a white noise generator to drown out the noise of the night/early flights?
posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo at 1:50 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
What worked for me was to not get annoyed by the noise. Instead of acknowledging it by going "what the fuck another plane I AM GOING INSANE FROM THE NOISE" I started forcing myself to just go "Oh, plane." and continue to go about my business. The trick is to stop yourself having an emotional reaction to the noise. Try taking a deep, calming breath when the noise starts, and when the noise stops, forget about it and keep on with whatever you were doing. If you don't let it irritate you (easier said than done, I know), the process of not-noticing the noise goes a lot quicker.
In the meantime, double-glazing is definitely a necessity. Triple glazing is a good idea, but only if the noise is still driving you round the bend after a few months. Perhaps try a white noise generator to drown out the noise of the night/early flights?
posted by Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo at 1:50 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've never lived in the flight path of a busy airport, but I have lived right next to the CTA Red Line in Chicago. Trains would go past our kitchen window every five or ten minutes, depending on the time of day, and the sound could be just as loud, irritating and frequent as that of a jet plane. However, after a month or so it simply became background noise. In fact, I got so used to the sound of the train that when we moved downstate to a much quieter university town, at first I couldn't sleep at night because it was TOO quiet.
Just adding to the reassurance that you will learn to tune it out relatively soon.
(I used to live on the top floor of a building next to where the University of Chicago Hospital had its helicopter launch pad. That was noisy, and just a little terrifying, too.)
posted by tully_monster at 2:13 PM on December 13, 2011
Just adding to the reassurance that you will learn to tune it out relatively soon.
(I used to live on the top floor of a building next to where the University of Chicago Hospital had its helicopter launch pad. That was noisy, and just a little terrifying, too.)
posted by tully_monster at 2:13 PM on December 13, 2011
Best answer: Heathrow? You sure it's not Gatwick?
Regardless, it will pass. I used to live in Putney and the noise of Concorde passing over my flat at 2010 an 2110 each evening used to really annoy me (it really was astonishingly loud). Until I just forgt about it.
And then Concorde got decommissioned and I found I missed it :(
posted by tonylord at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Regardless, it will pass. I used to live in Putney and the noise of Concorde passing over my flat at 2010 an 2110 each evening used to really annoy me (it really was astonishingly loud). Until I just forgt about it.
And then Concorde got decommissioned and I found I missed it :(
posted by tonylord at 2:25 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: tonylord, yup LHR(!) SE4, thought it was LCY until I looked into it. Gatwick is too far away.
People from Blackheath also remember Concorde fondly (and not) from what I hear
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 2:33 PM on December 13, 2011
People from Blackheath also remember Concorde fondly (and not) from what I hear
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 2:33 PM on December 13, 2011
You'll probably adapt to it overtime.
I lived in one of the flight paths 8 miles from the Memphis airport. It's FedEx's main hub and the world's busiest cargo airport at the time. It was like an aircraft traffic jam from 11pm to 4am. It wasn't long before I had almost no awareness of it.
posted by Carbolic at 3:26 PM on December 13, 2011
I lived in one of the flight paths 8 miles from the Memphis airport. It's FedEx's main hub and the world's busiest cargo airport at the time. It was like an aircraft traffic jam from 11pm to 4am. It wasn't long before I had almost no awareness of it.
posted by Carbolic at 3:26 PM on December 13, 2011
My parents lived near a (smaller) airport, and they bought a pair of binoculars and started getting seriously into plane watching. They got so they knew all the different airlines and models of plane that used that airport, and could even identify them by sound. I never actually asked if it helped with the noise, but maybe it would: making the planes an interesting thing and a perk of living there rather than just a nuisance might be a psychological trick that helps.
