16 Sex Ideas For When You Can’t Make Too Much Noise

During college, I spent four years living in dorms. Shortly after, I moved into an apartment with roommates. When it comes to my sexual history, there's rarely been an encounter that hasn't involved at least some level of caution when it comes to volume. In trying to control it, however, you realize there's not much about sex that is innately quiet. The bed bangs against the wall, the mattress squeaks, even your body makes noises from time to time.

Of course, there's no shame in any of these things. However, some of us just don't want to deal with the awkward eye contact or conversation with roomies or family members that could follow a particularly loud night. So we reached out to a couple of experts who assured us that you can still have satisfying sex without anyone else needing to put on headphones, and found some first-hand tips and tricks from users on Reddit who figured out how to get it on while keeping it down.

Ahead are 16 ways you and your partner(s) can have sex without being heard or making too much noise — whether it's coming from you, the bed, or beyond.