So you've got a place to hole up, some food and ammo, and now you're ready to chill out.

The psychological impact of being surrounded by groaning, howling, grunting and otherwise loud inarticulate zombies is unquestionably severe. How will you keep your sanity?

The_Professional: In all honestly I can't find any safe way to drown out the noise. Loud noise would still allow you to hear the big crashes but what about if they happen to make it inside without making enough noise? Wake up with a zombie chomping on your appendix? No. Make sure you're in a group and that someone is always on guard. You can sleep with the knowledge that you've got someone watching your back. Besides all that noise would more likely attract more zombies and make life worse.


kingrich3: I think that a nuclear bunker would be a nice dampener, hard to hear much from in there. bonus: you're in a nuclear bunker with nuclear capabilities. on second thought, drown out the noise with some nuclear explosions. (Sorry mother nature)


Phr33man: first choice: use music to drown them out!
second choice: go crazy like Adam in dead-rising! ; )


Mr.Awsome: Well I'd crank up my favorite music and enjoy!


AngelaB: Well, I thought about doing earplugs, but fear that I might miss a sound that tells me my barriers have caved. I think I'm going to try drowning them out. I like Wagner's operas for this kind of thing. Crank it up and all moaning sounds slide into the background, but large crashes are still distinct. Frankly, I think this might be on the "little" day to day issues that just gets tougher over time.


Marsden: If I intended to make this my shelter for the next 6 months or more I would consider soundproofing the windows and doors. This would allow me still to get in and out and here my barricades creak. You can get soundproofing materials at any major D.I.Y. store. Or you could simply stick egg cartons round windows, door locks letterboxes etc. These work just as well.


Hraisikai: Out G the G. If you eliminate the source of the noise...you eliminate your sleeping troubles.


Blackrainbow: I kinda thought that if you just listen to an Ipod/mp3 player it would work, but:
1. You wouldn't normally look for an mp3 player/Ipod if there were zombies trying to get you.
2. You couldn't hear if your barriers break.
So, maybe if you just try to talk to other people, or if your alone, read a book, but I doubt that you would look for a book if there are zombies about to eat you... So I'm not really sure. If you have the ability to just ignore certain sounds, I think that would work...


ironknight:
I just wouldn't sleep until i have found a place where it is impossible for zombies to get me.


EvacMedic: This is where you will flourish if you have planned ahead. Assuming you have a safe place to stay, the next question is: were you intelligent enough to inform people whom would benefit your survival effort beforehand? To put things simply, you need companions. You may sleep with earplugs safely, since your designated watchman can awaken those sleeping in the event of a breakdown.


McSkullcracken: I agree with EvacMedic above, but I would add the idea of possibly holding up in a tall building. So long as you secure the first floor, the stairs, and the upper floor you are staying on, you should be able to avoid quite a bit of the noise. You may not avoid all of it, depending on the height of the building and the number of zombies outside(though this page would suggest a large number). But even if the building is only four or five stories, staying toward the center of the building could also help. If you and your group have the building really secured, fortified, you could use those headphones designed to block out all noise when sleeping, though I should emphasize that this should only be done if the building is really secured. Of course if you can properly stock a bomb shelter for long periods of isolation, being underground would eliminate this problem, though most of those have one way in/out.


USGrant: As with most of life's problems half the solution is your own attitude. Listen for the sounds and create a song or a game out of it. For example;

Met him on a Monday and my heart stood still.
Arg roo unn unn unn arg ooo unn unn...
Somebody told me that his name was Bill.
Arg roo unn unn unn arg ooo unn unn...

Again, it's all attitude. Every now and then a couple of groans will even harmonize.


killerZtime0===)======================>I would say it's all about the Attitude. If you can defeat them in your mind you can defeat them in combat. I would think of the moans as battle cry's!!!!!!!!


Jukiness: I think this one burns down to keeping people around you that can support you. In my group of friends I would probably be pushed into the leader position, but there are a few people that I could really count to support me when I start to waiver. The grunts and groans don't need to be heard by sleeping persons, and ear plugs don't block out ALL sound, so those can be worn by sleepers, while the active duty should remain alert, using those grunts and groans as signs of what's going on where they may not be able to directly see.


Sgt.schultz- sound proof the windows, and burn the mofo's. go inside and enjoy some music while they bang away at the bricks and are burning.

Rage1Bravo - If I were in a group, I would centralize the party toward the center of the highest floor in the building and try to occupy ourselves with conversation and such. If I were by myself, I would find a nice corner, hug my rifle, and have a great night with my old friend Mr. Jack Daniel's.



