By Alexandra Savage
One unexpected downside of living in the city is the constant noise. For many students who are used to living in the suburbs, this is their first time sleeping in a noisy environment. Perhaps you’ve been woken up by a police siren or a rowdy pregame somewhere in your building. Either way, I’m sure you need to figure out how to get a good night’s sleep to avoid passing out in class the next morning. Here’s some advice to fall asleep and actually wake up well-rested.
First, coordinate your alarms with your roommates. We’ve all experienced that person who keeps nine different alarms that go off every 10 minutes throughout the morning. While this setup works fine when you’re by yourself, it can be inconsiderate to your roommates. There are few worse feelings than hearing someone else’s iPhone Marimba ringtone at the crack of dawn. Talk with your roommates to discuss a wake-up agreement to avoid that emotional distress.
Second, respect the quiet hours in your building. We’ve all felt that sense of rage when you hear someone scream-laughing at the top of their lungs in the middle of the night when you’re trying to sleep. Respecting quiet hours will help others in the building sleep, and hopefully, they will pay it forward next Saturday night.
To deal with the sounds coming from outside, consider investing in earplugs. Maybe you live on a street that’s frequented by ambulances. Or you’re like me, and ROTC meets at 6 a.m. right outside of your bedroom window. While you might feel the urge to open your window and beg them to be quiet, keep the peace and buy some earplugs to block out that noise. Earplugs aren’t just useful for sleeping, you can use them for studying in loud environments or blocking out the fire alarm going off because your roommate burned breakfast again. They’re truly a multipurpose investment.
And lastly, make sure your window is fully closed. That may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how much noise can come in through a window that’s even slightly ajar. You can spare yourself the sinking feeling in your stomach that comes when you realize you couldn’t sleep because you opened the window three days ago and forgot to close it. Also, you’ll ward off the mold.
Eventually, you will adjust to sleeping in the city. But until then, consider going to sleep a little earlier, just to give yourself a time buffer. Soon enough, you’ll be sleeping like a baby. At least until you go home for winter break and need to adjust all over again.
