• Replies 27 replies
  • Subscribers 89 subscribers
  • Views 663 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

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

NAS83894

Hi

I am extremely noise sensitive and am plagued by the low frequency rhythm of bass music from somewhere in my neighbourhood.  Since I am not sure where it comes from and it is too quiet to be considered a nuisance by the council or any 'normal' person, I am stuck with insomnia and nightly distress. Ear plugs amplify the sound and the white noise headbands give me a headache that is as bad or worse than the sleeplessness. I have triple glazing and 2 layers of thick curtains, my bed is on anti-vibration plates and not touching any wall. I don't know what more I can realistically do or afford. Please can anyone offer any advice on soundproofing that actually works for low-frequency vibration? Or other ways to cope without getting more and more desperate?  Do wall or ceiling panels work? Do any medications or treatments help?  I am worried about getting more and more crazy and I don't want to cause any animosity with neighbours as it is not their fault.  Thank you. K x

Parents

  • 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.

  • in reply to D

    Thanks for your kind reply  . 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

  • in reply to NAS83894

    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. 

  • in reply to NAS83894

    No problem at all! While I am fairly noise sensitive to sounds out of my control, really I come at this from the opposite: trying to stop other people hearing the sounds I make... I think being noise sensitive makes you more aware of the need to reduce your own as much as possible*. 

    I didn't know about white noise headbands - I'd worry about tinnitus (a regular worry after decades of headphone wearing) but apparently they are a direct fix for that - guessing it's about getting levels as low as possible. 

     I hope you can get it all within acceptable levels - I certainly understand that feeling of being totally locked in to something outside of your own control. Good luck! 

    (* I'm no saint though - I'm sure my neighbours hear the soundbar under my TV when I watch a film!)

  • in reply to Acquiesce

    Thanks  .  I really appreciate all your helpful pointers. I have not heard of acoustic sealant, but it sounds good so I will look into it. I agree re sealing noise out being pretty challenging in the summer, but I am hoping that if I can seal it out when I first go to bed, I can open windows at 2am when the noise goes down and still get some cooling into the room.  A fan may be a good intermediate.  I have a white noise sleep headband, but it sometimes makes my ears ring or gives me more of a headache, so perhaps the fan would be enough to break up the repetitive music even if not drowning it out.  I will do some more research, but I am grateful for your informed experience! You must have been through the exact same experiences/feelings.  Hope your situation now is good.  Thanks again. x

Reply
  • in reply to Acquiesce

    Thanks  .  I really appreciate all your helpful pointers. I have not heard of acoustic sealant, but it sounds good so I will look into it. I agree re sealing noise out being pretty challenging in the summer, but I am hoping that if I can seal it out when I first go to bed, I can open windows at 2am when the noise goes down and still get some cooling into the room.  A fan may be a good intermediate.  I have a white noise sleep headband, but it sometimes makes my ears ring or gives me more of a headache, so perhaps the fan would be enough to break up the repetitive music even if not drowning it out.  I will do some more research, but I am grateful for your informed experience! You must have been through the exact same experiences/feelings.  Hope your situation now is good.  Thanks again. x

Children
  • in reply to NAS83894

    No problem at all! While I am fairly noise sensitive to sounds out of my control, really I come at this from the opposite: trying to stop other people hearing the sounds I make... I think being noise sensitive makes you more aware of the need to reduce your own as much as possible*. 

    I didn't know about white noise headbands - I'd worry about tinnitus (a regular worry after decades of headphone wearing) but apparently they are a direct fix for that - guessing it's about getting levels as low as possible. 

     I hope you can get it all within acceptable levels - I certainly understand that feeling of being totally locked in to something outside of your own control. Good luck! 

    (* I'm no saint though - I'm sure my neighbours hear the soundbar under my TV when I watch a film!)