Monkeyfacedzombie: i think that stravinsky rite of spring would be really good for this, it has such a massive amount of instruments. or tchiakovskys overtures


Residentmagnum

Noraga had this problem the U.S. Marines play loud music to drive him crazy.
USgrant sadi make a game off it. I have a zune and an MP3 player, but this wouldn't help if the zombies broke down a wall or through a window.

For me it wouldn't be the noise so much as finding a safe place to sleep.
where i once lived I slept through gun shots so they really shouldn't be a problem.


Cipher234
I have 2 ideas idea one earplugs. idea 2 turn iron maiden up really loud on my home. or combine both


NuclearRat

if you have a huge issue with the noise i would get under the foundation of your house and start tunneling down ward and build a nice sound proof under ground bed room and it isn't that hard to make concrete walls it's rather easy too do just remember to build up and not try to go from top to down with the concrete and of course make sure you have an escape route but I'm sure if you have two trap doors the zombies wont find you for a while and it will also add to making your house into a death trap for the zombies and record their deaths for some entrainment to help past the days some or just make it into a all night kill fest trap and also with the tunnels you can tunnel to other houses do raids on them and do the same for near by stores but this idea poses one problem concrete slab houses this idea is worthless if you have that kind of foundation


Kyusuke: Much akin to the "Chinese Water Torture", repetitive actions, noises, or any other sense stimulator's will cause the brain to malfunction quite easily and lead to insanity. Just like the Chinese Water Torture (Noted as CWT from here on out), the drops of water that fall upon your forehead will always land upon the same spot and never anywhere else. Nerve receptors that are located upon the skin will send the same message to the brain over and over again. At first, the brain will have no problem coping with the disturbance, but it will grow to become increasingly annoying; and then, maddening. The reason for this is that the CWT is utilized in a random pattern. The rate at which the water drips onto your forehead holds no relation at all, and can come within a moment of seconds or several minutes. As the time varies each time, the brain struggles to find some sort of pattern so that it may find an easier way to cope. Much like CWT, the hungry mewls and damned cries of zombies would not be in any set pattern. Despite being reanimated, zombies are not machines. They are not programmed to repeat any action within a certain time frame. Zombies are essentially an altered version of a human, ergo they are also prone to the imperfection that makes us vastly superior to machines, yet vulnerable to error all the same. It is with these random, loud cries that a person can steadily go insane.

However, the solution to this problem depends upon three factors. Your location, the amount of zombies, and the amount of any survivors that have grouped up with you. As mentioned in the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks, if you are holed up within a house that is more than one story, you can have a relatively easy time defending yourself. Find a way to destroy any means of reaching the second floor, and you greatly increase your chances of survival. There is also the off-chance that zombies can pile up high enough to overcome the physical barrier and pursue you for your flesh. This is where the second factor comes into play. This factor is used for determining two things. The volume of their cries, and their ability to overcome the issue of height. The third and final factor is also valuable in the overall ability to cope. Even one friendly human soul can ease the mental distress and anguish caused by the ever persistent cries. Not only can this fellow survivor help you reinforce defenses, you can drown out the noises by engaging in a variety of things. Whether it is (Bear with me, some of these are downright ridiculous or silly) talking, playing a game, and even copulation; any task can help the brain ignore the burden of the cacophony outside, or in this case, down below.


Situations are not always ideal, though. This scenario I have laid out is the optimum condition for coping. All others won't provide much assistance in coping.


Captain_Bloodloss:
I've heard of this type of earplug, I think they're called concert earplugs, anyhow they reduce every sound frequency at the same level, so it doesn't block your hearing at all it will just make everything much quieter. This might make moans more bearable and still allow you to hear the undead coming through your barricades. Might work.


Bioguy117:
One of the many problems with the undead is as previously mentioned they make alot of random alternating noises. To me personally these would be nerve wracking at best. For those who live in urban areas keep in mind you will not only be hearing the moans groans and what have you but also the screams of the dying or soon to be, not to mention the explosions and shots as more and more people realize their fate and try to bust out. The safest method of coping is to have at least two other people with you, this way each of you can take a four hour shift on watch and the rest can sleep. Also a fortified structure is key, preferably anything two or more stories with one way up and several ways down.


KaikelX: First, this is the kid who slept through his school's pep assembly.(If you go there and leave really fast, it's almost like getting shell shocked.) Second, there is a reason you have a night watch. But then again, since I live in the middle of a suburb, it would get hard to ignore the dead, the soon-to-be dead, and the soon-to-be-dead-that-go-out-with-a-bang.


GrantHatman I would probably meditate, or listen to Coast to Coast AM if they are still broadcasting, or take a nap (I can sleep through anything, that is the reason you have watchmen).



