A few years ago, I documented the many possible solutions I tried to quiet the mechanical vibration I felt coming through my floors, and which was disturbing my sleep. (You can read about them here.) It turns out, I was not alone in this plight. Hundreds of people from all over the country have written to share their story, desperate to find ways to quiet the vibrations that disturbs them.

Our ever-awake world is full of machinery creating disturbing vibrations that can travel surprisingly far, from construction sites to air conditioning condensers to ceiling fans.

After trying all sorts of ingenious fails — 80-pound handmade concrete blocks; springs; hockey pucks; space age rubber; bean bag pellets; yoga blocks; halved tennis balls; stacks of cork; custom-made shock absorbers — I finally found a simple, inexpensive way to significantly dampen the vibration: Diversitech Anti-Vibration Pads, made of a unique sandwich of composite foam and rubber. A set of four 4-inch square ones costs less than $12. (BE SURE the pads you are buying are marked “Wagner” are model number:Diversitech MP4-E E.V.A. (We’ve heard the pads are no longer being marked Wagner and are researching ways to verify them.)  I’ve found there are fakes which have no markings and smell foul. If you you receive pads aren’t this model or smell foul, return them to Amazon for a refund.

 

Placing the Diversitech pads under machinery like refrigerators and air conditioners will severely dampen their vibration. I put them under my bed legs to dampen the vibration traveling UP the leg through the floor and waking me every night.

 

Sally Schneider

Having tried various ways of using them, including stacked on hockey pucks, I found that simply placing one each on top of a small piece of wood, and then under each of the bed legs works best. (A reader wrote to say she found that placing them on TWO pieces of wood worked better for her.) Curiously, stacking the Diversitech pads seems to make vibrations worse.

 

Sally Schneider

 

NOTE: If you feel vibrations coming through the floor to your bed, it is essential that you get a wooden bed, which conducts vibrations far less than a metal one.

A quick solution is the inexpensive Nomad Hardwood Platform Bed Frame made out of poplar and available on Amazon. It can be assembled in less than an hour and is surprisingly well-made.

I made an easily adjustable bed skirt for mine to hide art materials I store under the bed as well as the vibration pad fix. Read about it here.

Editor’s Note: Sensitivity to vibration depends greatly on personal makeup and nervous system, as well as the degree of the vibration so we cannot claim this will work for everyone. But the pads are so inexpensive, we figure it’s worth a shot.

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90 replies on “Simple Effective Way to Dampen Irritating Vibrations

  1. I am so glad, Sally, that you’ve found an elegant solution to the bed vibration problem. I’ve wondered every once in a while how it was going. Thanks for the update.

  2. Congratulations! Such a difficult problem, finally solved.

  3. So happy that you found a solution after all this time and all this effort. What good news!

  4. I actually found it some time ago, but so many people keep writing with desperate hopes of having a solution, that I wanted to do an official post so those poor souls would find it.

  5. I’ve been in my building two almost three years. It’s brand new in a downtown area behind a Marriotts, also new. Until I found these pages, I wasn’t sure I wasn’t imagining, although my next door feels the vibrations too. It does keep her awake though.

    I’ve been sleep-deprived for all this time except when I get so exhausted I’ll sleep through it and for 12 hours, or when I take an ambien. My Dr. prescribes them sparingly, so mostly I’ve been tired.

    A year ago I searched online. What I found were people saying it’s the earth buzzing or some whacko theory about only a few people can sense the vibrations and it’s some unearthly phenomenon. Great, I thought, I am crazy.

    Imagine my relief when this past week I found your thread. Your misery has saved me. I will be doing this fix and look forward to sleep AND saying goodbye to the constant anxiety that -“Oh, I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight.” By the way, I think it is a sump pump buried under the building. I’m on the first floor, it goes on and off but this April it has been on constantly and it has been raining constantly so that’s my guess. I haven’t brought this up to management, like I said, I thought I was crazy.

  6. I bought the originals and they smell like hell, they also do not work, the vibration continues.

  7. Hi. I’m sorry to hear these did not work for you. I’m wondering if something has gone awry with the Diversitech pads, or if there are counterfeits flooding the market. Several sets I bought did not smell. And they did help greatly in dampening the vibration, so much so that I could finally sleep through them (as I was never able to find the source).

    That said, sensitivity to vibration depends greatly on personal makeup and nervous system as well as the degree of the vibration. I will include that reminder as a caveat.

  8. It’s amazing how much it helps to know you are not crazy… Though I’m really sorry you are having to suffer through this.

  9. If you think you are crazy, wait till you hear (read) me. I think the vibrations are from rats (or tiny mice, or both). They may be under the floor, or on your mattress or bed frame. Just a theory, but would love a solution.

  10. Sally, after about 10 days, the vibrations came back. Not as strong, though. I used the pads but without the hardwood block underneath. Which I will get soon. The centers caved in where the pad meets the leg of the bed.

    The pads I have are about 2″ X 2″. If I find they don’t work as well once I have the hardwood block underneath, should I get larger pads?

    My hardwood bed frame arrived yesterday. Yay!

  11. Hi Diana,
    Am I right that you found some relief for about 10 days, then started feeling the vibrations again though not as strong? If so, that is progress. I think a couple of things are going on.

    First, I found the larger pads work best, so you may do better with them. Second, I’ve found that I can get relief from a fix (like this) and then my nervous system can start to get attuned in a new way to the vibration (which hasn’t gone away; its just been dampened by the vibration pad) and start to feel it again.

    Your nervous system has been on high alert for a long time and that is not going to get undone immediately. I think that as you find ways to physically dampen the vibration, you will gradually begin to relax more, and then, hopefully, sleep through it. But you need to do things to calm your nervous system: meditation, the 4-7-8 breath I wrote about recently, exercise, etc.

    I’ve found that certain things can definitely increase my feeling the vibration. Stress and anxiety for sure.
    And then curiously, ear plugs, which I often wear because I am so sensitive to noise. But by blocking out all noise, they seem to make the vibration more apparent; some sound is actually a good distraction.

    Through trial and error, and deep listening, we gradually make progress.

    Onward!

  12. Your words are so true!!!! Knowing I will get at least, usually, six hours before it kicks in. This isn’t an all-night motor. Thank heavens! I’m calmer. Before this solution – I COULD NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP when the motor shut off. Too stressed out about the whole thing. Now I can go back to sleep.

    I think too that the pads I bought rounded out in the middle reducing the space between the vibes and the bedpost, accounts for the vibes getting through again.

    I am so grateful to you. I CANNOT move and as we all know – sleep deprivation is a common method of torture – ‘nuf said.

    The only other website I found about vibrations was kooky = conspiracy theories – the earth rebelling against human abuse – you know just made me feel like, okay, I AM crazy.

    What blessing it was to discover your threads and how dedicated you have been to find a solution, not just for you but for everyone. Once you found the solution you could have just signed off – like “Okay, I’m fixed, you are all on your own now.” Bless you, for still being here for others.

  13. Sally, I keep trying to post a thank you, the message I get is I’m posting a duplicate will try again later.

  14. Diana, Thanks so much. I am so glad to hear that you’ve found some measure of help here. I believe that it will improve further as you tweak the physical solutions and your nervous system begins to calm.

