Help me identify this night time noise

[Bettydaviseyes]

I live in a ground floor flat and every night in my bedroom there's a noise. It sounds like above my bedroom but I'm not sure. It's a bit like an extraction fan, stops and starts regularly. It's not very loud but I'm aware of it and as I have issues with noises it's stopping me sleeping and making me anxious. At first I thought it could be someone snoring, but it's too regular for that. Last night I was still awake at 4.00 a.m and it stopped and didn't start again. It's never there during the day.

I don't speak to the people up there so can't ask. The area is very rough and the building always smells of weed. I'm now wondering if this is somehow something to do with heating for growing weed as I heard a conversation regarding someone above me growing some.

Any ideas what it could be?

I can't help you identify the noise, but if it's not too loud, earplugs would certainly help.

Could it be a dehumidifier? Depending on the settings it may stop and start.

Could be one of those machines people use who have sleep apnoea, don't know the name of it but they wear a mask and it pumps air in and out of them at regular intervals!

Is it the fridge motor starting up?

CPAP for sleep apnoea sounds possible.

Could it be a bread maker set to bake overnight?

Thanks for the replies.

Tbh he doesn't look like the kind of guy who'd have a bread maker ... off his face every time I see him by the looks of it.

It's very rhythmic, stops and starts again immediately, it's very like snoring but too rhythmic.

I don't know about the sleep apnoea machines so not sure.

I can't wear earplugs every night as they aggravate my skin condition .

I don't think a dehumidifier would stop and start so quickly. Same goes for a fridge I think.

Could be a bathroom fan but why all night?

Are we neighbours OP? I'm hearing a continuous noise but its day and night. Called environmental health but they won't come out unless I can identify the source. At times it has hurt my ears and I'm starting to think whatever it is has caused hearing damage and possibly tinnitus.

I don't think this is loud enough to cause tinnitus but it's stopping me sleeping and driving me insane! For five months now ...

I'm thinking central heating vents from flats but impossible to say for sure.

Would that sound kind of like snoring and then stop at 4 a.m and be off during the day?

God knows but if they're not maintained properly I guess anything is possible.

Would I be within my rights to contact the landlord? Bearing in mind he'll only come out in the daytime when he won't hear it? What is he likely to do?

Have you seen this thread OP?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2605369-Please-help-me-to-identify-high-pitched-noise-in-my-house?watched=1&msgid=84395601#84395601

Thanks, just read through that.

I don't think it's the flue as in that thread because it happened all night in the summer too?? And it's not there in the daytime.

Hmm, its a mystery, an annoying one at that!

This came up before. Same time too! Was it something about their faith in the end?

But what could it be?

I had this. I asked DH to move the fridge away from the wall downstairs as I was convinced it was that vibrating. It wasn't. In the end it turned out to be tinnitus.

Some kind of medical equipment I'd guess. Maybe sleep apnea or oxygen machine. There are plenty of things which would only be in use while in bed trying to sleep.

Drug producing equipment could be possible too I expect, if the guy's nocturnal by habit...

My DD hears a humming sometimes when it's totally silent, usually at night, and I was worried because tinitus isn't common in children/ teens and can be a sign of something more worrying in the young. She had an ENT appointment with various hearing tests and checks and it turns out she has unusually accutely high range hearing even for a child. The doctor was of the opinion that she's hearing external noises out of the range of the rest of the house, but it's not tinitus. She said there are theories that it's related to electronic currents and she has a small number of patients with similar experiences.

Thats interesting blueskiesandforests, your poor DD though

There are varying theories for sure.

www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/have-you-heard-the-hum-mystery-of-earths-low-droning-noise-could-now-be-solved-10182111.html

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/whats-that-terrible-noise-all-over-the-country-people-are-plagued-by-a-strange-hum-are-their-ears-1424317.html

My concern is that hearing the continuous external sounds could bring on tinnitus. I think it has with me. Its not just me though my DH hears it. If it affects us how does it affect a babys ears?

I had an annoying noise issue for while. I can wear earplugs, but it was too low pitched to be blocked out by then. In the end I downloaded a white noise app (which has noises other than white noise!) and experimented and the aircraft engine noise was the closest. So I blocked it out with that (as the engine noise was continuous I found it easier to sleep through). Maybe you'd find that helpful too?

I've tried rain and sea noises ... not sure I could fall asleep to engine noise .... but I'll try some more.