Hell_Razor:While I once slept like a rock, a year-long tour in Iraq turned me into a light sleeper. First and formost, I would ensure my group's immediate security before settling down. Then I would post one (maybe two) people on guard while the rest of the group stuffed some cotton balls in their ears and got some shut eye. For everyday life, I would advocate Ipods and ear plugs. Always though, ensure that at least one member of your group keeps their ears uncovered, and rotate regularly.




NJJ37
i would not drown out the sound ii must be completely aware of my surroundings if i want to survive if i did need to sleep i would have my back against a door shot gun in my hands and i would train my self to wake up to any sound different from the moans of the zombies and if i do here something i will automatically shoot in that direction before i even open my eyes


Cylon1994
Yes it will be hard to drown them out. I would try and play games with the noises at first, Examining them and looking for a beat or tone even though there doesn't seem to be. Then I would probably get sick of it and now I'm packing ear plugs. Hopefully they won't be too loud. Also I might raid a few places of their mattresses and put them up against the walls of my fortress to drown them out.


Thrawn5
I would do my best to soundproof my hiding place (maybe leave an external place for a guard though), if that still doesn't work I would drown it out with what ever I could, if that fails I will use earplugs and hopefully get used to the noise (if you slowly get used to the incessant noise you most likely wont go crazy).


Andy: I plan to just ignore them. They're outside, and as long as I'm INSIDE, I'm happy.
It doesn't hurt that I live less than 100 yards from I-5, so the noise is ops nml for me.


RESIDENT-ADAM: If i can sleep through sporadic mortar and small arms fire, i can sleep through the raucous undead. Of course I'll also be with a team, hopefully one of them an unattached cutie, which will make sleep quite pleasant, actually.


karaz: well the whole idea of the moaning as mental assault is kind of hard to think on. it is like water torture if you can't move it is horrible if you can move it is fine. the same with moaning if move about with a good attitude about the moaning not thinking that you are trapped with no hope you should be fine


Original-Sin: I think drowning out the Zombies is a horrible idea. If you play loud music that is only going to attract MORE zombies to you area and make them even louder and more dangerous. If you use some sort of personal entertainment device (iPods) then you are limiting one of your most useful senses. Your hearing is almost as important as your sight, and much more important than your smell and taste when it comes to survival. You can HEAR the zombies break through your barricades and sneak up behind you when you certainly can not see them! In short, don't disable yourself any further...


zurvivor: As long as there is a supply of batteries I would suggest using a set of those hearing protectors that have a built-in radio. Turn to a frequency between stations and you will have white noise that drowns out external noise, but the ears will soon get used to it and cancel it out to perceive it as silence. That would give you a good night's sleep or moment of meditation. Of course this should only be used when you're completely safe or people are standing guard.


Eliot: I'm not sure how you could pull this off, but you install LEDs into your goggles (protection from zed fluids) and install a trip wire. The trip wire sends a radio signal to your goggles and they start blinking. Quick changes in light really wakes me up, idk about you. But the advantages of this one is that you could do it by yourself. Also a problem with drowning them out with music, is that they can hear it, so if you live in Los Angels, and your in your house fortified and you hear a lone zombie and start blasting music, wouldn't it attract more?


ZombieStomp:

Since my plan involves a horde of people, three of them scouts, I don't have the same worry. You see there is an old chalk mine/mountain behind my house from which you can see everything for miles. I would have two scouts up there with shaded binoculars and a walkie talkie and one in the massive tree in my back yard. Using that method you could see a zombie along way off. The distract myself I would be constantly checking me fortifications and playing multiplayer video game matches with my friends until the power ran out, cause it probably would out here.


Dominickmagas: I'd just kill all of the zombies. problem solved.

Comonsense:

durring WWII they used cotton to muffle sounds, so it might work in this situation. However the best thing to do, in my opinion is to set up a sleeping scedual

The_Last_Skater
This i think can be solved by putting a cd player (batteries) in a building near u.. and turning it on max..with your favorite mixtape on repeat of course=] and then firstly all the zeds would flock to that building and leave yours alone, secondly u will keep morale up with music, and it will be amsing seeing zombies trying to eat a cd player lol! ;)


~Jack~:
Personally, I think drowning out the sounds is a bad idea. If you have music blasting into your ear, and a zombie bashes a door down, would not be able to tell the difference. The zombie will come on in and take you by surprise.Not to mention blasting music in your ears damages your hearing in the long run and it will take years to recover... Not to mention if you try to talk to someone who is blasting music in their ears, they will not understand you.
Now, when it comes to noises like gunfire, it is important you keep your ears protected. Preferably something you can put on and take off easily. Like ear muffs! You can still hear other people talk, but they need to be talking clearly and not mumble and slur their syllables and pronunciation.