Desensitize Desensitize Desensitize

I have a pet fish named Sylle, and he/she (god only knows) lives in a small tank next to my bed. There's a small water pump which doubles as a filter fitted onto the back of my small fish tank. Although the water pump is small and said to be ‘soundless’, it creates quite an intrusive sound when the water hits the surface - so it’s indirectly noisy; especially so when I’m is trying to sleep, that’s when our sense of hearing is most acute.

Gradually however, I have become desensitized towards the noise and the occasional spray of water.

Then a couple of nights ago, there was a power cut. I woke up and looked around to see what had disturbed my slumber; but I couldn’t figure out what exactly had disturbed me. I wasn’t hot or perspiring, the sun wasn’t up yet and no one was awake yet to make any noise. I then realized what was wrong; it was too quiet- there wasn’t the usual sounds of people moving around the house, cars pulling out of the driveway, animals scurrying around the playfield next to my house… Nothing… There wasn’t any sound at all; it was as if I was alone in the world. I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, and kept on tossing and turning till morning.

So this is what I found ironic; first I’m so used to the absolute soundlessness of my bedroom, that when the fish tank first arrives I find the sounds it makes intrusive and I can’t sleep. Gradually, I become desensitized towards the sounds, and I resumed peaceful sleeping routines. Then the ‘intrusive sounds’ are removed from my environment and I can’t cope without the ‘intrusive sounds’. What then, need I be desensitized to the lack of ‘intrusive sounds’?

Luckily, I didn’t have to desensitize myself as the power was back by mid-morning. But wouldn’t it be weird having to get used to not having a previously annoying sound around to fill in the soundlessness of the world which was once your norm?