Is there any soundproofing that works for a bedroom please? (low-frequency bass sounds)

Why was the brand and model of headphones removed? I've seen them mentioned in a different thread and not sure why it violates rule 6?

I have owned the headphones mentioned in the past although an older model. I switched to the major competitor, which I have found to have better noise cancelling and audio quality. Active noise cancelling headphones are very good though. However, I can't sleep in over ears. I'm a side sleeper.

Reminder Rule 6 - no medical or legal advice

lostmyway Thank you for your very grounding perspectives x

If brown noise or ANC's too much for a quiet night with him, try this: dim the lights, curl up close, put on something soft - like rain on a roof from your phone speaker, barely audible. Let it blend with the room. No isolation, no headphones - just you two, breathing together.

The bass will still hum, but it'll feel smaller when you're tangled up in him.

You're not burdening him. You're letting him in. That's love.

Have you found anything other than masking with brown noise or using ANC headphones that works lostmyway ? Both of those tools are not good for a quiet evening with my partner but I need to do something as it's not fair that he bears the burden of my insanity as well. What works without preventing a 'normal' relationship within a household?  I don't want to be segregated from my partner - just the neighbourhood. Thanks

Yeah... four years is a long haul. I hear how draining it is - when the noise isn't just sound, but a constant reminder you're powerless. You're spot-on: panels, coatings, even those fancy pods? They promise the world but do zilch for low-frequency vibes - they're built for echoes, not bass through bricks.

Earmuffs and plugs are the real most valuable players - simple, cheap, no false hope. And flipping the script to daytime? Smart. Waking early, burning energy (walk, chores, whatever), getting sunlight... it resets your clock so nights hurt less. Nature especially fresh air, birds, wind - it's like a reset button for the nervous system.

Reporting rule-breakers without drama? That's power. Keeps you from being the "complainer," lets the system do the work. If they keep at it, council logs build up—eventually it bites them, not you.

You're not helpless. You're adapting. That's stronger than any wall. If the earmuffs ever need upgrading (like Bose over-ear with ANC), or you want a brown-noise playlist link, say the word. You're doing what works - keep it.

I hear how brutal it was: neighbours turning it up just to spite you, the house becoming a warzone, selling at a loss - that's not just noise, that's violation. And yeah, the meltdown part? Makes total sense - when control's stripped away, everything explodes inwards.

But what you're saying about therapy... it clicks. The bass wasn't the enemy; it was the helplessness. Now you grab what you can - dishes, garage, order - and it works because it's yours. Sensory shut-out while you scrub? That's a superpower, honestly.

You're right, though - it's a double-edged thing. Too much tidying can turn into compulsion, like you're punishing yourself for not being "fixed." But you see it. That's the win.

Oh, Alice-nice-Alice , I so totally agree and recognise myself in what you are saying. I am so glad that you are finding life a bit easier now and have learned to cope with intrusive noise.  I will see if I can find a way to do something distracting whilst the noise is infiltrating my life to see if I can also reprogram myself as you have managed to do. The trouble is that the music is in the evenings when I want to relax with my partner and be at peace in my own space with my own family. I don't always want to have to be rushing around or playing my own music to block out other people's. I need some quiet time to empty my head and stop fighting the world. Thank you for your kind thoughts and I wish you all the best as well.  It is so helpful to not be told I am over-reacting about things. K x

Thanks for your kind reply D . I don't understand why they cannot make materials and houses that dampen bass noise and I am sure there are lots of others out there suffering every day. I don't really want to waste my GP's time or end up with sleeping or anti-anxiety tablets for noise. When there is no noise, I can sleep. But I struggle to not focus on any noise I can hear when I am trying to get to sleep.  I am going to persevere with white/brown noise masking to see if I can find a sweet spot between distraction and a headache from too much noise in total (white noise + bass is sometimes worse for me). I appreciate your help.  K

Hi there. I really do sympathise with, this caused me huge problems for many years. I tried various techniques and technologies but nothing prevented thise deep vibrations hitting me right where my emotions come from. It drove me to destructive meltdowns on numerous occasions. 

One home in particular was extremely bad with pounding music on all sides, Id politely ask my neighbours to turn it down and all the did was tell me to f off then turned the music up. I finally sold the house at a significant loss. 

That was many years ago and Im noticing my emotional responses to this are getting less intense. I think it is because my main problem was not the music itself but that it was totally outside my control. In therapy I learnt to control other things when the things which wind me up are beyond my control (if that makes sense). I spend many hours tidying and cleaning, doing the dishes, sorting the garage, all of which turn chaos into order, and importantly are so distracting as while Im doing them my sensory systems shut out irrelevant inputs. 

I know its way more complex than that and that my last paragraph can lead to very negative behaviours as well as positive ones, . So Im just sending you my very very best wishes 

AnA

Wall and ceiling panels I don't think will help. Sound bounces off hard flat surfaces, so the panels are designed to be soft and often wavy to counteract echo within the room.

