Sleeping With The Enemy - Car Noises

[Claire]

I'm still having trouble getting used to sleeping in the new house I've moved to. I've tried earplugs and they do help but I'm restless and I keep knocking them out. I wake up frightened all the time when I hear traffic. Cars are the enemy. I am better when I can see them for some reason. I have found that going for a walk sometimes helps because when I can see them I somehow feel differently. I cant do that in the middle of the night though. I know its from my accident because I didn't see the car hit me, I just heard it. I cant work out how to fix this though. Has anyone got any suggestions? I hate waking up feeling frightened, its rubbish. I know logically I am safe, unless the cars take off and fly through my bedroom window then I am safe, it just doesn't feel that way.

[Portabella]

Is there any way you can set up your bed so that you could see them out the window? How about using a mirror? Any possibility of changing your bedroom to cut out the noise? Also, what about calming sounds with headphones? I am just brainstorming here.

[bob]

Did you try the brightly coloured sponge earplugs? Push them right in so they don't come out. Mine never come out, sometimes (rarely) they are so far in I have to use tweezers to get them out in the morning.

Other than that, is there any way you can sleep at the rear of the house?

[Claire]

Hello Bob, yes I did, I bought the ones you said from Field and Trek. They are good they just dont stay in, either way around. Yellow or orange I cant get them to stay put. I move around a lot at night. I tried sticking them with tape but ripped the skin on my ear instead! Ouch! I'm restless in my sleep, I often cant keep the bed clothes on the bed either! There's no back room unfortunately. Just one room, no where else to go. I was going to try the wax ones next. The other problem is I work from home too. I hadn't thought that would be a problem but it is. I cant go round with ear plugs in the day too. I'm pretty fed up about it. I know the root cause is the car crash and I need to sort that out but I have to live too while I'm working on it. I am progressing but I have to work and I have to sleep.

Thanks Portabella, the mirror idea is a good one. Going to see if that helps with working here. I could fix one up tomorrow.

[Daomadan]

Would soft, soothing music playing as you go to sleep also help to dissipate some of the noise? Just for me personally, music can be such a help to get me in a better frame of mind and calms my breathing depending on the tempo.

Good luck on this!

[veiled]

Just a hint on the ear plugs, roll them tight in your fingers so they are real skinny then they expand in the ear and do not come loose easily.

Also, you can run searches on the net for free Indian flute music. Pretty calming. There are tons of free down loads for meditation, guided visuals, relaxation. Just do a search, some of this can block out noises and help center.

[Linda]

I guess there is a suggestion for you. Probably what you need is a steady, not annoying noise which will be masking the traffic noise. Something like the noise from working air conditioner. I had seen for sale a device which is made for making such noise, probably you can find it online. Alternatively, you may get CDs with natural noises.
Good luck!