  15. Sally,

    I am significantly struggling with this exact same issue and I am in desperate need of help. I do know where the vibrations are starting from which is a train about 0.75 miles away that passes intermittently through the night in addition to me being a very light sleeper. the worst part is that I just moved in my home which I designed and built myself basically my dream home and now I’m faced with this issue and don’t know what to do.

    I have a serta pillow top mattress which has a combination of memory foam and regular spring. I also very heavy adjustable bed frame with a total of 8 legs which acts as the box spring and frame. It does have steel in it but because it’s so heavy I thought that perhaps this would be better than a lighter wood frame and box spring that might be more prone to vibrations but I’m not sure if this is accurate so my next step might be to purchase standard box spring and wood frame.

    So here’s what I’ve done, I added 2 foam mattress toppers totaling 4″ between my mattress and frame and underneath each of the bed footings I have 2 Diversitech pads sandwiched on top of and below a think piece of wood. I thought for sure this would work but it did not. I can’t really tell at this point if the vibrations are at least “improving” because when I wake up to it regardless I’m super stressed out. I recently purchased and I’m waiting to receive a large 1/2″ heavy duty industrial rubber mat which I will use between my mattress and bed frame which my hope is that it will disburse any remaining vibrations that come up from the floor/legs.

    I do have wood floors in my bedroom and the house is raised on 3′ concrete block piers.

    I’m wondering if as you indicate the wood block on the floor and then a single Diversitech pad on top of it would be better but I would have to believe that multiple pads “should” work better in theory.

    I also purchased some sorbethane pads which I haven’t yet received but when they come in, I was planning to add to the footing stack.

    I’m running out of good options here and I just can’t imagine having to move because of this. I simply never even considered the train when buying this property so I’m beyond frustrated.

    Your situation sounds so similar to mine so I was hoping to pick your brain based on what you’ve learned and in relation to my situation.

  16. Sally,

    You said that stacking 2 Diversitech pads didn’t do any good? I wonder if splitting the 2 with a sorbethane pad would help? Do you find the wood block works well? I have wood floors so I wonder if that’s the best way. Also, I recently purchased a 1/2″ heavy duty pad like they have at the gym that I plan to put between the bed and frame.

    This is the most frustrating thing ever!

  17. Hi Ryan,
    I have tried SO many fixes that SEEM logical but often have the opposite effect. So when I stacked two Diversitech pads, thinking more is better, they amplified the vibration.

    Similarly, after being advised to try Sorbothane (sandwiching it between the bed and 80-pound concrete blocks that I made myself!), I found the same thing. Talking to an engineer at Sorbothane taught me that the material only works with frequencies above 10. My frequency is 6, so Sorbothane has the effect of amplifying it. This also happens if you stack too many kinds of foams. You want them to cancel each other out, not amplify. If you read my many posts, you’ll see I tried gym mats, bean bags, air mattresses, various kinds of foam, springs on and on.

    Noise and vibration transmission being a highly complex and specific realm, three engineers I spoke to gave me wrong information so I continued with my trial-and-error process to discover what would work FOR ME and my particular vibration. That is what I advise for you. Persevere, test things out. I’ve documented my process to give people like you the info I’ve found. What I’ve found after all my monkeying around is the simple formula or wooden bed + one Diversitech pad on top of a wood block.

    Wishing you the best of luck.

  18. Hi all:

    I found this article searching rationale information about how to dampen vibrations in turntables. It’s out of the scope but just for your information, vibration coming to the turntables are clearly audible and therefore must be avoided.

    There is a lot of anti-vibration investigation and testing in that field and I would like to share my experience with you in order to help to to test a solution that I see you haven’t tested yet.

    Theory is quite simple: put a high mass on a small surface so the presure was so high that the vibration could’t be transfered. That is the principle behind the speaker spikes: Put spikes on the points where heavy speakers contact the floor, so their vibration when playing music could not be dropped to the room. For turntables the process is similar: mount the turntable on a really heavy plinth and put it on spikes to avoid that the room vibrations arrive to the turntable.

    For your case, you should act as the turntable: put your bed on spikes and in case you noticed an improvement, consider increasing the mass of your bed. I guess that it would work better in smaller beds since the surface between legs is smaller and therefore the resonances that vibrations could create will be smaller too.

    One last advice: do avoid spending too much money in esotheric spikes (and in the world or audiophile there’s A LOT of esotherism). The simplest, hardest spikes would work (in case “spiking” was a solution).

    Finally, some comments: I read you tried the high mass approach (zinc bed) but you didn’t consider using spikes, what is an incomplete solution. Foam surfaces act as a good anti damping solution when the origin of the vibration (for instance, a machine) is over the foam, but doesn’t work in the same way when you try to avoid the vibrations arriving to you.

    I hope it was helpful for some of you. As said by other people, there are different vibration frequencies and therefore different solutions. Please, share your experience!

    Note: I don’t have the smallest relationship with spike manufacturing or selling. As you will see there are hundred of sellers and shops where you can buy them.

  19. I can’t thank you enough for this info. I’d read a bit about spikes but somehow they didn’t register. As you noted, I did increase the mass of my bed, even pouring four 80-pound concrete “legs” for it, to no avail. The spikes appear to be the piece that was missing.

    Do these spikes seem viable? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00309Q0VQ/ref=psdc_3236443011_t3_B003BFWQIU
    It seems like I could screw them into wood boards that would make a platform for the bed, or the weighted legs.
    (In the meantime, I will look at Home Depot for options.) AH, found a good Instructables for inexpensive speaker isolation spikes: http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-easy-loudspeaker-spikes/

    I/we very much appreciate your help.

  20. Hi Sally:

    Happy to read that you are testing my suggestion. Please have into consideration that the key is the highest mass on the smallest surface, what means three things: sharpen spikes, flat bases and hardest material available. My advice: go for stainless steeel spikes and bases (you can find them in Amazon, even cheaper than the example you put.

    About instructables, have in mind that the spikes must rest on a hard base or you’ll get a nice hole in your floor.

    Finally and again, consider testing it first with no extra weight in the bed (think that audio spikes are thought for supporting 30-50kg) and, in case you noticed an improvement, go for bigger, harder spikes (and bases!) and then increase the bed weight.

    Good luck.

  21. Hi Sally, I bought Diversitech 4″ X 4″ pads. They worked okay for about a week. I didn’t notice that you wrote they should have Wagner printed on them. I came back for more ideas and saw that. I now have Diversitech Wagners on order. At Amazon the cost was $33.00. (Worth every penny)

    The regular Diversitech – no Wagner printed on them were $10.49, in line with your pricing in your instructions. I write this in case clarification is needed. In other words, if people aren’t paying close attention, they may, as I did, go ahead and order the $10.49 pads thinking the price fits, the picture fits…place your order. Only you won’t be getting Wagners.

    Here is the link to Wagners at Amazon.

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073C93YFF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I have my Nomad bed all assembled…love it. Thanks SO much for that tip. So easy to assemble, it was almost fun. How often can you say that? Excellent design.

    Where can I buy a vibration measuring device and what are they called? Thanks

  22. HI Sally, What are instruments that measure the frequency of vibrations called and where can I find them? Thanks,

  23. Thank you for your very good info. I’ve put a note in the post saying that if you don’t receive the real Wagner pads, to return them to a refund to Amazon, which is what I did with ones I ordered a friend.) VERY glad the bed has worked out. It is amazing for the money, really.

