Sleeping in a Sleeper

I usually cannot sleep unless something is playing in the background whether it be music or soothing sounds.

I have to take a Superliner sleeper trip in July and I fear I won't get any sleep. How can I fall asleep to sounds while in a sleeper? Headphones?

Anyone else have this problem? Any remedies?

The train will be making some noise on the tracks, perhaps that will be sufficient.

Headphones can work as well.

A small speaker next to your head at a low enough volume to be heard by you, but not outside of the room (that's an important part!!!) could also work as well.

I have Bose Noise Canceling ear buds that play my music which I use to fall asleep at home. On the train, I usually fall asleep ok without them, but I also Have the curtain open because I like to watch the stars and the towns passing by.

Lonestar648 said:

I have Bose Noise Canceling ear buds that play my music which I use to fall asleep at home. On the train, I usually fall asleep ok without them, but I also Have the curtain open because I like to watch the stars and the towns passing by.

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No ear buds for me because these "foreign objects" in my ears would bother me. But, I also keep the curtains open, enjoying the sky and passing views. The motion of the train and its noise is usually enough to put me to sleep, sometimes sooner than I would have expected.

Dakota 400 said:

Lonestar648 said:

I have Bose Noise Canceling ear buds that play my music which I use to fall asleep at home. On the train, I usually fall asleep ok without them, but I also Have the curtain open because I like to watch the stars and the towns passing by.

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No ear buds for me because these "foreign objects" in my ears would bother me. But, I also keep the curtains open, enjoying the sky and passing views. The motion of the train and its noise is usually enough to put me to sleep, sometimes sooner than I would have expected.

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Same here...I like the sounds and sights of train travel...even when I should be sleeping!

And the same here!

At home, I'm usually up until 12, 1 or 2. However with the train sounds and motion, I'm usually asleep by 10 or so. (Sometimes I even want to!) And I sleep well.

I'm the opposite. The train noises keep me up most of the night, even with earbuds and sleeping pills. The only time I've ever slept more than a couple of hours is on the second night of the trip. At that point, I'm so tired that I'm able to sleep for six hours or so, only waking up when we stop at a brightly-lit station or the stupid PA announcements start (I REALLY miss being able to turn that thing off).

I use the earbuds at home (wife watches TV) but on the train, I want to see outside in the night, get the full rail experience, but usually fall asleep earlier than I want.

There's something about falling asleep to the noise of the horn blowing through crossings for me. The classic GE chugging when the train pulls out of a station or from a stop.

Funny, a while back I bought Mrs SP&S a soothing noise machine. It had about 8 different sounds one of which was the sounds of a train.It didn't work too well but the real sounds on a train a incredibly restful to me.

The noise does not keep me awake I find it rather soothing. The sudden jolting of the train does tho. So I basically expect not to get much sleep.

The first night on a train I sleep like a baby: I'm up every hour. After that I sleep all right.

Oddly enough the number one thing that wakes me up is a lack of sound and movement. After becoming accustomed to the sounds and movements of the train it's the siding and station stops that get my attention.

SarahZ said:

I'm the opposite. The train noises keep me up most of the night, even with earbuds and sleeping pills. The only time I've ever slept more than a couple of hours is on the second night of the trip. At that point, I'm so tired that I'm able to sleep for six hours or so, only waking up when we stop at a brightly-lit station or the stupid PA announcements start (I REALLY miss being able to turn that thing off).

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In my view the train-wide PA system should be used for announcements that affect everybody on the train. If it doesn't affect everyone then it probably shouldn't be on the train-wide PA. Seems if you mention such a thing on Amtrak it's almost like you committed blasphemy.

Peachy Kinda Girl said:

The noise does not keep me awake I find it rather soothing. The sudden jolting of the train does tho. So I basically expect not to get much sleep.

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Same here. I can get used to the sounds (most of the time) but the really bad rails and junctions can make it rather difficult to stay asleep when it slams your head or elbow against the wall.

Devil's Advocate said:

Oddly enough the number one thing that wakes me up is a lack of sound and movement. After becoming accustomed to the sounds and movements of the train it's the siding and station stops that get my attention.

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That's been my experience as well. I'll often wake up briefly when the train stops at a station and fall back asleep as the train departs again.

In the modern world, paging is often zoned. Airlines make boarding announcements for a specific gate area, but have the capability for concourse or terminal wide pages where required. Also, emergency pages override everything else.

I used the iPhone app that has a selection of sounds and a timer last night in my sleeper I thought it wasn't going to do much but I put in my ear buds and listened to birds chirping. I was sleeping within 15 minutes. Wow! Woke up few hours later to a strong jolt. The sleeper car temp was extremely hot (was trouble all day - freezing or boiling hot). I put on the earbuds and listened to spring sounds. 20 minutes or so I was asleep. That was a good find for me.

Peachy Kinda Girl said:

The sudden jolting of the train does tho. So I basically expect not to get much sleep.

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This too. I put the extra pillow between my hip and the table (in the roomette) to avoid bruising in the middle of the night.

Plus it's cozy.

Excellent tip Sarah!

I use the extra pillow plus a travel pillow between the wall and my body to avoid bruises!

I, too, like the idea of using a pillow between me and the size of the roomette. Never thought about it! Thanks.

As to PA use, it has been my experience that the audio quality is so poor that I really don't fully understand what is being said. I think there was only one Superliner Sleeper whose audio was truly understandable. For most of the time for me it's just unwelcome noise.

Getting the desired sounds (or lack thereof) to your ears while sleeping won't be a problem. A pair of earbuds with an iPod, FM radio or smart phone will do that for you. Use ear plugs if you want something closer to silence.

My prediction is that your larger problem will be getting comfortable in terms of a sleeping position (especially if you have someone in the adjacent seat) or with the temperature. The cars are sometimes quite cool at night. The #5 train in Nebraska earlier this week was so cold at night due to the A/C that I had difficulty keeping warm. Always wear long pants and shirt. Even then, you may be wishing for a blanket.

An easy way some of us eliminate sounds that may hinder our sleeping is we remove our hearing aids at bed time.

KmH said:

An easy way some of us eliminate sounds that may hinder our sleeping is we remove our hearing aids at bed time.

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Yep, that's how I do it.