Heavy drapes with lining made a big difference in my apartment. My husband swears by earplugs.

we just use a fan - it works great! it's a small, inexpensive little metal fan, about 10" diameter, kind of retro . . . we got it from target. the volume is adjustable by changing the speed.

Like the editor above I suggest double linned curtains. There is this fabric made in England that is like a thermal insulator - it is used all the time for making double linned curtains. I would say that would help a little with the noise reduction. Bear in mind it is not cheap and I think ABC home downstairs in their custom department would be able to make them for you. Having your A/C unit might help as well, and I also think after a month there you will get used to the noises.

I know just how you feel. For the last year while my husband gets his doctorate we have been living in front of about ten fraternities. The best combo we've come up with is white noise and sheet foam insulation on the bedroom window. It looks terrible from the outside but there is no way our landlord (aka campus housing authority) is changing our single pane windows. Let's hope you have a better landlord.

We also live in a somewhat noisy building and bought a 'Marpac' white noise machine from Amazon.com and it has made a world of difference. Falling asleep is much easier--a cheap and effective solution that mitigates jarring noises that would otherwise drive me to insanity.

Oh! Please don't smother yourself! : )

I got old-fashioned wooden venetian blinds for my street-facing windows. When they're closed, they really do lower the volume a few notches.

Also, in time I bet you'll become more accustomed to the sounds of your apartment and they will become less vexing.

Good luck!

My bedroom is above a very busy street in Brooklyn so I understand your pain. A white noise machine (or even just a fan) helps tremendously. Aside from getting new windows - which is a sure bet to noise reduction - heavy drapes, as Aaron mentioned, do help a bit.

There is also this paint called Acousti-Coat that helps noise reduction. I haven't tried it, but might be worth looking into. And although not the most attractive option, you can put up sound-proof paneling that they have in recording studios. Or maybe even cork tiles?

I installed double curtain rods and hung two sets of insulated drapes in my bedroom and it made a big difference.

Buy soundproofing foam and cut it to your window size. Use these to cover the windows at night, behind heavy window drapes.

agree on the sound proof paneling. You could make your own with fabric, frames and batting...like a bunch of DIY headboards.

When I changed out my old single panes to better windows, the noise diff. was remarkable. I'd bet most of the noise is coming in through your windows. Try stuffing them with pillows in the evening to see if that helps. Then you'll know if you want to work on a more permanent solution. In one window, I took a piece of paneling the size of the window and attached pillows then covered in fabric. I could set that in the window after dark to muffle sound, and easily remove to get the light.

This Martha Stewart project is actually made from a fiberboard which is used for sound proofing. Perhaps you could try something like this to make sound board more attractive.
http://www.marthastewart.com/good-things/framed-bulletin-board

Also try weather stripping in your windows -- sometimes those flimsy windows don't fit so tightly together and that's why so much noise is getting through.

Lining windows and walls with creative installations of foam, fabric, cork, etc should help. Put bookcases on outer walls and have a large rug - anything to help dampen sounds. For white noise, a fan or a/c is good, but the best I have found is putting a radio on static. (A trick I learned from my brother when his grad-school dorm room was across from a nightclub.) At first it sounds jarring, but your brain quickly reads it as non-information and it drowns out other sound into a blur. The best part is you can turn up the volume as necessary - and it's free.

we live on a busy street in NYC, and have many of the same noise problems. we have our bedroom in the back of the apartment, away from the windows (which are in the living space), which helps with the noise some. we also run a fan at all times and now that it's summer, the air conditioner helps dampen the noise as well. is there any way you could place your bed on a wall far away from the windows? i think the best thing to do is to think creatively, the other commenters have some great suggestions!

The spongey type of earplugs work well -- even factory workers use them. You can still hear your fire alarm if it goes off, or your alarm clock, but anything less than that is muffled.

Thanks to everyone! I am definitely going to moving on these suggestions. Much appreciated!