    A tool that measure vibration is called a vibration meter or an accelerometer. They are generally quite expensive. The vibration in my apartment was measured by a friend who is an acoustical engineer and borrowed one from his job, doing me a great favor. It was ultra sensitive and picked up the unusual 5 hertz vibration. His thinking was that if we get readings of the vibration, we might be able to match it to some mechanical, either on the roof or in the basement, a neighbor’s apartment etc. That means having access to the accelerometer for extended periods of time (which I didn’t), as well as access to the culprit mechanicals.

    I have tried various apps which purport to measure vibration but haven’t been able to wrap my head around how to read the various axis’. By the time I tried them, I had dampened the vibration enough to not feel it worth pursuing.

  24. A tool that measure vibration is called a vibration meter or an accelerometer. They are generally quite expensive. The vibration in my apartment was measured by a friend who is an acoustical engineer and borrowed one from his job, doing me a great favor. It was ultra sensitive and picked up the unusual 5 hertz vibration. His thinking was that if we get readings of the vibration, we might be able to match it to some mechanical, either on the roof or in the basement, a neighbor’s apartment etc. That means having access to the accelerometer for extended periods of time (which I didn’t), as well as access to the culprit mechanicals.

    Do an internet search might well turn up one in your area that you can rent. The tricky part is reading the results, which are on graphs that show three axis’.

    I have tried various apps which purport to measure vibration but haven’t been able to wrap my head around how to read the various axis’. By the time I tried them, I had dampened the vibration enough to not feel it worth pursuing.

  25. Please read the comment from Vincent D that gives an interesting solution that audiophiles use. I’m looking into how to apply it to a bed as it makes great sense.

    I found this article searching rationale information about how to dampen vibrations in turntables. It’s out of the scope but just for your information, vibration coming to the turntables are clearly audible and therefore must be avoided.

    There is a lot of anti-vibration investigation and testing in that field and I would like to share my experience with you in order to help to to test a solution that I see you haven’t tested yet.

    Theory is quite simple: put a high mass on a small surface so the presure was so high that the vibration could’t be transfered. That is the principle behind the speaker spikes: Put spikes on the points where heavy speakers contact the floor, so their vibration when playing music could not be dropped to the room. For turntables the process is similar: mount the turntable on a really heavy plinth and put it on spikes to avoid that the room vibrations arrive to the turntable.

    For your case, you should act as the turntable: put your bed on spikes and in case you noticed an improvement, consider increasing the mass of your bed. I guess that it would work better in smaller beds since the surface between legs is smaller and therefore the resonances that vibrations could create will be smaller too.

    One last advice: do avoid spending too much money in esotheric spikes (and in the world or audiophile there’s A LOT of esotherism). The simplest, hardest spikes would work (in case “spiking” was a solution).

    Finally, some comments: I read you tried the high mass approach (zinc bed) but you didn’t consider using spikes, what is an incomplete solution. Foam surfaces act as a good anti damping solution when the origin of the vibration (for instance, a machine) is over the foam, but doesn’t work in the same way when you try to avoid the vibrations arriving to you.

    I hope it was helpful for some of you. As said by other people, there are different vibration frequencies and therefore different solutions. Please, share your experience!

    Note: I don’t have the smallest relationship with spike manufacturing or selling. As you will see there are hundred of sellers and shops where you can buy them.

  26. Hi Sally, thanks. Here’s an update on the Wagner imprint. I ordered a second set of pads through Amazon. The picture in the ad showed Wagner printed on the sides.

    The sets I received only said Diversitech. I went to return them. The rep called the mfg. The mfg. said they don’t imprint Wagner on the side anymore, but the pads I had are the ones that used to say Wagner.

    This is model number – Diversitech MP4-E E.V.A.

    The rep is Danielle – here is her email address:

    [email protected]

  27. Diane, Thanks so much for this and for reaching out to the rep. The question is: Is there any marking by which readers can tell a real Diversitech pad? I’ve written Diversitech directly to try to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, am amending the post.

  28. Hello, thanks for the post and comments.
    I live in an apartment building and they recently installed a new motor on the roof for the HVAC system that now vibrates when it’s running. It vibrates through my bed and has been keeping me up and waking me up the past 2 months. So frustrating.
    Previously, I had just a box spring (without actual springs in it) with the mattress on top.
    I ordered these Diversitech pads: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00BVEMLR4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    They say Wagner on them in the picture, but the ones that arrived do not have Wagner printed on them, and they do smell. I put them on small wooden blocks (4x4x2) and the vibration still came through.
    Do you know of any other decent wood bed frame brands? The one above is very expensive in Canada.
    Thanks again!

  29. I would send those pads back; they don’t sound right. (Amazon will pay for shipping back if it’s the seller’s fault or there is a problem with the product). I’m waiting to hear back from Diversitech about how to tell the real thing.

    As for beds, I am not familiar with bed options in Canada. Here is one on Amazon Canada. I have no experience with it but it looks decent enough. Check and see if the middle support bar is wood as well. You don’t ant any metal. Also check out Ikea.

  30. Fate is such a funny thing. I had literally just purchased these exact pads yesterday and wanted to do some more research on vibration dampening this morning when I stumbled across your articles. You would have laughed if you could have seen my reaction upon finding you used the exact same pads. I am so desperate to find something to cut down on my neighbor’s bass from the music they play. I can feel it through my bed frame and hear it. I’m so relieved that these pads (which were just delivered) might just do the trick. I definitely will take your advice and get some wooden blocks to go underneath them, too.

    Thanks a million.

  31. Wishing you the best of luck.Also, consider getting a wooden bed if you have a metal one. Metal REALLY amplifies vibration.

  32. Thank you for sharing your advice. Where did you get your wood blocks?

  33. The wood blocks are actually pieces of the legs I cut off to make the bed lower. But you can get the similar at any lumberyard, even Home Depot, that sells wood boards. You can even find wood blocks on Amazon….

  34. Is the blue layer of the Diversitech pads hard or does it feel soft. The ones I purchased smelled like synthetic polymers should. The blue of the pads was pretty solid and did not feel flexible.

    On another note of the pads worked initially but then did not it can be you are making the pads more dense from weight over time. A 2×2 can only supports 50(PSI) pound per square inch. If you cover inch of a pad with 25lbs you are at capacity. If the leg of the bed or a board does not cover the full area of the pad You are creating higher PSI. 200lbs of weight you need- 4 pads fully touching the surface. You would also have t add the weight of the bed. I am still experimenting. Stacking did not seem to help.

  35. Ryan,

    I am in almost the exact same situation with the train. Did you ever find a solution?

  36. How do you find out the frequency of the vibrations you are feeling? I know where mine is coming from. My sump pump in my basement. My husband thinks I’m nuts but the vibes wake me every night!

  37. A neighbor who is an acoustical engineer kindly loaned me a powerful meter that measured the vibration. Then he analyzed the data. Our thinking was that we might be able to trace the wave pattern to a basement mechanical. But we haven’t been able to figure out which one it is. In NYC there are just too many factors.

    A simple test would be, when you feel the vibration, to try turning off the pump to see if it stops. Then you’d have your culprit.

