Noise reduction help, woken up 4+ times a night

[littlepieces]

I moved in with DP 6 months ago into a flat on a main road. I haven't slept a full night through since I've been here without being woken up several times a night by sirens, lorries/buses crashing around, motorbikes or cars with ridiculously loud exhausts/engines. I'm on the brink of losing my mind. I can barely function to work on 3 hours sleep a night, I'm irritable and suffering from constant headaches and nausea from being so tired all the time. The double glazing is useless, I may as well be sleeping on the street outside. We can't move because the building has issues that need resolving before any of the flats can be sold - it's going to take a year. I think I'm going to have to move out and back into a houshare, but at a last resort, does anyone have any recommendations for reducing noise? I've tried every type of ear plug on the market, every one falls out of my ears after a couple of hours, makes my ears sore, or doesn't even block the noise. I have noise cancelling headphones and earbuds but they're bulky and solid and not suitable for sleeping in.

I use an air purifier / fan / air conditioning as white noise and replaced the double glazing with triple. Made a big difference.

Can you sleep in a different room?

DP sleeps through anything and doesn't see the point in getting triple glazing as he wants to sell as soon as he can. I've tried a fan and a white noise app on my phone but it's not masking the noise.

And also we only have one bedroom and the living room, and both are on the main road. Not enough room to sleep in the bathroom...

Triple glazing one room isn’t expensive.

He either wants you to live with him or he doesn’t.

Sorry if you have tried these, but these are the only earplugs I have found that work for me and I tried loads -

Boots muffles wax earplugs. You warm them in your hands, then rip a bit off if its too big, then mould into your ear.

They don't fall out of my weird shaped ears!

www.boots.com/boots-muffle-wax-earplugs-5-pairs-10114104

White noise machine? I use it for my baby and it's the only way he isn't disturbed even by the smallest of sounds

We also got these recently, DD said they are comfortable.

@greenemerald What machine do you use?

@littlepieces

DP sleeps through anything and doesn't see the point in getting triple glazing as he wants to sell as soon as he can. I've tried a fan and a white noise app on my phone but it's not masking the noise.

He is being unreasonable and I would be more worried by this cheapskate behaviour than the noise as the noise is fixable by moving house!

How soon are you moving, is the flat on the market?

Good ideas on here from PP. I'd be moving myself, but if you're staying...

Its perfectly normal to wake several times through the night.

You will go back to sleep quicker if you're not irritiated/upset at the noise. e.g. oh thats the 10.53 bus with its squeaky brakes; oh thats great the police are off with their sirens to help someone while i get to stay asleep.

As you treat the sounds as normal your brain will start to ignore them and you will sleep through.

Are you sure sharing a bed with your DP isn't compounding the issue and making you sleep less deeply, kick him off to the sofa in the lounge for a few nights to see if that helps.

Bose sleep buds are great.
Very comfortable I’ve been using them 2 years + every night

I take it there is not a hall or cupboard you can get a camp bed in. On a low budget, put panel of plexiglass over the bedroom window. Better yet ,two. One immediately up against the window and one at the outside edge of the window recess. Helps if there' s not a gap between the plexiglass and the wall. You could be fancy and use the brush type insulating strips you use on doors or be a recycling queen and use old tights round the edges of the plexiglass The thickest curtains you can find. The more mass of stuff you have in the room the more sound will be muffled. The floor of a walk in wardrobe stuffed with clothes is the quietest place in your house. Bookshelves filled with books,upholstered furniture, suitcases, as much as you can cram in. Thick carpeting and rugs ( use carpet offcuts for cheapness) will also help. Make sure bedroom door is insulated. I find audiobooks are better as a background noise to mask external noise than white noise. If you have a well upholstered, substantial sofa in lounge, you may find it easier to sleep on as it will absorb and muffle more sound than a bed particularly if you use a duvet as a pillow and make it a tent for your head.

Muffling never works to drown out road sound, sorry. I just wish someone made noise cancelling headphones from soft material you could sleep in.

It sounds awful. I use these and find them brilliant - they don’t drop out of my ear. And I’ve recently discovered a cheaper brand you can pick up from Savers (which I can’t find a link for)
www.boots.com/boots-pharmaceuticals-soft-silicone-earplugs-pink-3-pairs-10112955

Surely a triple glazed window in a bedroom on a main road will help sell the place?

Seriously, instead of chucking money at gadgets, just get the bloody window done.

I too, would be looking at your boyfriend sideways at his refusal to spend a bit of cash to help you sleep.
Very very selfish, and doesn't bode well.

Have you asked your partner if he genuinely doesn't feel that spending money so you can sleep is worth it?

When it will also help increase the sale- ability of the flat?

I’ve got earphones from John Lewis that have soft gel type ear pieces. I put on a podcast to go to sleep to or some whale music. A shift in mindset is needed but feels impossible when you’re so tired.