Stopping noise from neighbours through adjoining wall

[TheAlchemist101]

The party wall with NDN is two skinned with a cavity, made of concrete blocks - all pretty standard. But I can hear when someone next door sneezes or talks (admittedly they are loud talkers but still).

I am beginning to think the builders might have left gaps between the ceiling joists and blocks so in some places there is only two layers of plasterboard and air between us - has anyone found this to be the cause? Or any other suggestions as to how it gets through?

Do they - and you - have stripped floorboards/laminate/engineered wood? What about curtains or fabric blinds? If not, noise will reverberate instead of being absorbed.

Good point wow I haven't been in their living room but they don't look like the type for soft furnishings - a group of blokes from Estonia - can't even earwig on the conversations