  38. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe that I found this blog. I lived in an old apartment next to a construction zone and some night road works which the noise and vibrations drove me out of. I moved across the city to a new place that is not near a construction zone only to find on my first two nights here that my floors vibrate so hard at night that I can’t sleep even after taking an Ambian. I was about to give up and quit my job to move (for the 3rd time in 5 months) to a totally new city when I found this. I ordered all the things mentioned above tonight and for the first time in 3 months I am hopeful I might eventually get a good night sleep again! I’ve been so exhausted recently I could barely function. I can’t wait for my pads to come in and see how well they work! If that doesn’t solve it, I’ll upgrade my metal bed to a wood one next.

    I will say that the vibration detection app on my phone I have used shows vibration there, but at such low levels it shouldn’t be felt to humans. My roommate can’t feel anything so I was beginning to feel crazy or like a freak. I’d love to try a real tool for measuring and see what I can pick up.

  39. I hope that at least some of the strategies work for you, at least to help start to calm your traumatized nervous system down enough to sleep.

    The acoustical engineer who measured the readings in my apartment said they were 10-100 times below what most people can feel. But they did indeed exist and I felt them. No doubt you do too.

    The vibrations in my place still happen. I generally don’t feel them anymore unless I’ve been through a very stressful period, when my senses are heightened.

  40. Hello Sally, like many others here I have the same issue except in my case it’s thudding footsteps from below that I can feel in my bed at night. I live in a coop and I’ve managed (as well as another neighbor) to escalate my complaint. I’d still like to find something that works however…just in case the disturbance continues. There’s nothing quite like peace of mind. I’ve tried the Diversitech pad/wood block approach underneath my bed but I can still feel the bed shaking when the downstairs stomper is up and about. For some reason, this inconsiderate woman has a habit of walking heavily and slamming doors and cabinets at all hours of the night. Thankfully, house rules specifically forbid noise which is disruptive to the community between the hours of 11pm and 8am. Have you found a method to significantly dampen this sort of vibration in your search? I know there’s a frequency for every vibration so maybe this method won’t work for me. Additionally, the bed is an adjustable ‘hospital bed’ with a metal frame. I am sleeping on a high quality memory foam mattress however. Not sure if changing bed frames would help. It would be a shame too as it didn’t come cheap. Hope there’s something I’ve overlooked that you can advise me on.

  41. I wish I could help you. I do know that metal conducts vibration way more than wood. As you say, every vibration has its unique signature. It might be worth talking to an acoustical person about ways to quite the vibration…

  42. Hello Sally,
    I bought these online https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07PQ9BS57
    It now says currently unavailable. They don’t have Wagner on them. I am in Australia, so I hope the above link works for you. Could you describe the smell please? If I put them right up to my nose I can detect a burned rubber smell, but it doesn’t seem bad to me. They are marked Diversitech and they look cut all right. I saw another version online where someone posted pictures of what looked like badly cut pads that appeared to be obviously fakes. So is there any further information on finding the genuine version of the pads?

  43. Hi, A slight burned rubber smell seems pretty normal to me. I’m sorry I don’t know how exactly to tell real from fakes. (I’m amazed that someone has gone to the trouble of making fakes.) The fact that they are cut well bodes well.

  44. I purchased these and another set to try out but they did absolutely nothing. I tried them under my bed with the wood blocks, under my chair, under my appliances, they don’t reduce the vibration of any nearby traffic nor my appliances. What I did notice is that whenever I find a ‘solution’ to the problem, it lasts a few minutes before I relax and start to feel the exact same vibration again. I can put a glass of water/coffee/whatever anywhere in the house and it just shakes and shakes like I’m on a moving train, almost. I’m right by the highway and the house is built on clay which is notorious for transferring traffic vibration. Since no solutions have worked I’ve been prescribed trazadone for sleep, which has essentially saved my life because it tunes out all the vibrations from my nervous system somehow. It makes me a little tired but ultimately it’s a miracle. I just wish I could have a non-pharmacological solution. From the people I’ve spoken to, mechanical engineers, sound engineers, architects, seismic experts, and lab scientists who need precision tools, and others, things like these won’t dampen anything significant out. When dealing with traffic vibration, you need systems designed for traffic vibration, and that means specialty spring systems, which can cost a couple hundred. They’re essentially platform boxes with springs calibrated to the specific weight of the bed/object and designed to absorb the specific wavelength of vibration, which in the case of traffic is typically between 5-25hz, though it pays to be more precise than that and have things tested with a precision seismic tool which needs to be calibrated and typically this has to be done by a professional, though I was lucky to have an uncle who deals with this kind of thing on an industrial level. I’m saving up for the system and everyone I talked to assured me this is the best and most effective way to deal with it, and I trust them because a lot of money trusts them on this kind of thing on a regular basis. Just to re-iterate, these pads did nothign for me, and I tried so many different configurations, I have a wood bed, I tried different types of pads, but nothing like this gets rid of it. Will update to let others reading know how well it worked, and with more info about how to get something like this done.

  45. Hello everyone! I just can’t help bit share my accounts of this evil vibrations in my room at night while I sleep.
    For 4 years, It prevents me to fall asleep, unless I’m reallly dead tired. It keeps me awake for hours in the night at times and wakes me in the morning like an alarm clock nudging me to wake up!! Yup, 4 years!

    I’ve tried so many things like rubber shoes on the feet of my bed, all sorts of foam, pads you all named it. Even washer dryer post rubber for under the feet of my bed.
    First I thought I found the solution by putting this Sherpa/ fleece throws , got 3 of them on my mattress. Unfortunately, the vibrations are back and stronger.
    Then facts came in where these vibrations come from, it’s my rude noisy neighbors who had Portable fans and heaters that are positioned in parts of the room above me.

    When I had my manager investigate it, yes they did have them and heard clicks when it turned on or off. I will just keep the ugly story out .

    Then a couple of weeks ago, with much desperation, I tried putting card board cargo shipping boxes, big ones. (Well you can get several moving boxes and tie them in a stack), under my bed. My Lord, it’s been 1 month now since and any amount of vibration. Unless they like to feel the vibrations themselves and crank it up, I will only feel a slight vibration then they’d lower it. Gone are the annoying vibrations. The heavy cardboard boxes are my savior!!!

  46. I can’t believe no one figured it out. The cause is nearby TRAINS (and subways for big cities). It’s also vehicles if you live near a highway. Construction can also create vibrations. For me, I learned after 2 years of sleep deprivation it is the train that I’m still not far enough away from with my recent move (I’m about a mile away). NOT THE NOISE. It’s the very subtle vibration through the floor, barely noticeable, but wakes me up. I’ve had the diversitech pads for the last year, and I only saw your blog today. It does not solve the issue, I still wake up – but it does help a little. I’m building an anti-vibration platform (it’s called a “floating floor”) with layered 3/4 MDF and green glue, with MLV underneath, between the frames and first MDF layer. Underneath the frame are high deflective soft rubber feet designed for noise isolation. My wood frame 2×4 bed I built will go on top of the floating floor with the diversitech pads. I’m also planning on building a soundproof room, but it may be to heavy for the rental. I built the frames already, but after calculating the final weight, it looks too heavy (66psf vs structural allowance of 40psf), and as a rental, moving may be the better option. Maybe I can use less materials for my soundproof room to lower the weight.

