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I would need the help of an engineer expert in sound. I live in a very noisy city close to a club. They make live music till 3 AM and I can hear them even when wearing earplugs. Now, here is my issue. If I don't lay in bed, I barely feel vibrations. However, when I press my head on the pillow the vibrations are somehow stronger and I can feel them to the point of not being able to sleep. My question is:

Why is a pillow absorbing sound like this? If that is really what is happening, is there a simple way to reduce or even eliminate this effect?

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  • $\begingroup$ Earplugs are apparently a reasonable accessory for city living $\endgroup$
    – Abel
    Commented Jan 22, 2023 at 20:44
  • $\begingroup$ Alas, the issue is present even with earplugs $\endgroup$
    – Quant91
    Commented Jan 24, 2023 at 17:40

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pillows do not block low frequency sound. For this you need mass, not compliance.

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  • $\begingroup$ Is there any "modified" pillow capable to block low frequencies? $\endgroup$
    – Quant91
    Commented Jan 24, 2023 at 17:39
  • $\begingroup$ The best way to block low and mid-range frequencies is with active noise-cancelling earpieces. several firms sell these. $\endgroup$
    – niels nielsen
    Commented Jan 24, 2023 at 18:47
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This is a fun question.

  1. Physical materials act as low-pass filters (i.e. they let only low frequency vibrations through). This is because it takes time to accelerate a mass.
  2. Sounds are attenuated less in solid materials than air and so they can travel further.

It will be difficult to completely isolate the low-frequencies. You want as much sound dampening as possible. Installing sound dampening materials in between the ground and the bed might help.

In your case, a good solution could be active noise canceling headphones or speakers, which can be effective against low-frequency sounds.

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