<p>I moved into my first apartment a month ago. I've been having real trouble sleeping at night. My room is near a busy street and there is traffic all hours of the night. It sounds like most of the noise I hear in my room is coming through the window and not the walls. I'm going to go walmart tomorrow to see if I can get some curtains. </p>
<p>Also, another thing I'm looking into is my bed. My mattress kinda sucks. It was left behind by the people who last lived here. When I was a freshmen I bought an egg crate and used it for two years. It has always helped me sleep well in the past, but this time its not working. I've been considering investing in one of those memory foam pads, but they can be pretty expensive. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any other ideas as to how I can go back to sleeping better? </p>
<p>I've never had any problems in the past, and generally go to bed between 11 and 12 and wake up at 8. But these past few weeks have been pretty bad. I don't fall asleep easily and wake up in the morning feeling really tired.</p>
<p>Hmm, I have a feeling curtains might not solve the noise problem. Just sayin’.</p>
<p>When I have trouble falling asleep, I listen to some mellow music…and that usually works for me. However, people are different (i.e. what works for me might not work for you). It’s worth a try though!</p>
<p>If this problem persists, after ruling out both the mattress and noise as the cause, perhaps you should seek medical advice.</p>
<p>Well, good luck catching up on some sleep! :)</p>
<p>I second the Benadryl. You’ll fall asleep on that, regardless.</p>
<p>I’ve once taken a large dose of it for allergies, half an hour before a required movie screening for one of my classes. It actually knocked me out while I was on the way to my door to head out. I woke up 2hr later on the floor.</p>
<p>I don’t have allergies. Benadryl also doesn’t seem like a long term solution.</p>
<p>I also don’t think there is anything wrong with me, because I go home every weekend and have no problem sleeping at home. </p>
<p>I come from a rural area, where the only problem with noise we have is birds early in the morning, and even then thats only if you sleep with the windows open. I think I’m just not used to the constant noise of the city. </p>
<p>Also, the curtains are called blackout curtains. They seem to be fairly common. They are mostly used for blocking out light, but some seem to be able to reduce noise too. </p>
<p>The only problem I have with ear plugs is that I sleep on my side.</p>
<p>The real long-term solution is to just get used to it.</p>
<p>Back when I was in elementary school, my family moved to a place that was 1000ft from a main railroad track. At first, it was difficult to sleep thru the noise of track vibrations and honking, but after a couple weeks, we got used to it and slept thru it like it was nothing.</p>
<p>You’ll get used to the ambient noise eventually.</p>
<p>Last night was the worst. At 5 in the morning I decided to try something. I turned the fan and was instantly able to go to sleep. It completely blocked out all the noise. </p>
<p>I read online that some people use fans and white noise machines to help. The fan completely blocks out all the traffic. The only problem is that some people get addicted to it and are unable to sleep without having some type of noise even when its completely silent.</p>
<p>Also, the eclipse blackout curtains they sell at walmart and target are advertised to reduce outside noise by up to 44%. I have no idea if thats true or not, but I suppose I’ll give them a try. </p>
<p>I guess the best thing to do is to just try to get used to it. I suppose I have to deal with this problem in the summer and now. I finished my summer classes and don’t really have a job, so I’m just staying at school waiting for the summer to be over and the year to start. </p>
<p>The only other thing is that when I woke up in the morning after being able to sleep for 3 hours, my back and neck were a little sore. So, I suppose my mattress does suck too.</p>
<p>Earplugs. I cannot advise them enough. I had so much trouble falling asleep when I moved to college because my roommates would be up all night partying in the living room. I bought a 10-pack for like $4, and a pair will last you a few weeks before they get gross. I also sleep on my side and there is no issue… You just squeeze them, put them in your ear canal, and they inflate and completely seal your ear. They are amazing and I highly recommend them to anyone who has trouble falling asleep due to noise.</p>
<p>I would also recommend buying the Eclipse blackout curtain. I haven’t noticed a huge noise reduction (then again, my apartment complex is relatively quiet, so I have no real way of knowing), but it blocks out all outside light.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I’ve been having sleeping problems too, and they’re worse than the op’s.</p>
<p>I don’t drink coffee or exercise at 8:00 pm or anything. But sometimes, I can’t fall asleep whatsoever. Sometimes, it would be 5-6 AM and I would try to fight it out and try to stay up the rest of the day. By 9:00, I would promise myself that I’d take a nap and not dose off, and I would dose off until late afternoon.</p>
<p>I’ve tried to read stuff. I even tried this sleep medicine called Equate once. Even then, I would be very tired, yawn endlessly, but still couldn’t fall asleep. I only took that medicine once, because I don’t like pills.</p>
<p>I’m going to the doctor sometime. But has anyone experienced similar circumstances? I did a quick search myself on sleeping disorders, and the one that fits me the most is Delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). The diagnosis consists of a bunch of things that I think won’t work.</p>
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<p>And nobody did anything? I’ve always thought that since Berkley is so expensive (because it’s a public school), people there are arrogant and selfish rich kids. I say that because here, in Iowa, people are generally nicer. If I had collapsed randomly, I think at least one person would be concerned enough to have done something.</p>
<p>I stand correcting myself, Berkley has athletes on scholarships.</p>
<p>dont use pills. no matter what. its not worth your body getting dependent on em. get some nice earphones and call it a day…or in this case, a night</p>
Wow. Generalize much? You’re making yourself look pretty arrogant.
And I don’t even go to Berkeley.
Besides, it would require you to see someone passes out to help them. That person probably had no one around.</p>
<p>And brown, I suggested benadryl because it’s a good way to get started. Certainly not a long term solution though. I only take one once a month or so (but I should more often, because I can’t breath. gah. I’ve never had allergies before this year!)</p>
<p>Like what you said that you found that works, a fan helps me. Especially when noise is heard from my room. The big box fans that you find for 20 bucks at CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens are the best because they are nosier than regular fans, and they block out a lot of other noise because of that.</p>
<p>I got a memory foam mattress topper from Target for $20 - brand is Room Essentials. I haven’t moved in yet so I can’t say how good it is, but it’s a lot cheaper than a lot of other memory foam options out there (but it’s only 1.5 inches thick). So that’s an option if you want to make your bed more comfortable. I also got a mattress pad to hold the topper in place by the same brand for $10.</p>
Just sayin’.</p>