    Solving vibration requires knowing the exact frequencies of the vibrations and designing a solution exactly for these frequencies. Mass also plays a role, and as well dampening in order to mitigate the frequencies measured. Weight will have to be right in order for the solution to effectively dampen the vibrations, so the solution needs to be designed considering total weight as well as frequency.

  47. Thanks for your advice. There is no one size fits all reason for vibration. The reading of the vibration from a sensitive instrument shows that it is not subway noise.

    But you are right, solving vibration requires knowing the exact frequencies.

  48. Thank you Sally for sharing your thorough research and specific product recommendations, and for allowing this site to be a sounding board for those with similar problems. And thanks to others for your helpful suggestions! I’m going to try some of them. I’m unfortunately in the camp of people whose house is near a freeway and therefore shakes (feels like a mild earthquake) every time a semi-truck goes by. Can sleep through most with melatonin, but trying to have some non-groggy days.

    Anyhow, I was wondering if anybody had any luck with this, product, which claims it is specific for beds, and around $100: https://www.vibrationsolution.com/silent-feet-anti-vibration-riser-for-beds.html

  49. Hi Peter, Sorry to respond to you comment so late…I somehow missed it. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this difficult vibration issue.
    I looked up reviews for Silent Feet. There’s a mix. Here are some not great ones from Amazon. Isolate It has favorable ones for Silent Feet’s Washing Machine Anti-Vibration pads which are much cheaper. Their link to the bed risers shows more details pictures. I note that they are made with Sorbothane. That is one of the materials I tried that did not help with my vibration. An engineer explained that that was because the low hertz of my specific vibration was below what Sorbothane can handle. So much of it has to do with the kind of vibration you are dealing with.

    Please let me know if you find a solution.

  50. I have tried to use sorbothain material as a vibration absorber under a bed. In my case i used 1/4” thick sorbothain disks that were 3” in diameter in conjunction with a vibration isolator developed for washing machines. (https://dl.wish.com/C7Bke)

    The sorbothain material was placed into the cup of the vibration isolator. The bed leg was placed on top.

    This configuration worked well as a vibration isolator but it is very springy and the bed falls off easily.

    After two months the assembly was disassembled. The sorbothain had migrated and ruptured threw the vibration isolator. The sorbothain flowed like playdow and the force of this migration tore the vibration isolator apart.

    I think that sorbothain is not well suited to usage as a vibration isolator for a sleeping bed. But the materials usage in a composite may show promise.

  51. I have a problem that I think is someone running a washing machine overnight: two bursts of vibration about 2 minutes long and about 10–20 minutes apart (spin at the end of the wash cycle, and spin at the end of the rinse cycle?). I am in a detached house, but it is modern, and I think the over-the-top concrete stumps of modern building regulations are to blame for picking up this unwanted effect.

    I have eliminated the immediate neighbours as a cause, either by asking them (the nice ones), or noticing that the vibrations still happened when they were away (the unfriendly ones). I think the source could be in a business up to a block away, maybe a cafe washing tablecloths, or a bakery running a big mixer. I have roamed the neighbourhood trying to hear machinery but to no avail. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen at the same time each night so it is very hard to pin down.

    I think lying down makes us more sensitive to vibrations – I never notice them if I am sitting up on the couch. The combination of the bed slewing and the fact that your whole body length is exposed to the movement seems to be the culprit for disturbance, although I also got woken up when we had extra visitors and I was sleeping on a camping mattress on the floor.

    Funnily enough, my phantom washing machine feels just like a small earthquake I experienced when I was in Japan that woke me up one mornin with quite a start! I guess I am lucky in that I can live with being woken up once, and it doesn’t happen every night. I get up, have a toilet break, and watch boring tv until after the second cycle happens.

    It must be horrible to have it happening all night, or many times. I hope everyone can get something sorted out. Maybe this website or a reader who sells online can partner with the pad manufacturer to sell direct, rather than through Amazon?

    Best wishes from Australia.

  52. Hi there,

    A lot of people in the comments seem to have very big vibration issues… mine is not quite as extreme. You mentioned that the fix depends on the intensity of the vibrations. So, I was just wondering, for someone who simply lives with loud and heavy footed people, do you think the pads and the wooden bed frame will do that job? Or should I be looking into the spikes as well?

    Also, I would like to note that at the moment I do have a wooden bed frame though it is flat sides with drawers not legs. Though, I am not positive but it might be particle board not “wood” would that make a difference?

    Thanks!!

  53. Lois, what did you do to solve this problem?

  54. Hello,
    I’m so glad I’ve found this site. I wanted to share my experience – I’ve been living in a dream apartment until a couple of years ago a neighbor from hell moved in above me. I started feeling constant vibrations, so I realized it must be a portable AC, but I didn’t complain until I became dizzy and nauseated. I bought Diversitech pads and kindly asked her to use them, but she was rude and refused, saying she can live her life the way she wants. I contacted the management, the City, I couldn’t get any help. I got severely sick, I couldn’t function on my own and after several visits to ER I had to move in with a relative, but eventually returned by the end of summer, as I am not able to move out. My nervous system is now messed up, I have chronic internal tremors, dizziness, nausea, severe sound sensitivities (I wear ear plugs 24/7), etc. I suffered several concussions since that, because of balance issues. Apparently she used those pads last summer, (a bit too late) but every step she makes feels like an earthquake. I’d try to replace my metal bed frame and put wooden blocks under the pads, as you suggested, thank you, I hope that might help, otherwise I’m considering to drill a hammock to the ceiling and sleep in it. Sorry, I’m not helping in finding solutions, I just wanted to emphasize how dangerous exposure to constant vibrations can get, especially for those with sensitivities. Good luck to all.

  55. I came across this article while looking for solutions to a similar problem. I’m quite late to comment, but, in case you’re still experiencing problem I’d suggest a couple things:
    1.) place a single sheet of either OSB sheathing (like plywood but made of wood chips) or MDF (medium density fiberboard) on top of foam mats ( the type with interlocking edges like puzzle pieces) and place the bed on that. The legs should all be on the same structure to avoid vibrating in phase relationships that amplify the frequency. This is likely due to the ratio of there distance apart at the corners of a rectangle/and their length.
    2.) fill the space beneath the bed with any dense but soft material, bags of clothes, blankets, rolled up carpets, pillows etc. it will significantly dampen the airspace’s potential to act like a speaker cabinet, with the bed itself acting as a resonant membrane (ie, a speaker of sorts; a transducer)

  56. Zach, thanks for the post. A few questions: 1] Is this a theory or have you implemented successfully? 2] Where can you get an OSB sheath that large? I only see 4×8 foot which isn’t big enough?

    Thanks!

  57. Hi! Wow, this article really helped ease my mind a little know that other people were going through this.

    After some experimenting, I found that getting rubber material made for gym floors, placing 2 pieces of wood on top then another piece of rubber helped tremendously!

    Thank you for your recommendation of using rubber and wood together 🙂 I hope others find relive in the method!