posted by lollusc at 3:52 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by lollusc at 3:52 PM on December 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I agree that you'll probably adjust and stop noticing the daytime noise, but that early morning flight might be a different matter; certainly, I'm sensitive to noise and find that sudden noises in the early hours are something I don't get used to. My solution (to the loud and clear voices of nocturnal Dutch revellers, not aeroplanes, but still) was to use earplugs overnight; if you can find some that are comfortable enough to sleep with, secure enough not to fall out, and effective enough to mute the noise, they make a tremendous difference. They do make it hard to hear the alarm in the morning, though.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:06 PM on December 13, 2011
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 4:06 PM on December 13, 2011
I don't have planes but in the winter I have awful awful pipe clanging that honestly I haven't gotten used to. So now I integrate it into my morning. My body recognizes the first quiet whooshes that precede the clangs so I wake up to them, which is less awful than sudden clangs, get up, go to the bathroom, maybe check my email, and go back to bed after the clanging ends (usually about four or five minutes).
This happens usually around 4:30-5 so it's pretty annoying for my sleep schedule, but much less annoying to roll with it than to fight it.
posted by Salamandrous at 4:30 PM on December 13, 2011
This happens usually around 4:30-5 so it's pretty annoying for my sleep schedule, but much less annoying to roll with it than to fight it.
posted by Salamandrous at 4:30 PM on December 13, 2011
Have you always wanted to be more of a morning person? Now's your chance! I'm completely serious. Due to various annoyances in my life I've been forced to get up earlier and earlier and actually it's pretty fantastic once you get used to it. I say embrace it.
posted by HotToddy at 4:42 PM on December 13, 2011
posted by HotToddy at 4:42 PM on December 13, 2011
Best answer: The noise will be worse on cloudy nights and days -- for some reason the sound is amplified when there's cloud cover. Isn't it raining a lot in London right now?
I grew up near Brockley, so I know exactly what you're going through -- but I promise you'll get used to it and be able to zone it out a bit more. I lived on the A2 once (a major SE London motorway) and my bedroom faced onto the street. I thought I'd never get used to the traffic noise at all hours, but it soon faded to a dull roar and became quite soothing. I hope this will happen for you too.
The free Heathrow Airport app might tell you what the flights are and where they're going. You could visualize the people on that 4.30 a.m. plane and curse them all out for a couple of weeks!
posted by vickyverky at 10:09 PM on December 13, 2011
I grew up near Brockley, so I know exactly what you're going through -- but I promise you'll get used to it and be able to zone it out a bit more. I lived on the A2 once (a major SE London motorway) and my bedroom faced onto the street. I thought I'd never get used to the traffic noise at all hours, but it soon faded to a dull roar and became quite soothing. I hope this will happen for you too.
The free Heathrow Airport app might tell you what the flights are and where they're going. You could visualize the people on that 4.30 a.m. plane and curse them all out for a couple of weeks!
posted by vickyverky at 10:09 PM on December 13, 2011
Response by poster: Vickeyverky, yes it is worse when it is cloudy. That is that mystery solved on why it's so variable.
Good ol' Watling Road eh? (the A2) Yes I have grown used to living near carriageways and train tracks so I hope this will happen for planes also
HotToddy, I am starting to use Heathrow as an alarm clock actually
I'm debating about the plane watching as it could exacerbate the obsession while I;m still getting used to it but I do love
Flightradar24.com
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 11:33 PM on December 13, 2011
Good ol' Watling Road eh? (the A2) Yes I have grown used to living near carriageways and train tracks so I hope this will happen for planes also
HotToddy, I am starting to use Heathrow as an alarm clock actually
I'm debating about the plane watching as it could exacerbate the obsession while I;m still getting used to it but I do love
Flightradar24.com
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 11:33 PM on December 13, 2011
Response by poster: I wasn't imagining things, apparently the past few months in London have been particularly bad.
The runway trial ended last month and there has been a considerable improvement since then, and a few months later I'm not noticing the planes so much. I still get woken at 04:30 but, not every morning. I celebrated the first night I slept through to 05:30! I hope gradually to sleep through every night.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:58 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
The runway trial ended last month and there has been a considerable improvement since then, and a few months later I'm not noticing the planes so much. I still get woken at 04:30 but, not every morning. I celebrated the first night I slept through to 05:30! I hope gradually to sleep through every night.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:58 AM on March 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by michaelh at 1:34 PM on December 13, 2011