Sleep headphones - solution or problem? Sleep is a very complex topic, as is the…
QUIET!!! Noise and sleep
When noise interferes with sleep.
I really like animals, especially dogs. There are several dogs in our extended family, even though we don’t have any ourselves. With nine moves in ten years, we didn’t want to put any dogs through this.
However, our neighbors’ dogs put us to an extreme test. If you know how small Chiuahuas can bark, you can perhaps imagine what it means when they bark continuously for long distances in the evening, at night and in the morning and several times a day, which of course results in other dogs responding. By long distances I mean about 20-30 minutes at a time. This morning, the lawn trimmer was also on the neighbor’s property … my “favorite tool” next to the leaf vacuum (which thankfully doesn’t exist here).
No problem for some, worst case for others, because we moved to the Campo specifically for the peace and quiet. Hardly any cars, no industry and many houses that are only used temporarily by their owners. But just a few owners with dogs and lawn trimmers.
Peace and quiet, a luxury good?
Apart from dogs, it is primarily technical devices that fill our lives with noise, in addition to loud people themselves. Cars, trains, construction noise, lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, the aforementioned leaf vacuum cleaners and lawn trimmers as well as music and … even the tinkling of incoming messages on the smartphone are stimuli that affect everyone differently in terms of intensity.
Apart from dogs, it is primarily technical devices that fill our lives with loud noises, in addition to loud people themselves. Cars, trains, construction noise, lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, the aforementioned leaf vacuum cleaners and lawn trimmers as well as music and … even the tinkling of incoming messages on the smartphone are stimuli that reach everyone differently in terms of intensity.
Every fourth person in Germany feels permanently annoyed by noise.[1]https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/Zahl-der-Woche/2021/PD21_17_p002.html This puts Germany right at the top in an EU-wide comparison.
Noise and sleep
It becomes fatal when this noise prevents us from sleeping or even trying to fall asleep. Cortisol plays an important role in this. This stress hormone is the antagonist of melatonin, which is why we simply have difficulty falling asleep under stress. If this is already harmful to health in itself, there is also the loss of regeneration time, which means.
- More mental stress for
- less psychological regeneration.
The less regeneration, the greater the mental strain, which in turn has an impact on physical resilience – a fatal cycle.
Evolutionarily intended?
IMPORTANT! I have not found any scientific evidence for some of the following statements.
Unproven statements therefore represent my conclusions.
If you find corresponding scientific statements, please send me a message!
Unlike the eyes, we cannot close our ears naturally.
The ear itself does not need sleep, which in my view is an evolutionary necessity.
As the fastest direct sensory organ, the ear provides the first danger impulse, which triggers waking up in order to be able to assess the cause of the noise and, in the case of actual danger, to trigger reflexes such as flight, attack or persistence.
Perhaps the fact that we cannot fall asleep because of noises is also an evolutionary necessity.
On the one hand, because noises are associated with potential danger, and permanent noises therefore suggest permanent potential danger.
In such a situation, it would be fatal to fall asleep.
On the other hand, noise is an impairment of physical health.
In both cases, we are kept awake to eliminate the source of the noise or to wait until the “danger” has passed.
Not being able to fall asleep when exposed to noise could therefore also be a protective reaction of the body.
Noise and habituation
“I’ve already got used to the noise”.
It is not uncommon for “habituation” to be thrown into the mix when it comes to talking down the noise.
Habituation (not to be confused with habit) is generally an emergency program of the body to deal with a damaging situation in such a way that the important functions of the body are maintained.
Because even if we are not aware of things, it does not mean that they do not harm us.
Of course, we can also get used to positive things (gifts, success, happiness), which can then lead to a harmful addictive situation.
But the starting point is the same: the focus is taken off the event in order to restore a balance.
However, habituation is not a high-speed evolution.
I have already written an article about this ((Habituation – A fatal fallacy)).
Noise is individual
There is no level above which sounds are perceived as noise per se.
However, there are legal restrictions that are intended to limit the volume.
However, these are not based on perception, but on findings on hearing damage.
Even a situation that damages hearing does not necessarily have to be perceived as noise.
Loud music is a good example of this.
In turn, the more sensitive people are to noise, the more quickly even a small noise is perceived as a nuisance.