  58. Sarah, can you upload a picture of your setup? thanks

  59. I’m dealing with vibration issues as well. I’ve found the water circulation pump way down in the basement (that keeps hot water near all the taps) was pumping like crazy in the middle of the night at odd times and vibrating the bed upstairs on the other side of the house. (The plumber thinks I’m losing it) I made sure this was it by unplugging the pump at night and bingo – no major vibrations. It didn’t do this for the first year we had it installed so the plumber (still thinking I’m crazy) is going to try to replace it. Then interestingly enough I plugged in one of those ultrasonic pest repellent devices in the bedroom. Vibrations again, softer, but different and constant. The sound waves make the bed springs hum. The pump had a strobe to it, the pest repellent did not – just a constant hum in the springs. Again – unplugged it and it stopped. Just because you can’t hear something doesn’t mean it isn’t putting out a sound….. and just because your partner doesn’t feel it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. It’s well worth it to note when you are getting vibrations and then go around the house at that time and really listen to see what may be actually on at that time and what isn’t. Then turn it off and see if that is the issue. I think it’s been causing my tinnitus as well. I appear to have developed hyper-sensitivity to vibration from this as I’m now aware of every movement on the bed from hubby and pets which I wasn’t before. Using a wood frame may not work for me as I rotate the bed 1/4 turn every 2 weeks (as per mattress instructions) and a king is pretty heavy to not have on wheels.

  60. I also suggest putting on some anti-tinnitus music. It’s waves and birds and white noise things. There are 10-hour videos on youtube. It can help counteract any sensitivity your ears may have developed due to the vibration and tends to dull your brain to unexpected or ongoing sounds. I’ve been putting on some nature/music CD’s the last few nights (on constant replay) and it does help somewhat. Ask any Bass playing neighbors nicely if they can turn the bass down – and take them a coffee and pastry so you don’t just come across bitchy. Surprisingly it’s bass rather than volume that is the issue. I live next door to a musician, so believe me, I know about bass. Ear plugs can block out outside noise, but they can also amplify internal sounds and vibrations. You can try putting rubber pads under your washer to help with those vibrations. Your solution might not just be one quick fix, but a combination of many things that you will need to address one at a time.

  61. I have a similar situation with vibration disturbances. I have a solid wood drawer bed an d was wondering if this is actually making it worse and if I shoudl change it out for a platform bed (with no drawers)? Would that help?

  62. Hi! About how thick should the wooden squares under the diversitech foam be? I was looking at these:

    1 inch, thinking of stacking twice then the foam: https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Creations-Unfinished-Square-Blocks/dp/B07R4YLDHH/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=square+wood&qid=1627484981&sr=8-5

    Or these, 2 inch and using one for each leg: https://www.amazon.com/AORYVIC-Square-Replacement-Furniture-Brown/dp/B08MT9G42F/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=square+wood+2+in+thick&qid=1627485600&sr=8-6

    Was also thinking of putting a shock absorbing workout mat under my rug below my bed, see if that helps any.

    Thanks in advance!

  63. There is no perfect formula; it depends on your unique situation and sensitivity. Everything I reported is from experiments. I’d start with 1″ and test them out alone and stacked until you get something that feels better to you.

  64. This must be both interesting and frustrating, in other words a wonderful project. Are there any plans for the hanging bed? I love the small footprint. Thank you jody

  65. Ok, so I just found your website recently and I have a queen air mattress and I cannot exactly afford another proper mattress right now. I have read your post on your ultimate solution, but I am hoping I can add some inexpensive tweaks to my current bed so that I can reduce the vibrations just a little. I think that would provide a lot of relief. I am hoping to add some plywood and the Diversitech pads underneath the air mattress and hope dampens the vibration enough to provide relief. Thanks for all your experimentation.

  66. Hi!

    Does the Nomad Platform Bed Frame – Solid Hardwood have any metal screws or any metal in it at all?

    Also I am having trouble finding a queen sized Nomad platform bed frame. Anyone know where I may find one?

    Thank you!

  67. The bed has bolts in the main structure (not the slats) that hold the bed, which comes flat packed, together. You can find the queen bed here. (The price has gone up since I first bought it). The photo on the webpage shows the placement of the bolts.

  68. Thank you!

    Did you ever try the spikes? Or find how to find real “Wagner” pads?
    I got mine on amazon and the smell was awful.
    The spikes idea is interesting. I am looking for any relief. The vibration won’t let me sleep at night.
    Do you know where yours is coming from?

    Thank you again!

  69. Hi all,
    Same problem here in Spain, washing machine at night.
    I´ve tried lots of foams/mixes, but vibration transmission continues.
    Did anyone try the spikes solution?

  70. Hi all! Sally thank you so much for keeping this thread going. You have helped me tremendously. I want to give my results for the community:

    I have not YET eliminated the vibrations, but I have been able to minimize the more harmful effects on the body. Now I just have sleep deprivation. I bought the cork pads at Home Depot before seeing this article. They are not nearly as effective as the blue Diversitech. For me, one block of wood above is better than one below. My wool rug helps too. I didn’t notice a difference between using plywood vs lumber. I have a lovesac (pillowsac) which is basically a giant pillow filled with memory foam. I sleep on that, flat on the floor, but after a few hours the foam compresses so I need to roll over. I tried putting the lovesac on top of my bed. It eliminated the “buzzing” sensation, but I felt like I was sleeping on top of shaky Jello.

    After reading comments about the spikes I decided to try my sofa which has tapered wooden legs (a larger version of a spike). I tried the wood/isolation pads under it and miraculously, it was better than my bed! For those that have screw-on legs on your sofa, you can buy different replacement styles online.

    Next I will try subwoofer isolation pads and two blocks of wood (either 2 above, 2 below, or the wood block sandwich as described above)

    References:
    – my mattress is a hybrid of steel springs and latex foam which is very dense, but also much more responsive than memory foam. I would highly suggest to stay away from this kind of mattress for vibration.
    -Diversitech pads are from the link above
    -my rug is a dense ounce weight and 100% wool with a natural backing. I don’t know if this is important.
    -Lovesac Pillowsac I have had for 10 years. FYI the price has more than doubled. I would just buy a memory foam mattress now.
    If I could have afforded it, I would have gotten “the big one” https://www.lovesac.com/pillowsac-insert-and-cover-charcoal-wombat-phur.html#ProductDetails

  71. Hi all..I live in an old 3 story appartments block on the top floor. My heartbeat (amongst other causes) makes the entire block vibrate!! My heart thumps, my medication helps lower the vibrations over time. Is it possible my large amount of heavy furniture is making the vibrations worse? Interestingly, the strength of vibration takes time to build up and then hours to very gradually weaken to the point of stopping. When the morning traffic begins, the remaining vibrations seem to lessen dramatically. Even using my iPad seems to worsen the vibrations. The total vibrations build up and become very very uncomfortable. Any thoughts? Thanks!!!

