Random thoughts 1: Just Sayin'

[warpus]

Well, that's exactly what it's supposed to do. A white noise machine is supposed to prevent you from being disturbed from outside noises (like cars, trains, factories, etc) while not being deafened to local noises. Especially if you're a light sleeper.

Unless this "a noise at 7AM wakes me up" business is an elaborate euphemism for a lady friend leaving you for their walk of shame out the front door and thus the noise is indeed "local".

Haha I wish

I am going to look into white noise machines. Would a fan do it? Not a lady fan cheering me on, but one of those mechanical ones that blows air instead

 

[Synobun]

Haha I wish

I am going to look into white noise machines. Would a fan do it? Not a lady fan cheering me on, but one of those mechanical ones that blows air instead

In my experience fans work pretty well but they can sometimes be too loud. Tower fans have the habit of rattling and window fans can be rather loud too.

Right now I'm using a tower fan that is put on medium. It blocks out my roommate getting ready in the morning but doesn't block out people doing yard work right outside my open window.

 

[warpus]

Yeah, I can see how a fan that rotates back and forth could be too loud. I wonder if there are any fans designed with white noise-generation in mind. Would be neat if there's one that gets louder at appropriate times during my sleep cycle or whatever. Will look into this

 

[Takhisis]

yeah wrong way, but not because it's ornate. The ornateness of that and the busy-ness of the cheekbone guard of the diablo are flavor differences. This one above lacks the front, and goes over the top, both not it.

I found the German term for helmets that basically have the feature, the spangenhelm.

Maybe we can call it a spangencirclet, spangendiadem, or for takhisis, a spangentiara.

Marriage?

That definitely makes you want to sleep when you're in bed. Even more so if your wife's in it as well.

 

[Cutlass]

Has anyone ever come across a solution to my problem?

I am looking for some sort of an ear covering device that:

- Would allow me to easily sleep on my side
- Would not fall out in the middle of the night
- Would still somehow allow me to wake up in the morning and not miss work

Right now I use earplugs. They pop into my ears and do a really good job of blocking outside noise. However, they also easily fall out, when I'm sleeping. They also make it a bit annoying to sleep on my side (which is how I prefer to sleep). If they manage to stay in, it may also mean that I might miss my alarm in the morning.

What happens is that at around 7am there is some noise. Doesn't matter what the noise is, but it wakes me up, and so I pop in an ear plug into just one of my ears, so I put the other ear on my pillow and fall asleep, until I have to wake up again at 8:45am or so. Because my other ear is uncovered, I will hear the alarm, but the offending noise that wakes me up at 7am (and continues for a while) is muffled enough for me to sleep through the rest of it.

It would be amazing if there was some device I could put on my head/in my ears, sleep comfortably on the side, sleep through the noise at 7am, but then somehow wake up when my alarm goes off at 8:45am. I have no idea if something like this would be possible, but.. I figure I might as well ask if anyone's come across anything that would do the job

Soft foam rubber ear plugs would fit in the ears better and less likely to fall out. As for the alarm, set the volume louder so that you can hear it despite the plugs.

 

[shadowplay]

I'm going to second the recommendation for a white noise generator. You can also download apps that generate white noise.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

A white noise generator is cheaper than a sensory deprivation tank, and avoids the possibility of waking up as some sort of proto-hominid.

 

[Borachio]

Has anyone here ever used a sensory deprivation tank?

I've often wondered what the experience is like, but never thought it worth squandering the money to find out for myself.

 

[cardgame]

I'd certainly love to try one

 

[Snerk]

Me too. I imagine it's quite nice. At least very relaxing if not therapeutic.

 

[Synobun]

Has anyone here ever used a sensory deprivation tank?

I've often wondered what the experience is like, but never thought it worth squandering the money to find out for myself.

If you're claustrophobic, don't like being alone with your thoughts, or are extremely restless you'll probably have a bad time. If you're none of those, at worst it'll be an awkward experience and at best it'll be very relaxing and therapeutic.

 

[The_J]

Actually on my bucket list, and I know there's a spa in Amsterdam which has a few, but didn't get around it yet.

@warpus: Yes, use the same type of earplugs, but for me they seem to work better than for you.
It's also possible to get custom made earplugs, but that's rather expensive, IIRC.

 

[shadowplay]

Has anyone here ever used a sensory deprivation tank?

I've often wondered what the experience is like, but never thought it worth squandering the money to find out for myself.

I've been in one, freaked me out. I don't see how anyone can find putting yourself in a glorified coffin to be relaxing.

 

[warpus]

I have been looking into buying a white noise machine. Read up on white noise machines and I think one might be able to mitigate most if not all of my issues

Tried to use an app with a white noise machine yesterday though and found it too distracting. My "go to" way to fall asleep is for everything to be as silent as possible. TV can't be on, if people are in the livingroom downstairs watching TV I need to have earplugs in, etc. If there's a thunderstorm I eventually get used to it, but it takes longer for me to fall asleep. I've also been able to get used to a fan in my room though, so I think I might be able to adjust to a white noise producing machine too. I mean, in theory. So I'm going to try a different app tonight.

 

[Takhisis]

I've been in one, freaked me out. I don't see how anyone can find putting yourself in a glorified coffin to be relaxing.

The ancient Pharaohs would have disagreed with this statement of yours.

 

[Arakhor]

Since they would also have been dead at the time, I doubt that it matters.

 

[Takhisis]

Nah, they planned it all in advance.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I have been looking into buying a white noise machine. Read up on white noise machines and I think one might be able to mitigate most if not all of my issues

Tried to use an app with a white noise machine yesterday though and found it too distracting. My "go to" way to fall asleep is for everything to be as silent as possible. TV can't be on, if people are in the livingroom downstairs watching TV I need to have earplugs in, etc. If there's a thunderstorm I eventually get used to it, but it takes longer for me to fall asleep. I've also been able to get used to a fan in my room though, so I think I might be able to adjust to a white noise producing machine too. I mean, in theory. So I'm going to try a different app tonight.

If you actively try to listen to the white noise it will fade to background much faster. Your mind will get bored and reject it.

 

[Borachio]

Yes. I agree. You have to "go into" the noise.

The trouble with trying to eliminate all noise is that, I think, every isolated little noise that you do hear becomes amplified and even more disturbing.

 

[Hrothbern]

Yes. I agree. You have to "go into" the noise.

The trouble with trying to eliminate all noise is that, I think, every isolated little noise that you do hear becomes amplified and even more disturbing.

haha
perhaps it helps to add a continous irregular noise at low level
like wind through the leaves
or waves breaking softly on the shore