Sounds that keep you awake at night

 We had a guest check out early, today. She lamented she wasn’t able to sleep. Too much sounds of nature!

Big windows with just insect netting let air and sounds circulate freely

Funny! I am so accustomed to the roosters that crow every now and then, the dogs, that bark when they hear something unusual or wake up from a bad dream, the birds that chose our bamboo patch as sleeping place, the frogs oooiiiking to attract females, the rain on the roof when it rains, the waves breaking on the nearby beach, the rustling of a brise in the banana leaves, and whatever else is making sounds during the night. I don’t hear them anymore. At least not to the point where I would wake up, or where it would keep me from falling asleep.

Somehow, the brain learns to simply ignore these sounds. They have been identified as not harmful, no danger, and they go in one ear and out the other…

For folks, on the other side, who always sleep in rooms with doors and windows closed, and air conditioning on, these sounds are unusual and disturbing their sleep.

For me, the sound of an a/c means a lot of energy wasted, and it keeps me awake, pondering, how could I help the person using it to see the problems: waste of natural gas, as electricity in the night here is mostly generated in gas plants; but also, that a/c keeps your body thinking it is winter, thus never giving you the opportunity to get used to the temperature - which means life in the tropics stays stressful due to the higher temperatures, no matter how long you stay here…of course, there’s no way to communicate this to a grown person, who doesn’t see these issues as problems  I still am awake, pondering, crying…

I guess, whatever you are not used to, whatever seems a potential or real problem, seems to keep you awake…

Some people live a life so disconnected from nature, natural sounds are disturbing, while for others they are soothing… I am glad that I used my moving and living here as an opportunity to reconnect with nature. I feel part of the whole big system. It makes me feel contented, sheltered, alive…

Some wood slats and mosquito netting is all that separates from nature - reconnecting, feeling part of this amazing world

The walls and the beds are wood, untreated, saw-rough, rustic - like in a tree-house

Thankfully, many other guests have mentioned that they do like these sounds as well. “It’s like sleeping in a tree house”, one girl said. “So much wood everywhere, tree crowns outside the window, and sounds of life all around!”