Dwell On This: Soundproof Your Bedroom
At a Glance
Experience
- You'll just need some soundproofing accessories.
Budget
- Sometimes all you need is a thick rug to soak up some noise.
- But you can also invest in a heavier duty solution.
Time
- This just takes a bit of research and planning.
People will spend weeks deliberating over the most comfortable mattress, the ideal bed frame, or the silkiest set of sheets in the pursuit of a good night’s rest, but all those efforts would be wasted without the assurance of peace and quiet in the bedroom. Silence can’t be dictated as easily as thread count, nor can it be shipped directly to your door, but keeping intrusive sounds at a minimum will help you wake up refreshed every morning.
I’ve learned, from standing in the quietest room on Earth, the design and planning required to create an anechoic chamber, where the absence of sound is often described as deafening, but you won’t have to go to those extremes in the bedroom. The goal here is to mute annoyances like the hiss of traffic, loud neighbors, or, in our case, two insistent felines who beg for meals at unreasonable hours.
Cheap, hollow doors are a frequent culprit when it comes to intrusive sounds; switch to a solid door to dampen noises. Additionally, door sweeps and weather stripping can seal the deal when it comes to blocking out airborne sounds. A high-pile floor rug with a dense rug pad underneath, along with thick curtains, can also dampen the acoustics and absorb sounds coming from outside.
If you’re still tossing and turning, however, you might have to look into costlier measures like soundproofing window inserts or mass loaded vinyl padding. The investment may be considerably higher, but the return—a full night’s sleep—is priceless.
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Illustration by Mar Hernández
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