Autistic people, for example, often suffer from such sensitivity, which is one of the reasons why they often avoid crowds.
But I myself also notice that I perceive noises as a nuisance much more quickly due to the peace and quiet in which we (normally) live.
So for some people, a ticking clock helps them fall asleep, for others it’s noise.
Hypersensitivity is often perceived as abnormal, although this is actually the original state that a noisy society has merely trained us to be.
And the more we withdraw from the habituation to noise, the more the original sensitivity returns, often even more strongly.
This can also be seen in smoking, for example, where former smokers are often the most sensitive non-smokers.
7 tips for falling asleep even in noisy environments
The following tips relate primarily to falling asleep, i.e. not all of them per se to sleeping through noise.
1. classic earplugs
Of course, earplugs are a must here.
However, this protection is by no means problem-free.
In order to provide the necessary protection, the earplug must be pushed deeper into the ear canal.
In doing so, earwax can be pushed backwards, similar to cotton buds.
In extreme cases, this can lead to hearing impairment in general, which can be useful when falling asleep, but is not the aim of the measure.
Frequent use of increasingly dirty earplugs can also lead to fungal infestation or inflammation, which in turn stimulates the production of earwax, with the aforementioned consequences.
Regular professional ear cleaning or cleaning the earplugs with soapy water is therefore advisable.
Last but not least, lying on your side while sleeping can be disturbing or even painful.
If you can’t fall asleep as a result, you’ve missed the point.
So: try it out!
2. music
For simple noises, such as the ticking of a clock, the humming of a fridge or similar, drowning them out with certain music or pleasant sounds can be an option.
Special sleep music, white noise or nature sounds are helpful here.
It is important to note that these should only be used to fall asleep, not to sleep through the night.
Keep this in mind when choosing: The body only wants one thing, and that is rest.
Music that slowly becomes quieter is certainly the best option.
But here too … not everyone can tolerate this.
3. counting to the rhythm of the noise
This tip doesn’t help everyone either, so it’s worth trying it out.
In addition, it only works with rhythmic noises, such as the ticking of the clock.
Similar to “counting sheep”, the aim here is to count every tick.
It is important not to pay attention to counting correctly, but only to perceive the constant monotony of the counting in order to take the focus away from the external noise.
It is helpful to count from top to bottom, which also helps to calm the mind and not the other way around.
4. position of the bed
Noise coming from outside the bedroom is transmitted through walls, doors and windows.
The choice of bed position has a significant influence on how the sound reaches us.
If I lie with the headboard against the wall to the neighboring apartment, and the headboard even touches the wall, then positioning it opposite and 1 cm between the headboard and the wall can work wonders.
If there is also a cupboard against the wall to the neighboring apartment, a significant improvement should be noticeable.
5. space optimization
I would also like to mention building-specific sound insulation.
This can be sound insulation on critical walls or the floor and, of course, appropriate triple windows, which assumes that you own the apartment or at least have permission to make changes.
In addition, old windows can also be better insulated against sound with appropriate seals.
Soundproof curtains are also very good.
But even if they are described as “soundproof”, they only reduce the sound.
6. hide
Yes, you can actually learn to block out noise, similar to blocking out pain.
As I have already written, the basis for habituation is ultimately the permanent blocking out of noise or pain, for example.
Habituation as a permanent state can have negative consequences, but not as a short-term, artificially induced state before falling asleep.
How does it work?
One possibility is meditation.
Meditation is ultimately nothing more than concentrating on a certain thing, a feeling or a perception.
It is usually the breath, but even washing the dishes or weeding can have a meditative effect if you concentrate solely on it.
Two forms of meditation are particularly helpful when falling asleep [2]https://www.aok.de/pk/magazin/wohlbefinden/schlaf/meditation-zum-einschlafen-die-besten-techniken/:
A: Breathing meditation The basic principle of breathing meditation is conscious breathing.
To fall asleep, take a comfortable lying position.
The entire concentration is now on breathing.
There are various techniques that relate to the duration of breathing in and out and the holding of breath in between, e.g. 4 (out)-7 (hold)-11 (in).
However, you should try out for yourself what calms you down, as this process should not become stressful.
