Sharing a home or apartment is one of the best ways to save on rent and other expenses, not forgetting that long life friendships mostly bud from college roommates. You may love them with all the noise they make, but there comes a time when you want to tone down and study or catch some sleep. How do you deal with the noise without creating a rift between you? Here are some suggestions.
1. Soundproof your room
The first thing that comes to your mind when you want some quiet is to hibernate in your bedroom. This, however, doesn’t make a lot of difference since the noise can still get in the room through the door or window. Thankfully, you can soundproof your bedroom to keep out noises from other rooms. One way to do this is by using soundproof curtains made from soundproof material on your door and window. You can also use a draft stopper on your door to keep off the noise that gets in through the gap under the door.
2. Invest in earplug or noise-canceling headphones
An old school way of blocking out noise and has proven to work is using noise-canceling headphones or earplugs. Headphones are good at blocking droning sounds, such as that coming from video games or music. They, however, are not so good at keeping off sound from voices and other irregular noises but they can still do the trick.
3. Set some rules
Two people can’t go far unless they agree. If you are college students, your priorities are most likely the same, only that they fall at a different time of the day. For instance, albeit in different times, all of you must study. It would help if you sat down and made some rules and decided on when you can make noise and when it’s time to stay quiet. Prioritize sleep and study time and agree that no one will make noise when there is a person studying or sleeping.
4. Let them know how you feel
You probably are the quiet type but you are stuck with noisy roommates. Your roommates can concentrate and study in the midst of the noise, but you cannot. Just tell them nicely how you feel when they make noise. You may be surprised that they weren’t aware of what they were putting you through.
5. Get an alternative study space
If the noise is getting out of hand, find your peace and quiet somewhere else. Think of studying in the library, for example, which has the much-needed quiet to get your studying time productive. Your time away from them will make them miss you and probably consider toning down the noise the next time they see you leave for the library.
6. Exercise
If your noisy roommates are giving you a hard time trying to catch some sleep, it’s about time you thought of different techniques to help you fall asleep faster. One way is exercising and being consistent in it. Take up some aerobics classes, take a bike and go cycling, take a walk or do some running. These exercises will help improve the quality of your sleep; you will be able to sleep through the noise. In addition, the exhaustion from exercising will have you sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
7. Use white noise
Another great way to deal with your noisy roommates is to get a white noise machine or a white noise playlist online. White noise is able to block out noises when your roommates slam the door, make noisy movements or even their noisy talking. It can help you sleep peacefully even with all the noise around you.
8. Program your mind
Do you ever wonder how some people aren’t affected by noise? Mostly it is because their minds are programmed to ignore the noise. They don’t let the noise affect them negatively which relaxes the mind and in turn, helps them sleep. Try not to get irritated with the noise and instead relax through the noise.
Conclusion
Even as you apply the above ways to help you deal with your noisy roommates, remember that communication goes a long way. For any relationship to survive, good communication is key, roommates included. Also remember to offer them some quiet whenever they need it, they will always reciprocate this good gesture.