I have to share a bedroom with my teenage sister. Of course, having a teenaged sister with a long-time boyfriend and no-limit text messaging, also means having to hear her talk and text for 80% of the time. At least a third of that percent occurs when I have to sleep at night. I’m a superbly light sleeper, and need absolute calm, quiet, and darkness to reach a point where I can comfortably drift off and keep it that way without waking up in the middle of the night for no reason at all.
So you can imagine listening to her yak away and the bright light of the cell phone ( it’s like a freaking lantern ) reflecting off the walls until some 12:00 a.m, school night or not, won’t let me sleep. I get furious when I can’t properly get to sleep and end up fighting with my sister about what time to turn off the lights or to get her to cease from using up the talk minutes for the one hour it takes me to catch sleep. I usually wake up with dark circles around my eyes and not a fabulous mood when I’m actually a morning person the nights I don’t get enough rest or keep waking up.
My question ( finally :rolleyes: that was a great mini-rant ) is, can I find a way to get past the light and noise to sleep? Would it go against the natural defense of my body to wait to get into a vulnerable resting time until I’m aware there are no dangers around ( a cave woman might perceive sound and light to ‘there’s a puma wanting me to become its’ midnight snack’ )? Could I ‘train’ my brain to ignore the sound?
For the light, get a sleep mask . For the sound, you might try a white noise generator. Basically it generates a sound like a waterfall that will mask some noises. I have used both of these successfully, although the white noise has limitations (it won’t mask loud sounds).
I lived in a very urban apartment for seven years, and learned that earplugs can be a godsend – but only if you find ones you really like. They’re not all the same. I’m fondest of the dough kind, made of silicone or wax, like lumps of clay, rather than the foam or rubber ones. Even the foam and rubber ones come in many different sizes, shapes, and densities these days and are worth experimenting with even if you don’t like the first ones you try. I found out, for instance, that while I have huge flapping Ross-Perot-like ears, my ear *canals *are actually kind of small, so I can wear some “petite” foam plugs comfortably.
My wife uses a sleep mask to prevent light from interfering with her sleep. I use ear plugs (I like the silicone type) to prevent someone’s snoring from interfering with mine. They really make a difference.
10" box fan as a white noise generator. I got used to it when I was married and now have a hard time getting to sleep without it. It’s not loud, but it does a wonderful job to covering up small noises. In the summer it points at my bed from across the room to give a light breeze (I keep it on low), the rest of the year it points at another wall.
A word on the white noise generators, which I recommend as well, even though I don’t use one: it will take time to get used to and it will piss off your sister.
Why can’t she do her talking/texting in the closet or out in the rest of the house?
My 2 daughters shared a room and the oldest was really bad about texting and talking to wee hours of the night so i shut her phone off. If you live at home, I’d bring this up to the parents (to which I am surprised they arent monitoring… but then again, I was rather strict). If you dont want to rat her out, strike a deal with her (she turns off sound and hides under her covers when using).
I have thought about earplugs and eye masks; then again, I also realized how annoying I am when it comes to sleeping
I am still living at home, yes, and I’ve talked to my parents about it but still, my sister finds a way to snake out of any restrictions. And should I rat her out… not good. It’s fine, though, I’ll just find a way to calmly get her off the phone or make a deal like Pixilated said… Either that or it’s the Faraway cage.