It doesn’t matter whether you actually breathe out for 4 seconds, the important thing is that you do it calmly and evenly.
If, for example, your thoughts wander due to the returning perception of the noise, concentrate on your breathing again.
B: Body scan method The body scan is about becoming aware of your entire body and the sensations associated with each part of your body.
Lie stretched out on your back and place your arms at your sides with your palms facing upwards.
Close your eyes and focus your attention calmly and consciously on each part of your body in turn, from your toes to your head or from your head to your toes.
Try to relax each part of your body and become aware of the sensations you feel in each part.
At best, you will fall asleep in a state of relaxation.
IMPORTANT! Don’t wait to fall asleep, then it won’t happen.
So don’t give yourself a time limit, don’t count, just let the process happen.
Here too, if thoughts or the perception of sounds come in between, bring your focus back to the perception of the respective body part.
Also IMPORTANT! Meditation is not something that has to be successful right from the start.
The best thing to do is to integrate meditation into your daily routine, regardless of when you go to sleep.
In addition to meditation, there is another option, namely evaluation [3]https://www.welt.de/gesundheit/article2653810/Schmerzen-zu-beherrschen-kann-man-lernen.html. Let’s remember the pain again.
“Pain is the emotional reaction to an evaluation in the mind”
Rüdiger Fabian, President of Deutsche Schmerzhilfe.
This assessment can be controlled individually.
“Receptors send the signal to the spinal cord”
Professor Rolf-Detlef Treede, President of the German Society for the Study of Pain in Boppard.
The central nervous system transmits the stimulus to the brain, where the signal is then processed.
The brain evaluates what is important and what is not.
How this evaluation turns out, however, can be trained.
This is why we react differently to pain stimuli.
It is similar with noise.
Depending on how my brain evaluates sounds, I will perceive the stimulus.
Dog owners who have a close and positive relationship with their dog and spend a lot of time with their dog evaluate the same barking differently than, for example, those of us who have no direct relationship with the dog.
Whether you are able to re-evaluate noise accordingly, or learn to do so, depends very much on your personality.
I do not want to and cannot evaluate the procedure here, but I would at least like to mention this possibility.
7. eliminate source of noise
Finally, I would like to remind you of a possibility that is actually logical, but is often procrastinated.
Clocks that tick, electrical appliances that buzz or hum in standby mode are still easy to eliminate.
It becomes more difficult when the noise comes from outside, e.g. from neighbors or … dogs of residents.
The rule here is: what the neighbor doesn’t know, he can’t change.
Different perceptions also come into play here, as people often do not perceive noises as noise, especially if you cause them yourself.
I always compare it to driving a car. As a driver, you perceive speed and dangerous situations differently than as a passenger, and it’s not uncommon for excellent drivers to be miserable passengers. Just as you can ask the driver to look ahead or slow down (e.g. on winding roads), you can also ask neighbors and residents to reduce or prevent the source of noise. This can be done by asking them to use their headphones when listening to music or watching TV or to turn them down, or to go into another room to make a phone call, etc.
Important of course: the tone makes the music.
Depending on the source of the noise, it may also make sense to inform the relevant authorities if there is no response or even an aggressive refusal to respond to the requests.
Conclusion
All the measures listed here are specifically designed to counteract noise when falling asleep, but can of course also help you sleep through the night or improve your well-being during the day.
Remember: noise has become far too commonplace in our society.
So much so that we are often expected to put up with it.
It is up to us to counter this expectation.
Our own sensitivity is never “wrong”, and the unspeakable word “sensitive” is just an expression of those who have dulled their senses.
We are entitled to peace and quiet, especially when we go to sleep.
When it comes to dogs, we currently use earplugs as the neighbors show little understanding (incidentally, they are the only neighbors who are not very talkative).
We will soon be installing thick windows, even if we are renting.
The sleep is worth it!
Referenzen
| ↑1 | https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/Zahl-der-Woche/2021/PD21_17_p002.html |
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| ↑2 | https://www.aok.de/pk/magazin/wohlbefinden/schlaf/meditation-zum-einschlafen-die-besten-techniken/ |
| ↑3 | https://www.welt.de/gesundheit/article2653810/Schmerzen-zu-beherrschen-kann-man-lernen.html |
