Traffic noise coming through windows - Here's how to stop it
Considering the sheer number of opportunities available, a lot of people look at the city as the best place to live in. However, living in the city has a major disadvantage: traffic noise. What’s worse is that too much exposure to city noise may increase the level of stress.
Life in the city can be challenging. City dwellers often face so many different environmental stressors compared to those living in the rural areas. Stress could put a toll on an individual’s health – both physical and mentally.
The Problem: Tormenting Traffic Noise
You need to get recharged every day so that you can have enough strength to face the next day’s challenges. But how can this happen if you’re constantly disturbed by traffic noise during your sleep? To add more insult to injury, your next-door neighbors just doesn’t seem to care that their full-last stereo is disrupting other people’s quiet time.
Noise affects not only your quality of sleep, but also your work productivity. Research published in the British Journal of Psychology revealed that productivity in reading or writing decreases by up to 66 percent when noise is present in the background. As simple as people talking or steady traffic noise can already disrupt your brain’s focus, leading you to be less productive than in a quiet environment.
Imagine what a quiet and soundproofed environment can do to the amount of work that you can finish in a day!
In the local scene, Plymouth is already experiencing a growing issue on traffic, and there are a lot of suggestions to reduce bottleneck problems. However, the fact is that we don’t have control over traffic nor can we make car owners refrain from honking.
The Solution
While using a pair of earplugs may somehow reduce the environmental sound, you are not sure how long it could stay in your ear if you keep on tossing and turning at night. A more permanent solution would be installing soundproof windows.
You have the option to replace your existing windows into soundproof windows, or add soundproof windows to a newly built home.
One downside to soundproof windows is that they are more expensive than traditional windows. However, considering how much it could lessen the burden of having to be disturbed at night, it is worth the cost.
Some of the benefits of choosing soundproof windows for your home include the following:
- Up to 95 percent noise reduction, depending on the quality and soundproofing capacity
- Temperature insulation
- Up to 99.9 percent prevention of harmful UV light entry
- Reduction of window air leak
In addition, soundproof windows boost the value of your home. Especially when you’re planning to sell your city-based home in the future, most buyers will find your soundproof windows to be worth the extra cost.
Additional Tip on Soundproofing Through Windows
Here’s one more technique to ensure that the outside noise isn’t seeping through your windows: Check for gaps and cracks. These seemingly innocent discontinuities are more than enough to let traffic noise come into your home, and disregarding them may make the gaps larger by the day.
You no longer need to suffer from sleepless nights and report to work like a zombie. With your new soundproof windows, you will definitely have a good night’s sleep.
