How To Sleep In The Middle Of Noise Pollution

by Cecile Cinco

Last night our neighbors (we don't know them personally) had a blasting party till about 4am. Well, that's what my husband said--he was not able to sleep due to the videoke singing and since we are the next-door neighbor every sound is a pollution. It would be better if the singer can really sing but most would be wannabes. They love to sing but the song hates them.

At 3am I was awakened by my 9-year old daughter and said she could not sleep. I realized the neighbors were still breaking their vocal chords off. The other 2 kids (11 and 14) were in deep sleep. Since it was just 3am then I went back to sleep to maximize the remaining 1 1/2 hours before I should wake up.

During New Year's eve would be the noisiest time of the year here in the Philippines where people spend their hard-earned money buying firecrackers (not mere fireworks) to have a blast of the night especially when the clock strikes twelve. During that time we are just inside the house and for me, I sleep.

How do I do it? How can you do it?

(At this point, the neighbors just started to sing again. It's 7:55am.)

Train yourself to shut off certain sounds/noises and focus on what you'd like to hear.

Have you ever noticed when a coin drops on the street, almost everyone hears and directs his/her sight to where he/she thought it dropped? Why? Because we like the sound of money. We invite that sound in our brainwaves.

Have you been busy at work (eg., computer stuff at home) that you are so consumed that even if your attention has been called for that you seem to have not heard anything? Why? Because your attention is on something else. Your focus was on your work probably 90% of the time.

Sleeping is the same. I can actually sleep when I have just drank coffee.

The following physical actions can help too:

1. When you're in bed, try to roll your eyeballs up while closing your eyes, real slow. Do it a number of times.

2. While you're rolling your eyeballs up, inhale, and when you open your eyes, exhale.

3. Don't think of anything else. Don't worry, especially. It will only keep you awake. :D