I’m going to be sleeping in a hostel with 7 other people soon, here in the US. I’m a rather light sleeper, and I also sleep and live alone. I really can’t handle snoring, or too much other noise. The cost of a hostel is about 10% of the cost of a hotel room, otherwise I’d go that route.
Anyway, I’m looking for suggestions on anything that can make my sleep mores oundproof. I have tried foam earplugs at big camping/bike ride outings, but they didn’t work that well and this time the sleeping quarters will be a bit closer.
any other suggestions, things you use, things I can buy.
Silicone earplugs. I tried foam ones and found that they were troublesome to insert and tended to work their way out. The silicone type were quite easy to use, stayed in place, and reduced sound noticeably. Further, they do not go inside the ear canal and thus don’t feel weird.
Here’s the type I got. I believe the 6-pair pack was about $5 at the drugstore.
I’ve slept with foam earplugs in almost every night since my dorm days. They aren’t perfect, but they do seem to help me a lot. Maybe it’s just the this-blanket-will-protect-me-from-the-boogeyman syndrome.
When I was staying in a dorm-style hostel in Munich, there was a man (probably in his mid-30s, rather old for a dorm hostel) who went to bed each night around 10 and snored LOUDLY. The earplugs did nothing. One night, I got so fed up that I chucked coated Tylenol tablets across the room at him in hopes of getting him to shift and stop snoring. It didn’t work, but at least it helped me work out my agression a bit and finally get some sleep. He must have been confused to wake up with little pills all around his bed! Incidentally, don’t ever fall asleep with coated pills in your hand, because it’s a gooey mess in the morning.
Foam earplugs suck for me. Both because they’re not that dampening and because they hurt my tiny, tiny ear canals.
Try silicon earplugs: you shape them to your ear, sort of like a slightly-harder piece of Play-Doh. Mom used to snore so loud you could hear her through two walls and having those on allowed me to sleep being next bed to her.
Never heard of the silicone. I’ll check them out today. Beats not washing in hopes the wax will shut out noise.
Ipod, probably but I don’t have one and probably won’t in 2 months. I easily fall asleep with the tv or radio on. Almost always with the radio actually. I have thought of something like that, maybe a walkman tuned to the radio.
But snoring in the middle of the night…argghhh. And I don’t usually have any pills to throw at anyone. A quick jab to the ribs usually does the trick though.
Yea, they’re around. Not exactly like the huge ones in Euro. I know there’s one in NY, one here in Madison, and one in St Augustine where I’m going. $19/night.
It isn’t just the sound. It’s also the light. People on vacation will come and go at all hours, and each will open the door, letting in the light from the hall. Those who are arriving for the first time might even turn on the room light so they can find their bed.
So, bring a sleep mask as well, if you think you’ll be bothered by that.
Me, I do all right, though I do bring an iPod to bed in case I have trouble sleeping in the hostel.
They will be pretty noisy at first, but after the initial commotion dies down, you will have some peace & quiet like you wouldn’t believe. (until the police sirens come)
