Wouldn't an epic startup idea be to build a ventilated, sound-proof, vibration-proof box for sleeping in and then sell it directly to consumers? I imagine it would be a hell of a lot cheaper than sound-proofing an entire house or having to move because of crappy neighbors and I'd sure as hell buy one if it existed. A device like that probably would have saved me from having to move from my last house under quite bad terms, plus imagine being able to have parties in your house and then being able to sleep when you get over it without having to wind down the whole party. There's probably multiple user-cases for such a device but I honestly don't know how practical this would be to build - acoustics != my field.
We have one of them in my office, it's uncanny how much noise they block.
I could see one of these being made in various bed sizes and have some integrated shelving & lighting to act as a nightstand. They have versions that look like hardwood panelling, they look pretty cool.
You could still get lots of sunlight since they are mostly window on two sides. I think they would need a side window version and a vertical window version depending on the orientation of windows in your bedroom.
It would solve one class of noise problems for sure!
There are companies that offer sound/vibration isolating chambers [0][1][2][3][4], typically they're geared toward audiometric testing or musicians. From what you are describing, you'd like something a little smaller, but even then they're going to be bulking, heavy and expensive if you want them to provide any reasonable attenuation.
A great idea if you spend most of your time outside and your house is like a hostel for you to have a bed to crash on but if you spend a good amount of your time at home or you have a famliy, it would make more sense to invest more in securing your house altogether and not only the bed or sleeping pod as you suggested.
Very hard sell. Most people love not sleeping in a box, and love their double or queen size beds.
And how would ventilation work? The box is powered, with its own climate control? What about safety such as waking suddenly in the dark and cracking your head on your sound proof box, or needing a quick exit in emergency?
Nobody wants a very large ugly thing in their small bedroom, used only sometimes. Can it be folded away? Unlikely.
Sorry, but a sound proof box for sleeping in is the worst idea I've heard in a long time!! Funny though. A better idea is noise cancelling headphones which can be worn in bed - soft, no hard edges or wires so can sleep on your side without issue.
> ... is the worst idea I've heard in a long time.
That's probably what most people said about twitter the first time they heard about it. I suspect there's a way to make this concept work quite nicely. After all, people also don't mind spending a lot of time in cars, which are also air-controlled soundproofed boxes.
And the topic here is sound proofing an apartment. Think about how small an apartment bedroom is, and imagine installing a pod big enough, heavy enough and practical for moving out of the way when you don't need it. Wouldn't work. Forget about it!
...unless the "pod" only covers your head somehow, "cone of silence style" while you sleep. There might be something in that, but a pod for your whole body is not practical in an apartment bedroom.
Definitely not for the apartment, but I did happen to check out and stay in a rent-able nap pod (10-15€/hr) while passing through MUC. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience - http://www.napcabs.com/
I didn't experience firsthand, but apparently cleaning staff are dispatched when you "check out". For what it's worth, the bedding seemed fresh and the room was spotless. (I didn't check more carefully with a UV light for invisible stains.)
Like a capsule hotel: A high ceiling (enough to sit up inside the thing) and good ventilation should be enough to fool your brain into thinking you're in a larger space than you are.
Maybe even have a curved screen on top and have a picture of the stars (or anything you like).
Ear-plugs don't help with low-frequency vibrations like that from an elevator. The manager of my last building would disable the elevator from midnight to 6AM which provided some relief.
Noise, vibration, light pollution (e.g., excessively bright white LED street lamps) is something more people will deal with as urbanization increases. Also, when you have a lot of neighbors in close proximity someone will keep you from getting sleep. Whenever I meet a grumpy neighbor I now assume they are sleep deprived.
They block the throat tubes and lead to painful infection.
????
Your eustachian tubes that connect the back of your throat to your inner ear aren't affect by ear plugs. Your ear drum seals your inner ear from your outer ear.
Pretty sure there's some alternatives to in-ear plugs that can be a compromise between headphone like hearing protection devices and solutions that jam foreign objects into your ear. For a cheap alternative, those ear muffs that barely cover your ears without bands may be worth a try.
