How To Sleep Through Construction Noise: 5 Solutions

City living has its perks…but it also has its downsides, one of which is construction noise.

Few things are more irritating than being disturbed by construction noise, if you are struggling with this then here are 5 solutions:

1. Earplugs

Wearing earplugs is an obvious solution to dealing with construction noise.

Simply put them in when you go to bed and enjoy a peaceful nights sleep.

Granted ear plugs don’t work for everyone…especially as it is not uncommon for them to cause you to sleep through your alarms.

If earplugs aren’t for you then keep reading for some other options.

2. Check The Regulations

In the U.S there are restrictions on the hours at which noisy construction work can be done, but the specifics vary from state to state.

For example in San Francisco noisy construction work can only be done between the hours of 7 am and 8 pm on weekdays, in New York noisy work can also only be done on weekdays however their permissible hours are shorter spanning from 8 am to 6 pm.

In the U.K noisy construction work regulations are the same, they are set by your local council, typically they will look something like this, give or take half an hour or so:

• Monday to Friday: 8am – 6pm
• Saturday: 8am – 1pm
• Sunday: No noisy work allowed to be undertaken
• Public Holidays: No noisy work allowed to be undertaken

To find out what the construction noise regulations in your area are go to Google (or your search engine of choice) and type your city council name + “construction noise regulations”.

This should take you to your city councils page which outlines the hours at which construction work is permissible.

If construction work is disturbing you outside of the allowable hours in your city then contact your city council with details of the disturbance including video recordings and details of where the work is occurring and they should handle the rest.

If you work nights and sleep during the day then these regulations won’t be much help to you but don’t worry, keep reading for some more tips that will help.

3. Windows

An obvious one but if you are in the habit of leaving your windows open then close them!

This will significantly reduce the volume of any construction noise making it far easier for you to sleep.

If you need the windows open because it’s too hot then consider investing in a cooling fan, you won’t regret it!

4. White Noise

We started using white noise when we had our first child.

It allows other background noises to blend into it so that you aren’t disturbed when sleeping.

White noise has many benefits, one of the main ones being that it helps you fall asleep as it creates the perfect soundscape to cover construction noise.

Turn your white noise machine or app on (there are loads of white noise apps available), turn it up and the construction noise will blend into the background.

5. Thick Curtains, Honeycomb Blinds & Window Film

From a soundproofing perspective, the easiest points of access for airborne noise are through the doors, vents and windows.

Construction noise typically comes through your window.

There are a number of things you can do to your window to help it better dampen sound, these are:

• Fit a thick soundproof curtain: while no curtain will completely soundproof a window, fitting a big, heavy curtain with multiple layers will do a lot to dampen sound.
• Fit soundproof honeycomb blinds: honeycomb blinds are blinds with hexagon honeycomb-like shape of their tubing. They take the form of collapsible tubing that is sealed at both ends trapping air inside them. The air they trap makes them very good at blocking sound when opened, they can reduce noise transfer through your window by up to 50%.
• Use window soundproofing film: this features an internal layer, sandwiched between 2 layers to block external noise and dampen noise coming into your home.

For the best results we recommend you combine two or three of these methods.

Also Read: How To Sleep With Noisy Roommates