As to the sounds -- it's not a perfect fix, but combinations of ear plugs / ear-plug-style-headphones / white noise can do wonders, both during sleep and in noisy offices, or when helicopters/leaf blowers/etc. are going.
When construction in Manhattan starts at 7am on Saturday, it wakes me up, but I put the ear plugs back in and turn on white noise and I'm fine. When I'm at work and there's a helicopter or union strike or noisy coworker, I throw in the in-ear headphones (they form a seal) and turn on the white noise app on my phone. It totally sucks we have to do these things, but they can help a lot.
When construction in Manhattan starts at 7am on Saturday, it wakes me up, but I put the ear plugs back in and turn on white noise and I'm fine. When I'm at work and there's a helicopter or union strike or noisy coworker, I throw in the in-ear headphones (they form a seal) and turn on the white noise app on my phone. It totally sucks we have to do these things, but they can help a lot.