Keep That Noise Down I Can't Sleep

Genesis 31:40 - This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

​Darkness surrounds me, as daylight slips over the mountains. I begin my night time routine and soon find it time to go to sleep. It’s been a long day, so I welcome rest.
 
But then, I hear my neighbor’s dog start to bark. The noise becomes louder and louder as I wish my neighbor would bring in his dog so it would stop barking.
 
Then I hear the sound of a siren as a fire truck speeds past my apartment to answer a call for help. A few moments later another siren follows the first as an ambulance rushes in the same direction. But can I really be angry about the noise when someone may be in desperate need of help? No. So I say a quick prayer and lay down once more.
 
Just when I’m about to fall asleep another sound floats my way – someone with their car radio blasting as they wait for the light in front of my complex. Then the radio is replaced by the sound of a motorcycle.
 
And on it goes, night after night. But I live near a busy intersection. What do I expect, right? But all is not lost. Of course I could choose to move to a different location not near an intersection, but there could still be a dog barking. There are other options  available though.
 
One solution is to keep a fan running at night. It produces what is called “white noise” and masks sounds in the room it’s located in. The only problem with a fan is that it’s not practical in the winter, so I use the same solution of producing a white sound, but in a machine that mimics the sound of a fan running without cooling your bedroom.
 
There are two kinds of noise makers – one that is computerized and runs on a loop or one that makes the white noise with the help of a small fan and different sized vents to amplify the sound. I prefer the secondary unit because the ones that run on a loop can wake you up each time the loop kicks in.
 
Another method of reducing noise is to wear earplugs. They can reduce or eliminate sounds outside your home. Unless you’re a light sleeper like I am where earplugs only marginally cut down sound.

You can find some other suggestions from wikihow.com in their article, "How to Sleep with Lots of Noise."
 
Now that you know some solutions to help cut down on the noise you hear at night, it’s time to put them into practice. This way, as the Bible verse above says, your sleep won’t flee from you, but will grace you with the ability to wake up refreshed in the morning.

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