What time should it be quiet at night? (2023)

What time should I be quiet at night?

Most local ordinances include "quiet times." A typical ordinance prohibits loud noises between 11 p.m. and 7 or 8 a.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. or midnight until 8 to 10 a.m. on Sundays and holidays. It is worthwhile to check your local ordinance before making formal complaint so that you can cite the law.

Temperature inversion is the reason why sounds can be heard much more clearly over longer distances at night than during the day—an effect often incorrectly attributed to the psychological result of nighttime quiet.

Try rock wool (rockwool) in your walls for more sound insulation. If you plan to use speakers, then it is best to place them against the wall and facing the outside of the apartment. In this way, the resonances will be less noticeable to your neighbors.

You might notice that sound levels are lower during the day than at night even though there may be more traffic on the road. Conversely, a temperature inversion occurs when the air above the ground is warmer than the air near the ground.

The WHO guidelines for night noise recommend less than 40 dB(A) of annual average (Lnight) outside of bedrooms to prevent adverse health effects from night noise.

Laws in the U.S. Related to Noise at Night

The accepted standard is that people should not be playing loud music (50 decibels or higher) between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. Many feel that it is acceptable to push that to midnight or 1 a.m. on weekends and holidays.

Sleep Hallucinations

Some people experience hallucinations just as they're falling asleep (called hypnagogic hallucinations) or just as they start to wake up (hypnopompic hallucinations). These are thought to occur due to your brain being partly in a dreaming state and in themselves are nothing to worry about.

Exploding head syndrome is a sleep disorder that causes people to hear loud noises when they transition in or out of deep sleep. Although hearing loud noises can cause distress, panic, or fear in some people, exploding head syndrome is not a severe or life threatening condition.

Katydids, crickets, and cicadas are the three types of bugs primarily responsible for those classic summery insect noises you hear at night.

Noise and crime

The police are not usually responsible for dealing with noise, for example noisy parties, loud music. Instead, in most situations, the local council's environmental health department is responsible. However, in some situations, the police should be contacted.

How do you shut up loud neighbors?

Tell them too how the noise affected you, but don't be accusatory. Rather than saying, “you kept me awake”, tell them, “I could not sleep because of the noise that night.” You should also specifically tell them how you would like the problem solved.

Most local noise ordinances designate "quiet hours"—for example, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and until 8 or 9 a.m. on weekends. So running a power mower might be permitted at 10 a.m. on Saturday, but not at 7 a.m. Some universally disturbing sounds are commonly banned or restricted.

“There is no such thing as a “fixed or ideal time” to go to bed which will suit all individuals. It is generally advisable to fall asleep between 10 pm to midnight as for most people this is when the circadian rhythm is at a point that favours falling asleep.”

To stay silent indoors, breathe and walk to the rhythm of the room clock. If someone is asleep, they are used to the sound of the clock, and thus it will help obscure your footfalls. Use the flat foot when walking across gravel or across anything in which many small objects can be disturbed and make noise.

Ramlakhan explains that sleeping before midnight is important for setting the rhythm of sleep throughout the night and can enrich our physical and mental health. “The pre-midnight sleep seems to bring about the most powerful repair to the brain and body,” she says. “It sets the body into a good rhythm thereafter.