The Original Post
In our house, there’s five people and four cats. Everyone there is safely full of love, and I don’t think anyone truly has any malice, but sometimes I do think there’s lack of consideration and may be it comes from all of us.
Recently, it’s been an issue where my roommate who is in school gets woken up by us closing doors or closing the toilet or anything really. She tried to resolve the problem by turning on a fan in her room to help with the sound, and I tried to help by putting hush bumps on everyone’s door. But sometimes they don’t work perfectly because it doesn’t stop the click from the door knob so you have to close it with the awareness that you have to turn the door knob.
After months, she’s still complaining that the noise wakes her up and then she can’t go back to sleep and that she loses out on like 4 to 5 hours of sleep and while I do understand because she’s in school and has a lot going on at this point it feels medical.
A quick summary of what I sent in our roommate chat was “ I’m not trying to come off any kind of way. We’ve tried all these things. Have you considered maybe seeing if a doctor could prescribe you something? “
I know we’re all different people, but personally, the other four people in the house hear a noise and go right back to sleep or don’t wake up at all. And I don’t wanna be disrespectful, but that is my last suggestion to her because I’m not sure how else we can try to be quieter when sometimes it’s by accident… she didn’t respond to that and she’s not responding to anything I’ve said I even tried to message her privately outside of the roommate chat 🙁
\*\*\*\* So she said it’s not necessarily the sound but the vibration that jolts her awake. But idk none of us have felt that but maybe we’re just oblivious to it.
What Reddit Said
Redditors overwhelmingly supported OP’s suggestion about seeking medical help. Many light sleepers chimed in with their own solutions. However, most emphasized that earplugs and white noise machines should be tried first before jumping to prescription medications.
The consensus was clear: OP and the other roommates had gone above and beyond to accommodate their housemate. Meanwhile, commenters pointed out that expecting four other people to tiptoe around constantly isn’t realistic. In fact, many noted that losing 4-5 hours of sleep from brief sounds suggests a deeper sleep disorder.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: OP is Not the Asshole (NTA). This roommate light sleeper complaints situation shows how one person’s issues can’t dictate an entire household’s behavior. Most Redditors agreed that after months of reasonable accommodations, suggesting medical intervention was appropriate. This falls into classic roommate conflicts where boundaries need to be established for everyone’s wellbeing.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (2,533 upvotes, 461 comments)