  72. That’s an interesting and useful post and thread thank you!
    I’m struggling with noisy neighbours. For some strange architectural reasons the sound/vibrations travel through the building: despite being on the top floor I can hear and feel the noise coming from 2 floors below and all that is in between and besides.
    I have spoken to the neighbours and even had them come up and see that it’s them making noise. Despite promises they did nothing and at this stage I have no idea how to get to the end of my house contract with my stress levels under control.
    I appreciate it’s not exactly on topic though I’m quite desperate and you seem to have a good understanding of the issue..Would you have any suggestions on what I could do/get to reduce noise coming from walls and floor? I already sleep with earplugs, I’m trying different models but my realisation is that the noise is way too loud 😩
    Thank you very much

  73. I sympathize with you. I suffered with noisy upstairs neighbors for years in my previous place. Some ideas…

    But it sounds like there is a floor in between, Correct? In that case you might a) contact the management though that is a long shot. If you can actually record the sound coming through, and play it for the manager, THAT could help. They have to ensure “quiet enjoyment”. and b) Simply persist in your complaints. In all accounts it’s essential to be measured, cordial, direct, persistent and not create a war. You have to live in that building. In the past I’ve found that being cordial and respectful and PERSISTENT can eventually yield results.

    In the meantime, you have to try to make your own space comfortable: Yes earplugs. Some are WAY more effective than others. Having tried MANY over the years, this is my favorite so far: Moldex 6800 Pure Fit. It’s an individual things so experiment with ones that have a high noise reduction rating.

    When noise here gets really bad due to the park across the way (blaring music and baselines for hours on end), I sometimes wear the earplugs with Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones over them. It’s an expensive solution but the noise cancelling headphones help HUGELY, worth every penny as far as I’m concerned.

    I also employ several white noise machines in various places around my spaces. You can actually adjust them to blend various kinds of white noise, with the effect of making the offending frequency unnoticeable, or at least bareable. I have two going at all times in my place due to a noisy elevator nearby, and two more for use as needed. After much trial and error, the sound machines I like best are by LectroFan. I think the bigger one has more options. But the little LectroFan Micro work great too and can work on their rechargeable battery as well as being plugged in.

    Not knowing the construction of your building or even what kind of noise you are hearing, I couldn’t say what else to do. If it is ambient sound, often thick rugs and other soft furnishings help to absorb sound…I’ve been known to put sound blankets (thick cotton blankets with grommets to hand them) over doors and on walls.

    (I’m thinking perhaps I should turn this into a post…)

    If any of these ideas help, please let me know.

  74. Hello!
    Something just started shaking our whole apartment a few days ago and hasn’t stopped since 😭 no idea what it is but my partner hasn’t slept since and I am basically seasick 24/7 and can barely eat. This is our SECOND time going through this. Last time we were able to move but not an option now. This is also much stronger vibrations, feels like a nonstop infinity train is going by. (we live near train tracks and are used to feeling that a few times a day but this is impossible to get used to).

    I tried the foam pads from Amazon last time and they did nothing but I need to see if I got the right brand or not.

    I don’t know when this was published (today is 2/5/23) but I am wondering if you ever got the additional 40% solved? Or if you have any additional suggestions if the foam blocks still don’t work for us.

    Thank you!! Your page is the first time anyone has documented their trial and error and what actually worked vs pages of people vaguely suggesting things that haven’t tried it or been through this.

  75. Today is the 2nd of April 2023. Let me also share my experience so far.

    The situation is as follows: multiple times throughout the night and early morning I am awakened by vibrations. I strongly suspect that this is caused by airplanes starting their engines and taking off on the landing strip nearby. My girlfriend is not awakened by these vibration. Although she does say that she feels slight vibrations when the heating turns on which, in turn, I don’t feel. As some of you have also reported, putting in earplugs seems to heighten the sense of vibrations, which is especially annoying since I also want to block out the noise of the airplanes.

    Moving is not an option. The bed has a metal frame, but buying a wooden bed is also not an option.

    I have tried all kinds of configurations. The recommended pads by Wagner help a bit, but not nearly enough. Recently I have tried replacing the feet that came with the bed, with thin rubber feet that are actually designed for audio equipment:
    https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005001808356378.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.11.5b5a79d2pr8khj&gatewayAdapt=glo2nld
    I then placed those on some anti-vibration pads for washing machines:
    https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005004265441095.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.23.5b5a79d2pr8khj&gatewayAdapt=glo2nld
    Which I then placed on the Wagner pads. This totals 3 layers of different rubbers and plastics. This again improved the situation a bit, but not nearly enough.

    So I am now planning to try the following: First, we have ordered a memory foam top mattress. Our mattress is a bit stiff and springy, mainly being made up of springs. I’m not sure, but I can imagine that this does not improve the situation. So my hope is that a memory foam top mattress might eliminate some of the buzzing sensation. However, for the heavier vibrations, I don’t think that this will do much.

    So, as some have mentioned, I am planning on analyzing the exact frequency of vibrations that are at play, such that I can implement a solution that is tailored to those kinds of vibrations. Sadly, I don’t know anyone with a seismograph or a professional accelerometer. (The accelerometer in your smartphone is not good enough. It might detect earthquakes of magnitudes as low as 5, but we’re talking about much smaller magnitudes here. If you do want to experiment with the accelerometer in you phone, I would recommend MyShake by the university of Berkeley.) I am not willing to spend thousands of dollars on professional equipment and there is no way of renting it in my area.

    However, I have ordered a raspberry shake a couple of days ago: https://shop.raspberryshake.org/product/turnkey-iot-home-earth-monitor-rs-1d/?attribute_pa_variation=diy-kit&attribute_pa_license=private-use-125-discount
    If you are willing to do some assembly yourself, you can get one for about 300 dollars all components included. This is by far the cheapest seismograph. That is because it is more of a community project for educational and hobbyist purposes. However, apparently they are almost as good as the equipment costing thousands of dollars. It can detect earthquakes as with magnitudes as low as 2, which is a HUGE improvement over the magnitude of 5 you can detect with the accelerometer in your smartphone. According is wikipedia, an earthquake with a richter magnitude of 2 is barely felt, or not felt at all by some people, which seems to be exactly what we’re dealing with here.
    (On a technical note, the raspberry shake uses a geophone, as opposed to an accelerometer, which allows for far higher sensitivity. The more expensive versions of the raspberry shake also include an accelerometer, but that is only to remain on scale for larger vibrations, which we are not talking about here anyways.)

    So, once I know the exact frequency of the vibrations, I will try to find the solution most suitable for that frequency. That might include a system of springs, a dampening material such as rubber or sorbothane, the metal spikes that someone mentioned, etc.

    I will try to post again when I have an update.

  76. Thanks so much for the informative and detailed info. It is a good example of the kind of thinking and trouble-shooting that can lead to solutions. In past posts about things I’ve tried, please see the experiments in using springs and sorbothane.

  77. Can I ask why you put the wooden block under the vibró pad? Surely it’s better on top to prevent wear on the pad? Was there a reason for it?

    I’ve just ordered mine anyway. In the U.K. hope it helps me and vibrations from downstairs neighbour in their bedroom!
    I’m thinking if there’s a link with me being recently prescribed blood pressure meds and an increased sensitivity to vibaration, maybe? All I know is it’s driving me insane more than anything ever has before.

    Thanks for this site. It’s appreciated.

    Danny

  78. I’m suffering from a similar problem – rhythmic tremors. Without sounding paranoid I think its some kind of weird passive aggressive behavior from my neighbors on one side. Between 10pm and 7am, on and off at random for about 5-15minutes, hour after hour, my bed will wobble subtly. The pace of vibration varies – I don’t want to imagine the source – but what makes me think its malicious is the constancy around the clock, and that sometimes I hear a door open/close soon after it stops as if they’re taking turns. Its so subtle my wife swears she can’t feel it, but she would happily sleep through a heard of elephants passing by, and understandably she doesn’t take kindly to me waking her at 3am. I also get the same wobbles when working at my desk in my home office – but far less often – maybe because most of the people living next door are at work.

