What Can I Use To Block Out Noise At Night? 

There are many reasons why some people may choose to live on a busy street, with some being home availability as well as proximity to work. Regardless of the reason, it doesn’t have to be a nightmare if you want to sleep or rest after a long day of work. If you fall into the category of those asking “How do I block street noise at night?”, then I hope you implement some of these hacks I’ll be sharing shortly. 

You can block street noise at night by doing one or more of the following:

• Ensure your windows are soundproof 
• Place acoustic tiles on the walls
• Block out the gap underneath your door 
• Change the position of your bed etc. 

I’ll be explaining some and more of these points in detail. 

How to block street noise from window 

Below are some points to help out if the point of entry is from your window. 

Step 1: Soundproof the window(s) 

There are two sides to soundproofing your window; the expensive side and the less-expensive side. 

Obviously, the expensive side of soundproofing your window involves installing a double-panned window. The cost could be reduced if you have only one window facing the street, as you could install normal windows in other areas of the house. 

Double-panned windows are good sound blockers and are very effective in blocking outside noise. 

The inexpensive side of soundproofing your window includes hanging a soundproof curtain on your window (click here to view), but note that it doesn’t do a good job of blocking noise from outside, rather, it absorbs noise from within. 

Step 2: Seal the cracks in your window 

Noise can pass through materials, much more if these materials have cracks. To prevent this from happening, you should seal cracked windows with either a top bond or something similar, especially if such windows are facing the street. 

Step 3: Always keep your windows closed

This might look like a harsh alternative, especially during summer months, but it’s one you have to do with if the noise becomes unbearable. 

Shutting the windows facing a noisy street will go a long way in keeping out the noise in that direction. Besides, it even prevents easy access to burglars. 

How to block street noise from doors 

If you are certain the noise point of entry is the door, you can try the following hacks. 

Step 1 : Install thick doors or soundproof existing ones 

When it comes to soundproofing, the thicker the material, the better. If your door is made of a light material, noise from the street will easily pass through and make you uncomfortable. 

However, noise from doors can be reduced if the door has a certain amount of thickness, just as is found in fire doors. 

If you can’t buy a fire door, you can as well soundproof the one you have. 

Also read: Do thick doors reduce noise?

Step 2: Add seals to your door

Your door might be closed, but it’s not sealed. To be honest, you might not even be able to completely seal your door, however, you can try to make the best effort possible. 

Noise can filter in from door frames, but this can be almost halted by using draught seals. These seals are not expensive and are very easy to install, however, they may not be as effective as these seals (click here to view) even though they are in a similar price range. 

Step 3: Improve your door density 

If changing your entire door looks expensive, you can consider a cheaper alternative of adding TecSound SY100 (click here to view) to improve the mass of the door. 

Not only will this seal the cracks on your door, but it will also block out sound from coming in. The TecSound SY100 is made of stickable rubber to help with easy installation, as well as improve the density of your door since the density of this material can be equated to that of lead. 

Step 4: Close the gap underneath the door

If there’s space underneath your door, you have to use a cotton blanket or cotton material to close it up. Noise from the streets can easily filter in from such a gap, and that’s not even mentioning the possibility of insects crawling in. 

If you can’t find a permanent solution to this problem, tucking up the space with a cotton blanket will serve for the time being. 

How to block street noise from walls

Blocking out street noise from a wall might not be as easy as it sounds, but there are certain hacks you can try to bring it down to the barest minimum. 

Bookshelves 

If your room is large enough to accommodate a bookshelf (click here to view), then this should be the first option on your list. 

By saying “bookshelf”, I don’t mean the fancy ones that house just a couple of books. I mean the ones of old ones that look like a cupboard and can house a good number of books. 

Apart from the bookshelf blocking out the incoming noise from the wall, the books within helps to increase its mass, thereby, making it very effective. Having said that, don’t just buy a bookshelf for the sake of buying it, stack it up with books! 

It might look expensive, but it’s definitely worth it in the long run, as it not only helps in blocking out the sound but also in sound absorption. 

Hanging rugs

This might not be a pretty or effective idea, but this could work as a stop-gap effort, pending when you feel ready to take a more effective approach. 

You can choose to hang rugs on the affected wall (the wall where the sound is coming from) by any means you feel is safe and effective. 

Using acoustic tiles 

Acoustic tiles are usually common in a professional setup, but they could still be used in households as well. 

They are excellent sound blockers and also absorbers. All you have to do is to fix them on the wall emitting the noise or facing the street and see the difference they make. 

Acoustic tiles can be easily removed as well, so you don’t have to worry about dismantling them if you intend to change your apartment. 

How to manage noise coming from the street

If somehow you don’t feel motivated to try any of the following hacks, the following points can help as well. 

Noise-canceling headphones 

This is an option you can consider, but note that it has some repercussions. For starters, you might not feel too comfortable sleeping with them in your ears, and there’s also no guarantee you might still have them on when you wake up. 

There’s also the possibility of not hearing an intruder or a break-in occurring. 

However, if you put these factors aside, noise-canceling headphones could be all that stands between you and having a noise-free rest. 

The use of white noise 

It might sound very odd to mask a noise with another noise, but it’s an option you should consider if you aren’t willing to get your hands dirty, or simply want to work with what you have. 

The reason you may not hear your kitchen tap droplets during the day is that there is more audible noise that drowns them out. However, it’s likely the only thing you hear deep at night when the streets are quiet. 

You can apply this same technique to the noise disturbance from the busy streets. Simply get a white noise machine, or stream them from your phone (depending on what works for you), and in a matter of time, you wouldn’t have to worry about the noise coming from outside. 

Examples of white noise include rainfall, crashing oceans, etc. 

Try other types of noise

If white noise doesn’t seem to relax you, you can try other types of noise such as a baby chuckling, birds singing, etc. 

You could also resort to a favorite relaxing song of yours, as long as it helps you sleep and leaves you comfortable. 

Lastly, you may want to reprogram your attitude towards the noise, and not let it annoy you or get to you in any negative way. It might take time, but eventually, you’ll come to appreciate these noises as sounds. Especially when you consider that some people have never heard anything in their life. 

FAQs 

What is the best way to block noise at night? 

The first guess on many lips would be earplugs, however, there are other options out there, such as white noise, and doing proper soundproofing of your room. There are lots of DIY videos to help you out as well. 

How do you sleep with noise sensitivity? 

The first thing to do would be to create a quiet ambiance, and this can be achieved by closing all your windows and doors to try to block out most of the noise coming in. Don’t forget to close your curtain while at it. Then, listen to some soothing songs to relax your mind and body as well. 

Can you train yourself to sleep through noise? 

Yes, you can train yourself to sleep through noise, and in my opinion, it’s actually the best way to go about it because it helps improve your self-control and doggedness in the process. 

Conclusion–What can I use to block out noise at night? 

In the long run, you would eventually need to get used to such an atmosphere, however, I hope the hacks shared in this article will help you in more ways than one. Kindly let me know your opinion or suggestions in the comment section. Cheers.