'Kids have to learn to sleep though noise'

[AnyDream]

The only thing I want to add to this discussion is to point out that there's a percentage of people out there walking around with undiagnosed sleep disorders - either with difficulty getting to or staying asleep. Often for these people, the quality of sleep when they are asleep is very poor as well. This kind of ongoing sleep deprivation is a nightmare. So, while I've always expected my kids to cope with the low hum of general living noise, when I've been around other people with sleep difficulties I have been very, very careful to respect their need for quiet, even when it's meant limiting my own night-owl activities.

ETA - On the other hand, those who supposedly need "silence" to the point that it's impacting whole groups of people in the shared space should, IMO, be using some white noise techniques, by way of compromise. That way everyone's needs can be accommodated.