    It might sound counter-intuitive, but instead of aiming for ‘silencing’ the vibrations perhaps a more realistic and simpler solution might be to mask the vibrations. So basically take the same approach as using a white noise machine to drown out noisy neighbours. I noticed that I cant feel the vibrations while I’m moving in bed, so I’m looking at options for making my own vibrations with a machine of some kind – that I can hopefully train my sleep deprived subconscious to accept the vibes as coming from a safe source rather than ‘hostile’ neighbors.

    Of course isolating yourself from the vibrations would be the ideal solution, but doing the opposite – fighting fire with a fire-break – might be worth a try. Because in the darkness night, when any disturbance seems to be amplified, the issue seems to be that our subconscious is alerting us to something external. External ‘threat’ being the key issue. I’ll report back if this works for me, because I’m determined not to sleep on an airbed in the kitchen (which is the furthest room from their side) just because we’re unlucky enough to have loony neighbours.

  79. I don’t remember my thinking but it worked for me. (Perhaps it was after my deep dive into the resonances of different kinds of wood.) I tried wood block on top of the Diversitech pad and under and under was better. In my experience, trial and error yielded better results than plotting everything out. (Please see my records of numerous fails…)

  80. This post IS a godsend, thank you. I recently purchased a home (3 months ago) and have been feeling vibrations since day 1. They wake me up at night. I’ve tried a dozen different pads under my bed posts (including some that look like knock-offs of these Wagner ones – they were way too hard & didn’t dampen anything), and none work very well. I was considering adding some weight to the house… but I am excited to try your suggestion! Question: what is the significance of having wood under the pads? And would you suggest the wood pieces to be smaller than the 4″ pads, or 4″ themselves?

    My particular problem, I’ve discovered, after talking to countless structural engineers, geotech engineers, general contractors & builders, is not confined to my house. It’s vibrating in my yard. It’s vibrating in my driveway on cement. It’s vibrating on the street underneath the asphalt. It’s vibrating on my neighbors’ sidewalks. I’ve been able to detect that while the strength of the vibration varies throughout the day & night on no schedule, it does have a pulse that reverberates through the smaller shakes. I think this means the cause must be machinic, maybe a utility buried under the street.

    I’ve seriously considered jacking up my house & putting it on spring mounts or floor joist isolators (check out sound proof cow), even with the expense, but cannot find a single engineer or GC willing to move forward because “they’ve never done anything like this before”. I also contacted tmd vendors, ptmd vendors, and others to see if they’d work with me: nope.

    And now I’m considering selling the house, and that kindof breaks my heart.

    I hope your fix works. I currently have vinyl hard wood floors everywhere, and noticed you have carpet… wondered if that had anything to do with placing the piece of wood under the pad. Crossing fingers!

    Also fyi I have a thuma bed (wood) which is heavy, and a tempur pedic mattress, also heavy, with 5 bed posts. Hopefully the 5 pads I ordered will be the right (plaibility?) for my heavy bed and my fat ass. (Ha).

    If your fix does work, I’m now considering pulling up the floors and installing a good thick undermeant layer, then floors, then carpet. Then maybe combined with your fix, I’ll be able to sleep.

    Bless you again for your post.

  81. This is such a lifesaver. I am so happy to read these comments. I am also struggling with a vibrating floor because the air conditioning unit of my downstairs neighbor is rattling the floor. I complained to the appt complex and they are stalling the fixing of the AC unit I am forced to purchase the items suggested in this thread and I will report how it all turned out. The science of vibration is so complex – originally I thought that just some rubber and foam mattress will do, but as it turned out – not at all. I am getting weaker and weaker every day and I feel it. My whole life is turned upside down. By reading these comments, I am validated for the health risks and the damage of this situation. It doesn’t help that I have narcissistic parents and cannot reach out for help to go to their place. Luckily a friend offered a place where I can stay as I wait for the items to arrive from Amazon. I will be using the Diversity Pads and I also ordered a wooden frame and a new mattress. I am willing to do a lot of things to make this go away since I like where I live and don’t want to move because of this. I am curious about anyone building a wooden foundation for a bed that has 2 layers connected by shock-absorbing springs used for cars or motorcycles. I imagine that this would be the best solution to absorb the vibration.

    I will share an update soon about this vibration. I wish everyone here peace of mind and soul – this experience has rattled my life and shown me how easy it is to go from fully happy to fully miserable in just a few days. Our bodies are so sensitive and sometimes we take the peace of mind for granted. After this experience, I will always remember to be grateful for moments of peace and quiet and I hope to learn from this experience to check and double-check where I live to avoid this situation again for the rest of my life.

    Soon I will post a reply about how I managed to fix this issue.

  82. Thank you for sharing! I’ve been struggling with almost the exact same issue since I moved into a new apartment recently. The floor is always vibrating at a low frequency and it gets worse at night. When I lie on bed, I can feel the vibration coming through the mattress and resonate with my body. I get 2 to 3 hours of sleep tops. Weirdly my wife doesn’t feel it at all and she’s able to sleep just fine. I still haven’t found the source of the vibration but will keep looking. I tried your fix yesterday, just the anti vibration pads, without placing wood underneath them. It worked! The vibration is still there, I can still feel it, but it’s dampened by at least 50 to 60%. I fell alseep within 5 minutes last night and pretty much slept throughout the night. I’m ordering wood pads today to try the complete solution. Thank you so much for sharing!

  83. I just wanted to say thank you so much for this post and for all of the comments here. It’s nice to feel like I’m not alone and I’m not crazy! I’ve been feeling almost constant vibrations in my apartment since October 19, 2023 (today is October 31). I’m already really sensitive to movement and easily get motion sick, so the constant vibrations have made me feel horrible all the time. Nauseous, dizzy, and a lot of vertigo. I had to get prescription for the vertigo from my doctor.

    The craziest part is just noticing how different everyone’s bodies are! I had my mom and a friend come to my apartment to see if they could feel them, and while they could feel the vibrations, 1) they weren’t bothered in the slightest, and 2) they had to concentrate very hard in order to feel them.

    I haven’t tried the wood block + diversitech pads yet as I had just purchased cork + rubber pads from Amazon before I read this post, though they are on my list of things to try. The cork and rubber pads work okay sometimes – I still feel the vibrations, but if I make conscious efforts to focus my attention, I can somewhat block out the feeling (though this does not help with the motion sickness). I’m going to try wooden blocks for my bed and couch (in addition to the cork and rubber pads), as well as yoga mats underneath my mattress to see if those combinations do anything. Unfortunately, the tricky part is my vibrations seem to change occasionally in terms of strength. There are times when they are very weak, and then other times when they feel very strong.

    I wish everyone here the best of luck. I know for me, this has completely turned my life upside down. Feeling sick almost all the time, being unable to move apartments, and also just being worried that I’ll face the same problems wherever I go is very disheartening. I’m trying my best to persevere, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel heartbroken when I try something and I don’t get relief.

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