cheap way to sound proof room?

maybe not sound proof but at least sound dampen.
anyone know of a cheap, temporary way to do this?

i have a terrible time sleeping. always have but the past 2 years have been much worse.
i hear everything and it makes sleeping almost impossible.

starting on the 14th my shift is changing to 4pm-midnight. i figure i wont be laying down to attempt sleep till about 4am. i need time to wind down. clean up. eat. it takes a while cause i am usually pretty cranked up for a while after work.
winter is right around the corner. all the leaves are already off the trees in my yard. that means that plow trucks and snow blowers are going to be going early in the morning.

i usually sleep in the spare room we have now. i run a fan in the summer and a space heater in the winter to try to have some constant noise but i still hear everything outside. i also hear my daughter and my dog. everything.

so i would like to do something for the spare room to try and knock out as much noise from in the house and outside as i can. i have the light issue handled because i have blacked out curtains. i need to do something about the noise though or i will not be sleeping at all and that will be bad for everyone.

any ideas is much appreciated. ive seen in movies where people put egg crates all over the walls. does this really work?
im not worried about how it looks.
its just a spare room for me to crash


thank you

I have really bad insomnia and have found two far less expensive methods of drowning out sound.

1) A white noise generator. I have not priced them lately, but I picked one up, years ago, for around twenty dollars. It had a variety of different noises and patterns - and I found that I preferred the standard and plain white noise. Then I realized that the standard white noise was essentially radio static, so I ended up taking the antenna off of a portable radio and using it, as it had better speakers and, therefore, a more pure and pleasant sound.

With the static turned on fairly low, all outside and patterned noise was totally eliminated.

2) Ear plugs. My current choice. Wal Mart sells a variety, including a pack of ten pairs for about ( I think, off hand ) three bucks. Each pair lasts me four or five nights.

I hope this helps.

Oh, and if it doesn't. In my younger days I was in a band and we used egg crate layers and foam to soundproof our studio.

a reply to: TinySickTears

If you are changing schedules it will take a while to adapt.

I used to sleep under bridges up under the girders. Vehicles passed right over head with a loud whoosh. Fire trucks were the heaviest, they rattled the supports.

Used to be hard at first, but when you are really tired, you will sleep.

ive seen in movies where people put egg crates all over the walls. does this really work?

I have heard it does. The reasoning behind this is acoustical . It is not the material of he egg cartons , but the way they are shaped as far as the depressions for the eggs.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Get a bunch of old books, like when you get a big box for a dollar, then assemble book shelves for every wall with some boards and big cinder blocks, should be a cheap project?

a reply to: Hefficide

i could try the ear plugs i suppose. i wear them all day at work though and it is nice to have them out of the ears.
i run the fan or the space heater(which has a fan) to try and cancel out all other noise but i still here things.
i suppose i could try the white noise static though and try to get the volume right.

a quick side note
hefficide, can you check your pm?

intrptr, youre right. when i am to the point of exhaustion i can sleep. i still usually only get a couple hours though. i got hurt a couple years ago and it has been worse but i always had problems.
its not just noise.
too much light and i wake up but i have that solved
if i have to go to the water closet in the middle of sleep that usually means i am up for the duration.
that is another issue i am trying to solve.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Although it might be a bit of a fire hazard, the bumpy part of eggshell cartons is what can be used to muffle sound waves. Maybe it would work even better if you filled them with a quick setting foam. Or maybe try those foam mattress liners that look all bumpy like egg cartons and hang them on your walls. Look at sound recording studios and you will see the black bumpy foam to help block out noise while recording. But I have a feeling that if you actually buy that black foam you will pay a pretty penny for it.

a reply to: TinySickTears

- egg cartons
- foam bed topper cushions (the "egg crate" style)
- ceiling tiles. You can paint ceiling tiles pretty easy. the kind for suspended ceilings like in office buildings

Ceiling tiles covered by foam egg cartons work really well.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Amazon sells some high quality acoustic wedges and squares.... very affordable

a reply to: Gothmog

so depression towards the wall then?
even those cheapo thin foam cartons will work then?
when i see it in movies it is always that rigid whatever kind of material it is

a reply to: ReadLeader

i just looked but it would add up quick if i do the entire room

even this
www.eggcartons.com...

just under a buck per but i would need a lot.

looks like the white noise generator might be the cheapest way

a reply to: TinySickTears

As I remember it (dont quote me on this) the compressed cardboard does work better than the styrofoam . It was , as I remember , in the 70s when this took off so research is the key.
I.E. it was a long time ago......

a reply to: Hefficide

Be careful, you should not reuse ear plugs. When using them you squeeze them for a good fit and using them multiple times can introduce very bad stuff into your ear canals. You may unintentionally introduce bacteria that can cause meningitis if not other nasties as well.

a reply to: Fireflysky

i wouldnt reuse them.
i can get all i need from work for free. i just hate having them in for longer than i have to.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Cover walls with egg cartons or get sound dampening foam. The egg carton shaped (don't know the actual name) foam used in packing and some gun cases is really good.

a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

going to try and see if i can score some locally

is your name a play on gogobordello?

originally posted by: TinySickTears
a reply to: ReadLeader

i just looked but it would add up quick if i do the entire room

even this
www.eggcartons.com...

just under a buck per but i would need a lot.

looks like the white noise generator might be the cheapest way

Yes . White noise generators are used extensively where I work.To me at home (I work from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am) my white noise generator is a floor fan. It is basically on 24x7x365 . It is amazing how much it helps. After just a short while to get used to it I cant sleep without it.Been doing this for nigh on 30 years now.Each one has lasted me about 5 years .

a reply to: TinySickTears

I don't like ear plugs either, they feel uncomfortable and trigger my ears to produce a lot of wax.

Ear muffs might be an alternative to plugs. No worries about infected ear canals and they last a long time.
If people can sleep wearing a c-pap, I think muffs could be used?

a reply to: Fireflysky

About as cheap as you can go is to find a meditation practice that you are inclined to follow and begin it. If you are lax about following the rules for how NOT to fall asleep while learning to meditate, you will surely fall asleep as your mind learns to shut out the extraneous noises that bother you. Better yet, you will learn to actually meditate and will in that way lose the bothersome noises.

To write about the problem implies a certain degree of anxiety and that only complicates the problem--not that you can help it. Your recognizing the anxiety can be instructive toward lowering it in addition to any remedies that you may seek.