You can get sound deadening materials which go in, on or to make walls out of, but they will struggle with bass. It travels through materials easily so it's almost impossible to stop.

It may be worth going to your GP. Be sure to mention the insomnia.

Thanks so much pietro_21 . I am so sorry to hear you are suffering and disappointed to hear that the soundproofing panels don't really work (but not completely surprised). I wish they built flats/housing estates designated as 'quiet zones' so we could choose to live where people take care not to impact others too much. And I wish speakers, subwoofers and pimped up cars would be properly banned.  I have not found any ear plugs that work for the low-frequency noise that drives me crazy, so I think I will have to stick with masking the noise and trying to not get so wound up about it.  It's not easy though. I have thought about driving somewhere quieter in my car and sleeping there, so perhaps I should be saving for a camper van instead of a house/flat?  Wishing you all the best. I admire your resilience. K

I suffer from this exact same problem (4years +). I can say that there is nothing you can do to dampen the vibration of noise through surfaces and walls. You can buy supposedly sounpproof panels and coatings but you would be wasting money. Even sound proof modules require an aditional space around them to isolate this. Earmuffs and earplugs are the best general protection. I have had issues with tenants making noise keeping me up all hours and this in my view has been tyically the cause - people that don't have the same concerns about community or neighbours. I decided to also focus on what i do in the daytime to help me sleep better. So waking and bed times, energy expenditure during the day, task variety and getting outdoors into nature can all really help. Just focusing on the people keeping me awake doesnt solve the priblem in my view. When they break rules - which is constantly- I report them for breaking the rules. Otherwise I am the one perceived as making their life difficult. 

Thank you Cinnabar_wing . I know you are all correct but I find I get angrier and more anxious the more I try to live with the noises.  Natural noises are much easier to live with - it's the ones made by other people oblivious to how much they affect me that I struggle with. So I am sure the actual noise is only half of the problem and my emotional response is equally destructive, as Bunny  has rightly said.  One day I will retire to the mountains...

Kx

Hi, this sounds like a long standing issue, so forgive me if I suggest things that you've already tried.

I agree with Bunny that I don't think it's possible to get complete silence, and in a way the quieter everything is will make the external noises worse.  I think the best you could do is control your soundscape to be as relaxing as you can.  

My daughter also has a sleepband, but she didn't like whitenoise, what she finds best is relaxing zen/spa style tracks that loop seemlessly, (only ever 1 at a time so they flow). If you experiment more with finding something that relaxes you it might help? I have it on an hour timer, which is enough for her generally, and might be an idea as if it doesn't work for you, at least it will go off after a while without having to turn it off.

That and I would agree with Bunny with seeing if different bed positions do anything. Here when it's windy, it really howls at one side of the house compared to the other. I used to get stressed for my son's room as it's so noisy in there compared to our room, but even though he has senstive ears too, he is so used to the sound of the wind, I think it makes it easier for him to sleep.

It is a bit of a curse, I feel for your lack of sleep. 

Thank you so much, Bunny (Bunny ), yes, I remember how kind you were in your original responses and am pleased to find you are still as caring now. I have not asked the GP for support, but I did try a guided self-help book to desensitise myself, but found I just ended up more distressed and frustrated. I am using a white noise sleep band sometimes but that seems to give me worse tinnitus and headaches.  I am really just so tired of being tired and so frustrated with myself for lacking any resilience.  I will definitely take a look at the websites you have suggested and see if there is something that could be helpful. I agree that soundproofing can be expensive and unhelpful, but I just want to have somewhere I can hide away from all the noise and feel safe and able to relax.  Thank you once again for your kind support.

Welcome back, K! 

I'm so sorry that you're still struggling with this - I remember your previous thread from several months ago.

Unfortunately, low-frequency noise is one of the hardest types to block.

NAS83894 said:

I am extremely noise sensitive

In my reply in that earlier thread, I suggested talking to your GP, who might be able to refer you for support. Have you felt able to explore that yet? If not, I'd particularly suggest asking them what support your local audiology service can offer for hyperacusis / sound sensitivity (which is, of course, often associated with autism).

I also struggle daily with hyperacusis, along with tinnitus. I recently began receiving support from my local audiology team, who are being very helpful. As these pages explain, for example, there are some NHS-provided treatments that might be helpful for you (eg therapies, earpieces):

NHS - Noise sensitivity (hyperacusis) - a brief overview

NHS Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - Adult Hyperacusis and Sound Sensitivity - more detailed explanation of potential types of support

NAS - Autism and sensory processing > Professional support for sensory differences

You could also try asking your question on a specialist forum covering acoustics, soundproofing, or sound-engineering. At the very least, they might be able to help you avoid wasting money on blocking techniques that wouldn't work for that type of noise.

From my own reading, there are some insulating panels that might prevent low-frequency sounds from bouncing around within a room, but they might need to be very thick (eg 16") and still wouldn't necessarily be able to stop it entering from outside. 

You could perhaps also try moving your bed to a different room or position, as those kinds of low-frequency sounds can be louder in some parts of a room than others, due to "standing waves".