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

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 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

Pardon for what is possibly an unhelpful post, but from a purely practical pov, in terms of blocking low frequency soundwaves it's mass rather than material that does it - from a studio perspective building a room that keeps the sounds isolated within is quite a challenge...

It's usually built as a room within a room with a high density material surrounding the inner structure... Best way to imagine it is thinking of a larger box with a smaller box inside, with a reasonably thick layer of sand (or similar) in between the two boxes. 

There are things like high density rock wool that can absorb some of the vibrations through walls, but you'd still get it through the floors etc, and you'd lose a good foot from your room... all the way around if you wanted to block everything. 

I feel your pain - there's not a lot worse than having someone else's noise forced upon you, which is the main reason I use headphones to make/listen to music. 

Not only are they expensive, I imagine success is very subjective. There's lots of things you can try, but you run the risk of throwing a lot of cash at it for marginal improvements, depending on how sensitive you are to it. 

With low frequency waves once they're in they're in - I'd feel around and try to guage where the worst spots are (as in can you feel the vibrations on the windows the same as the walls, floors etc... and try not to get too focussed in here - keep it within an hour or so!). If you can determine one area that's worse I'd start there...

For windows I believe you can also have inserts made, though obviously opening and closing is then a potential issue. There's also thick dampening curtains which may help a little.

Walls/floors you can insulate - adding mass is going to help the most but there are other options. I know of studio types that have taken doors off wardrobes and added furniture to absorb bass frequencies too, but really you've got to go with what's practical.  

At my last place my studio was in the cellar - I went the high density foam (100mm rockwool) in the walls route with acoustic dampening plasterboard, bass traps etc... it did a great job of sending the sound up through the floorboards into the living room above! We sold the house before I went the let's dump sand/high density foam into the floorboard spaces, but really headphones for 99% of the time was my solution, with speakers used only to briefly reference/fix at the final stages. 

Good luck, and if I can point you in the direction of ideas/useful websites I'm happy to - I'm here periodically but will try to remember to log in a bit more often. 

Thanks, that is so kind of you!  I can't pinpoint where the sound is most intruding from - I feel it everywhere and I am sure it must come through the floor as well as the windows as I feel it through my pillow when I try to sleep.  I am going to fit more glazing and some more padded/proofed flooring, but I cannot afford to get in a proper soundproof consultant as they cost so much.  I am going to a meeting now, so please don't think I have lost interest if I cannot reply any more today. I am really grateful for your kindness and your intelligent perspectives. x

Thanks for getting it - sometimes knowing the facts/challenges can help with perspective. From the outside looking in it seems like you need to find a happy medium with the two priorities - the kids also need parents who aren't stressed to their limit due to external triggers. 

Can you (literally) feel for a sense of where the vibrations are at their worst? If it were the walls more than the floors for example I might be able to point you in a slightly better/more practical direction than building a DIY anechoic chamber! Also worth thinking is it all walls/rooms etc. 

Thanks for the well wishes too!

Please don't apologise Acquiesce , your points are very helpful. I am looking into exactly what you have suggested but I don't know how to make it an affordable option.  I have to prioritise my kids' needs first and it seems greedy to use money on my own inability to cope. Good luck with your music-making! And thank you.

Please don't apologise Acquiesce , your points are very helpful. I am looking into exactly what you have suggested but I don't know how to make it an affordable option.  I have to prioritise my kids' needs first and it seems greedy to use money on my own inability to cope. Good luck with your music-making! And thank you.

Not only are they expensive, I imagine success is very subjective. There's lots of things you can try, but you run the risk of throwing a lot of cash at it for marginal improvements, depending on how sensitive you are to it. 

With low frequency waves once they're in they're in - I'd feel around and try to guage where the worst spots are (as in can you feel the vibrations on the windows the same as the walls, floors etc... and try not to get too focussed in here - keep it within an hour or so!). If you can determine one area that's worse I'd start there...

For windows I believe you can also have inserts made, though obviously opening and closing is then a potential issue. There's also thick dampening curtains which may help a little.

Walls/floors you can insulate - adding mass is going to help the most but there are other options. I know of studio types that have taken doors off wardrobes and added furniture to absorb bass frequencies too, but really you've got to go with what's practical.  

At my last place my studio was in the cellar - I went the high density foam (100mm rockwool) in the walls route with acoustic dampening plasterboard, bass traps etc... it did a great job of sending the sound up through the floorboards into the living room above! We sold the house before I went the let's dump sand/high density foam into the floorboard spaces, but really headphones for 99% of the time was my solution, with speakers used only to briefly reference/fix at the final stages. 

Good luck, and if I can point you in the direction of ideas/useful websites I'm happy to - I'm here periodically but will try to remember to log in a bit more often. 

Thanks, that is so kind of you!  I can't pinpoint where the sound is most intruding from - I feel it everywhere and I am sure it must come through the floor as well as the windows as I feel it through my pillow when I try to sleep.  I am going to fit more glazing and some more padded/proofed flooring, but I cannot afford to get in a proper soundproof consultant as they cost so much.  I am going to a meeting now, so please don't think I have lost interest if I cannot reply any more today. I am really grateful for your kindness and your intelligent perspectives. x

Thanks for getting it - sometimes knowing the facts/challenges can help with perspective. From the outside looking in it seems like you need to find a happy medium with the two priorities - the kids also need parents who aren't stressed to their limit due to external triggers. 

Can you (literally) feel for a sense of where the vibrations are at their worst? If it were the walls more than the floors for example I might be able to point you in a slightly better/more practical direction than building a DIY anechoic chamber! Also worth thinking is it all walls/rooms etc. 

Thanks for the well wishes too!