(Video link HERE.) After my bed started shaking me awake due to a mysterious mechanical vibration, I tried MANY possible fixes through trial-and-error.  Quite a few desperate, vibration-plagued readers wrote asking for a summary of the solutions I found. Assuming you are a NOT an off-the-charts-sensitive person like me, they may provide relief while you try to hunt down the source of the vibration (the hot links will take you to the details, or just search “vibration” to see everything I tried).

Meanwhile, check out New Zealand musician Nigel Stanford‘s dazzling audio frequency visualizations that illustrates the effect of frequencies on matter — including our bed and us.

6 Most Effective Fixes for Taming Vibration:

Sleep in a bed made of wood, not metal. (It makes a HUGE difference.) If possible, support the long spans and center by rigging additional wooden legs. Elevate the legs on hockey pucks.

vibrating bed fix wood blocks

—Try placing your bed platform on legs made of yoga blocks and open-cell foam rubber.

Rubber4

Counter the vibration with another vibration. I found two ways to do this:
1. place the bass sub-woofer of a speaker system directly against the bed frame. If possible, place the speakers outside the room, or cover them with towels to dampen their sound. Wear ear plugs. Using a downloadable app, play a single tone through the speaker system

Sally Schneider
Sally Schneider

2. sleep wearing good noise-cancelling headphones playing sounds that take your attention away from the vibration (or counter them altogether). Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones have been worth every penny of their $299. I use them almost every night.

Bose noise cancelling ear buds

 

 

NOTE: After much trial and error, I did find a simple, inexpensive way to dampen the vibration coming through my bed. You can read about it here.

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4 replies on “Does Your Apartment Vibrate? Fixes that Help Tame Vibration

  1. Vibration is a problem we in the audio world face every time we listen. Vibrations from speakers come up through the racks and affect electronics to an audible degree. One of the best dampers for sources of vibrations and one that is designed to support heavier weights is neoprene and cork footers. They are used under air conditioner compressors to minimize vibration but they also work under computers and audio shelves to minimize vibration from affecting the item on top.

    I would suggest a sandwich approach with 3-4 of 2×2 inch footers on the floor then a dense piece of wood to support the bed leg. Cost is under $25 for 20 of the 2×2 inch ones. Just search this term on ebay “anti vibration pad rubber cork”.

    Good luck

  2. Thank you so much for the info! I recently found that isolation pads by Diversitech really help: neoprene sandwiched with a different material than cork. I wonder if you’re familiar with them, or if you think the cork ones are better?

    I tried stacking two with a piece of wood under the bed leg but it seemed like it made it more jiggly, perhaps because the neoprene part is corrugated rather than in a waffle pattern.
    Will try again AND will try the cork ones…

  3. My floor,bed and couch vibrate. I’ve heard of bed shakers that can be controlled remotely through a cell phone and Bluetooth. I have a malicious neighbor upstairs who is I believe is doing something to make my floor and bed and couch vibrate. I believe he is a high tech electrician. Please I need help figuring out what is going on and how to make it stop. Thankyou

  4. People now use vibration as a weapon, and has to be induced by SOMEONE. It’s not safe for them, if I get my hands on their throat.

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