I second the loud fan. But it's a compromise. I also recommend a headboard if the head of your bed is up against a window.

Might AT consider adding a sidebar with Top 10 questions ... since this is one of them? It would make it easier for people to find quick answers to questions that have been posed over time.

My apartment is at the unfortunate intersection between diesel truck highway of NYC (Amsterdam), impatient cab drivers anonymous, wasted Columbia student 24/7 party, and triple dip bus stops. Basically, there is barely a moment without sound and I have 3 ancient windows in my room to help me hear everything as clear as a Bose sound system.

For a few months I was tossing and turning, pressing pillows to my ears and even DREAMING about loud noises. One time a barge was floating up Amsterdam to park at my window and I was hurriedly preparing for its arrival.

Fortunately, I've now gotten used to the noises, not without the help of a floor-fan (I bought the loudest one) and my window AC unit. Give yourself a few months to become accustomed to your space and don't spend a ton on every gimmick right away. Time and a fan is all you need. :)

I know this doesn't make it any better right this minute, but you will get used to it to some extent. Other than that, earplugs are the greatest thing ever, but you do get addicted to them and they become the sort of thing you MUST remember to take anytime your travels invlove an overnight stay.

Try home movie theatre curtains. They sell them online, even walmart.com has them. JC Penney also has thermal curtains that reduce noise.

Yeah! the Bookcase thing! but line the entire outside walls with soundfoam cut to size (u can get on Canal ST.)
then put wall to wall...ceiling to floor bookcases...filled with books and magazine....it absorbs and breaks up sounds. For the window , heavy thick drapes, and also get a rectangle of foam cut to fit in. Rugs and carpeting with a thin rubber liner. It might cost a few hundred ..but its cheaper than moving again.

I use a radio as a "white noise machine." Just find a good spot between stations where the static is pretty smooth. It might not be a help to you since your place sounds pretty noisy but for me it helps to drown out any sharp noises my roommates might make when I'm sleeping or trying to sleep.
I previously used a fan, as Kelseykels mentioned, but I find a radio is less of a drain on the power bill.

Try getting creative, I visited a building for a television channel with multiple different recording studios each with different sound proofing devices ranging from (high end) acoustical terracotta tiles to (low end) welcome mats covering the walls, which were actually my favorite.

Also, if you don't have wall to wall carpet get some area rugs it will help deaden the sound reverb off of the floors.

I live in noise central. I use an air purifier in my bedroom that masks the noise, like a white noise machine. I virtually never sleep with the windows open, because the noise is sure to wake me up. So, the A/C bills are definitely higher, but it probably also keeps out more car pollution. Finally, I like Mack's earplugs, but I find with all these other measures that I take, that I don't use them at all.

Start with a small change to see if it helps -- turing on a fan at night.

If that's not enough, then start investigating the more time-intensive/expensive methods of soundproofing that have been suggested.

Don't forget to look at your routine and sleep habits. The noise may just be aggravating the effects of stress, allergies, needing to flip your mattress, needing exercise, etc.

Does the noise keep you up (you can't fall asleep during it) or wake you up (you were already asleep but it roused you)? Many noises that will keep me up fail to wake me up. If you notice any routines in particularly offensive noises, try to account for them in your bedtime. For example, the bar across the street from me must close its windows at 11, so I wait until 11 to get in bed. If I laid down at 10:50, I'd only get frustrated for 10 minutes before the noise is muffled a bit. Saving myself that aggravation infinitely helps my ability to doze off.

I live 2 blocks from Hollywood Blvd and about a block from the 101 freeway. Our recycling program consists of homeless guys fighting over bottles at 3am in the dumpster 20 feet from my constantly open window. I was in hell with the hardwood floors echoing every little noise until I put down a few rugs, invested in 4 layers of thick curtains (the black-out curtains are for light but work great for sound too) and all of our neighbors began putting our recyclables into separate bags that went next to the bin so we don't hear the dumpster opening and closing 30 times a night anymore.

