Noisy Neighbours and Sleep: What to Fix, Who to Call, How to Cope

A party through the wall on a Tuesday, a dog that barks at 5am, a neighbour whose TV is your bedroom's soundtrack. Noisy neighbours and sleep don't mix, and because the noise isn't yours, you can't just turn it off. This guide covers what you can change inside your own bedroom, how to raise the problem without starting a war, how Australian noise rules work in general terms, and how to wake on time if earplugs become part of your night.

The short answer: start with your own room, because it's the only part you fully control: earplugs, the bed off the shared wall, sealed gaps, heavier curtains. Earplugs have much better evidence than white noise. Then talk to the neighbour, calmly and early, before it becomes a feud. If that fails, your local council is usually the first port of call for residential noise, with police for late-night parties. If you end up sleeping with earplugs in, switch to a vibrating alarm so you still wake up.

Why neighbour noise is so disruptive

The World Health Organization recommends less than 30 decibels in bedrooms at night for good quality sleep (source). That's about a whisper. A neighbour's bass line, a slammed car door or a barking dog is far above it, and it's the sudden, meaningful sounds that wake you most reliably.

Neighbour noise also comes with a feeling. A party at 1am feels like a choice someone made about your night, and lying there angry keeps you awake long after the music stops. Dealing with the noise and dealing with the resentment are separate jobs.

Fix your room first

You can't soundproof a rental, but you can cut what reaches your pillow.

Fix	Helps with	Notes
Earplugs	Almost everything	Best evidence of any fix. Foam, silicone or moulded; try a few
Move the bed	Shared walls, windows onto the street	Even a metre helps
Seal gaps	Doors, old windows	Foam strip around the door, door snake, window seal tape
Heavy curtains	Street noise and light	Lined or blockout curtains absorb some sound as well
Soft furnishings	Echo in the room	Rug, bookshelf on the shared wall, fabric headboard
Swap rooms	A bedroom on the noisy side	Sometimes the study is the quieter room
Fan or white noise	Steady masking	Evidence is mixed, see below

In a 2026 University of Pennsylvania sleep lab study, aircraft noise cut deep sleep by about 23 minutes a night and earplugs largely prevented that loss. Pink noise, on the other hand, reduced REM sleep on its own, and combined with the noise it added about 15 minutes of extra wakefulness (source). A broader 2022 review of white noise studies found only a third showed a benefit, and those studies had the highest risk of bias (source). So earplugs first. If a fan helps you, keep it, but don't expect a sound machine to fix a loud neighbour. More in does white noise help you sleep?

If you find you're woken by everything, not just the neighbours, see light sleeper tips.

How to raise it with the neighbour

Most people don't know they're being heard. Raising it early and plainly works far more often than people expect.

1. Pick a calm moment, in daylight, not mid-party.
2. Be specific. "Your TV comes through the wall after about 10:30. Could you turn it down then?" beats "you're always noisy."
3. Assume good faith the first time. Thin walls are the building's fault, not theirs.
4. Swap hours. Tell them yours, ask about theirs. If they work shifts, you may be waking them too.
5. Put it in writing if you have to ask twice, as a record if things escalate.
6. For rentals and units, your property manager or owners corporation may help, and many strata by-laws cover noise.

Australian noise rules, in general terms

Noise is regulated differently in each state and territory, so check your own rules. In Victoria, for example, EPA Victoria says it doesn't investigate residential noise complaints; that's the role of your local council. Victorian regulations also set prohibited times for noisy equipment and music: for musical instruments and audio equipment, that's before 7am and after 10pm Monday to Thursday, after 11pm on Fridays, before 9am and after 11pm on Saturdays and public holidays, and before 9am and after 10pm on Sundays. Noise in those hours that can be heard inside a neighbour's home counts as unreasonable, and councils can still decide noise outside those hours is unreasonable if it's loud enough (source).

Other states have their own equivalents through the state environment authority and local councils. A rough order of escalation that applies in most places:

• The neighbour themselves, first.
• Local council for ongoing residential noise (music, air conditioners, barking dogs).
• Police for noise happening right now, especially parties.
• Community mediation services in your state, usually free, if the two of you can't resolve it.
• A formal order through a court or tribunal, as a last resort.

Rules and times vary and change, so check your council's website rather than relying on this summary.

If earplugs become part of your night

Earplugs solve the neighbour but create a new problem: can you hear your alarm? Many people can't, and some wake late or sleep through altogether. Two options:

• A phone on vibrate under the pillow, which works until it slides off, runs flat or you stop feeling it. See phone under pillow vs vibrating wristband.
• A vibrating alarm you wear. It wakes you through touch, so earplugs don't matter. It's also silent, which matters if you're trying not to become the noisy neighbour yourself. See how to wake up with earplugs in.

When to see your GP

If neighbour noise has left you sleeping badly for weeks, if you're anxious about bedtime, or if you're exhausted during the day even on quiet nights, talk to your GP. Poor sleep that lasts months is worth treating in its own right. This guide is general information, not medical advice.

Where the Sovune Nudge fits

We make the Sovune Nudge, a vibrating alarm wristband, so we're not neutral. It's useful here for one reason: it lets you sleep with earplugs in and still wake on time.

• Wakes you by vibration on your wrist, starting as a gentle tap and building through three intensity levels.
• Each alarm vibrates for a full minute, stepping up in strength, so it reaches you through touch while the earplugs block the noise.
• Completely silent, with no speaker and no light in the room, so you're not adding noise to the building.
• Three alarms, set on the band. No app, no phone, no pairing.
• Up to 14 days of nightly use per charge.

It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Quick answers

What's the best way to sleep with noisy neighbours? Earplugs, with the bed moved off the shared wall and gaps sealed. Then a calm conversation with the neighbour.

Does white noise block neighbours? Not reliably. Earplugs performed far better in a 2026 sleep lab study, and reviews of white noise find weak, mixed evidence.

Who do I complain to about noisy neighbours in Australia? Usually your local council for ongoing residential noise, and police for late-night parties. Rules vary by state, so check your council's website.

How do I wake up if I sleep with earplugs in? Use a vibrating alarm you wear on your wrist. It wakes you through touch, not sound.

For every type of silent alarm compared, see our complete guide to vibrating alarms in Australia.

See the Sovune Nudge →