I’m a light sleeper. Even the slightest noise can keep me up at night.
So when I moved into my new apartment, I was a bit worried about the close proximity of my neighbours and their potential to disturb my sleep.
Little did I know that I was in for a real surprise.
Every night, without fail, my next door neighbours ‘piak’ loudly enough to keep me awake. I can hear them through the walls and ceilings, and it’s not a pleasant experience.
I’m not a prude, but it’s just too loud and too frequent for me to be able to get a good night’s sleep.
At first, I tried to ignore the noise and just sleep through it, but that didn’t work. I would toss and turn, unable to fall asleep and feeling incredibly frustrated.
Eventually, I decided that I had to do something about it, so I decided to talk to my neighbours.
I went upstairs and knocked on my neighbour’s door. When they answered, I was a bit taken aback. They were a young couple, probably in their early twenties, and they both looked a bit embarrassed.
I told them that I was their downstairs neighbour and that I was disturbed by their nightly activities.
The couple seemed genuinely apologetic and told me that they would try to be more mindful of how loud they were being.
They said that they were really sorry, and that they would try to keep it to a minimum.
I thanked them and went back to my apartment. I was relieved that my neighbours had been understanding and that they had promised to be more considerate. But, unfortunately, the problem didn’t go away.
The next night, the same thing happened. I heard them ‘piak-ing’ and I was still kept awake until late into the night.
I was starting to get really frustrated and I was beginning to think that my neighbours weren’t taking my concerns seriously.
Finally, I decided to take action. I went out and bought some soundproofing materials and installed them in my bedroom.
It took a bit of work, but it was worth it. Now, I can sleep peacefully, undisturbed by my neighbours’ nightly activities.