Personally, I've also learned to embrace the noise... now I can't sleep without it. Give it time.

can anyone recommend earplugs that are actually comfortable? Whenever I wear them I can't sleep because I keep wanting to tear them out. The noise is actually less irritating.

I agree with Kelseykels...unless you're a REALLY light sleeper, you will start to get used to it...but you'll need more than a week. I live on a busy street in the E. Village -- and even though I'm on the 5th floor, for some reason the acoustics of the building allow for me to hear word-for-word even normal level conversations (kind of like those whisper walls where someone whispers and you can hear what they're saying even from way far away). So there's that, the late night partiers, a group that thinks it really is OK to play their music really REALLY loud (it sounds like a party in my apartment) on their car stereo, garbage trucks, oh -- and for a while (like a year) they were building a new apartment building right next to my building, so the ka-thunka ka-thunka ka-thunka of whatever ginormous machine they use to bang down ground and the sound of jackhammers was added to the neighborhood music.

Here's what I learned -- time will allow you to get used to, and filter out, most noises. Every once in a while something new or jarring will make its way in...I got the LOUDEST aire conditioner I could find (in the winter, if it's noisy, I just turn the fan on) and it helps A LOT. When there's a party or a band in the park or whatever, I have been known to resort to ear plugs...but now I don't need to do that so much -- I've really just learned to filter it out and sleep through most of the normal sounds...now only unexpected ones (like doorbell buzzers or sirens) wake me up. Time has helped a lot -- but I do find now that it's very easy to sleep through my alarm...and when I visit my mother in the country I get a little freaked out by how quiet and dark it is.

Good luck!

If you can afford it:

http://www.citiquiet.com/

The cheapest solution will be earplugs.

I agree: earplugs :)

Bookshelves, heavy drapes, and a fan. Don't spend money on a white-noise machine. Don't ya just love the city, though?

Have you considered hanging rugs on the wall instead of artwork? My sister is a pianist and has the opposite problem of needing to muffle the sound coming *out* of her apartment. She found some beautiful rugs/tapestries and hung those up on her walls.

Additionally, her curtains are thick draperies and she put rugs down on the floor.

I agree with the earplugs suggestions. If you like your place the way it is, invest a couple bucks in earplugs. I keep mine in pretty box near the bed. If that doesn't work for you after a couple nights, spend more money. I live near a fire house and hospital so I use earplugs, but I can still hear my alarm. They're also great to keep in your purse for those el train rides when everyone's yelling into their cell phones.

In regards to uncomfortable earplugs, might I suggest getting this kit: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/unfoamtrialp.html

I used to live on a busy street and I ordered the "try it all" package and tried out the different sets until I found ones that were comfortable for my small ears, and then ordered those in a larger quantity.

I use earplugs but can still hear my alarm clock (which is actually just my iPhone). If you need more sound insulation, add the loud fan/white noise. But start with the earplugs.

Fan! You would be surprised at how soothing they are. I sleep with one at home and my friends tease me because I have taken it on every vacation I go on, even to Jamaica. And it drowned out room noise while staying in a hostel in the UK. I even got stopped at airport security on for having it in my carry-on on a business trip. My boss was pretty amused. So you can see how much I swear by this method. Good luck!

i live in nyc & i just move into a great apt whit a great view to the hudson river the only problem is that i live in the 12th floor and i can hear all the cars from the highway running especially the motorcycles that the summer time is about to start

We installed indow inserts from Indow Windows (www.indowwindows.com) last fall and they reduced traffic noise almost to nothing. We also saved a good amount on our heating bill this winter. They are simple to install and required no alteration of our existing windows.

i line my windows with clear bubble-wrap to insulate in winter, works a treat.
they just started a 2 year, 5 day a week, 7am construction site in the lot under my bedroom window so i've put back up the wrap hoping it will do another job for me :-)