It was 11 o'clock at night and there I was tossing and turning. I had a final exam the next day bright and early in the morning but I couldn't get to sleep because my noisy neighbors were blasting music and playing (what seemed to be) basketball only a few feet above my head on the next floor. Loud, raucous laughter permeated throughout the warm night air as I laid there furious with the pillow thrown over my head tightly.

Sound familiar? At some point in your life (if you haven't already), you are going to encounter some sort of annoying neighbor who seems to always be on the opposite schedule as you or who seems to always be around blasting music, slamming car doors, slamming cabinets or running a marathon in their apartment above you. If you live in an apartment and don't really feel comfortable confronting your neighbor directly or by yourself, feel free to bring a friend with you to knock on their door. Politely tell them what the problem is and ask them to be a little more courteous. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you can always go down the the main office at your apartment complex and tell the management the number of the apartment as well as the specific issues that you have been dealing with. Be sure to know the exact times or approximate times of night/day that the grievances begin. If your neighbor is not at home when you knock on his/her door, feel free to leave them a note regarding the issue.

Whenever you live in an apartment complex or a condominium complex, you have to be wary of your other neighbors. Not everyone works a 9-5 schedule; and similarly, not everyone has the same tastes in music and politics, etc. The last thing some people want to hear (especially those who have young children) is explicit rap music blasting at 3 in the morning. Regarding the fact that many people have different schedules, the neighbor who lives below me is a young airplane pilot. This means that his hours are all over the place. Sometimes he is sleeping during the day, and sometimes he isn't here for days at a time. Regardless of what his schedule is, I always make a conscious effort to keep my music down to a respectable level when I am home.

Another thing that many apartment dwellers as well as home owners have to deal with are neighbors who love to party. With partying comes alcohol, music, food and people littering. If you own a house, you should first make sure that it is ok with your neighbors that you host a gathering because chances are that your guests won't be able to fit all of their cars in your driveway and will have to park along the street, which may or may not interfere with things that your neighbors have going on. By at least checking in with your neighbors, you are demonstrating that you are being considerate, and hopefully, down the line when they have a small gathering- they will remember and return the favor.