How To Sleep With A Snorer

lauren hall 1
written by sleep expert Lauren Hall

How To With A Snoring Partner:

Do you find yourself keep getting disturbed in the night by your noisy snoring partner? Well, you’re not alone; reportedly, 59% of couples report their partner snoring, and partners lose up to one hour of sleep per night because of the night, so 23% of partners sleep in a separate bed to get a good night’s rest.

But is there a way you can deal with a snoring partner without having to sleep separately?

Yes, there are a few tips you can use to get a more restful night’s rest, and that is knowing how to sleep with your partner’s snoring. Some of these tips you and your partner can use to make the bedroom environment more relaxing and comfortable for you both.

Plus, there is nothing better than cuddling up beside your partner to wind down after a long day, so your partner snores disturb your sleep it stopping you from having that relaxing environment for your body to rest and achieve great sleep quality and good night’s sleep.

Ladies, I feel your pain; it is reported that 40% of men snore while only 20% of women snore.

So for the minority of men that have to deal with their snoring partner, I feel for you too. The constant vibrating noise that comes out of your partner’s mouth every time they breathe can be difficult to deal with. For some lucky people, they can easily brush it off, but for others, it’s not that easy.

The number of people that snore is quite high, so knowing how to sleep with your snoring spouse is key to getting enough sleep. So in this guide, I’m here to share with you my top tips on how to sleep with a snoring spouse.

How To Sleep With A Snorer

Why Do People Snore?

Before we delve into the top tips of dealing with a snoring partner, let’s go back to the basics of why do people snore. Snoring is caused by many things, such as your tongue falling backward into your throat, causing a vibration as you breathe.

Sleep Posture: Your sleep posture may be a top culprit for snoring; sleeping flat on your back can cause the flesh in your throat to relax and your tongue to fall slightly backward, which can block the airway, resulting in snoring. Something as simple as changing your sleep posture can help reduce snoring.

Gender: Men tend to have a narrower air passage than women, which is why men snore more and why men snore so loud. There is research that suggests that at least 40% of men snore because of this, which is 20% higher than women.

Age: As we age, our throat becomes even narrower, so as men get older, they are more prone to snoring as the muscle tone in your throat decreases. While you cannot do anything to prevent aging, lifestyle changes, new bedtime routines, and throat exercises can prevent snoring.

Overweight: If you are overweight, then the fatty tissue and poor muscle tone can contribute to snoring; even if you are not overweight in general, carrying excess weight around your neck or throat can cause snoring, so exercising to lose weight can help ease snoring.

Sleep Disorders: If you suffer from a sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea, this can cause snoring. This is because those with sleep apnea have pauses in breathing when they fall asleep; they can stop breathing for 10 seconds or even up to a minute.

This can cause them to briefly wake up and choke to take in the oxygen they need and then resume breathing. This can happen over and over again all night without them realizing it, this can often be compared to snoring, but it is slightly different.

Alcohol/Smoking: Alcohol and smoking can help induce snoring as they relax the muscles in your throat; this is why your partner snores more and more loudly next to you after a night on the town. Smoking can inflame airways, while alcohol can relax the throat muscles resulting in snoring.

Top Tips Of How To Deal With A Snoring Partner:

There are a few things you can do to help you get a good night’s sleep with your partner’s snoring; the last thing we want is sleep deprivation caused by your spouse’s loud snoring keeping you up in the night and disrupting your sleep patterns. So here are some tips and tricks to sleeping with a snorer.

Wear Earplugs:

My top tip for you is to start wearing earplugs to bed; this should block out the snoring sound from your partner and help promote a quiet environment for you to sleep in. The cheap solution is foam earplugs, as they are easily mouldable because they are made from a soft material that will fit easily inside your ear canal.

This is ideal if you’re sleeping next to your partner that doesn’t snore (too) loud.

Finding the right earplugs for sleeping with a snorer can seem impossible, so you may need to purchase a few to find the right fit that works and fits comfortably for you. This can be the answer if you sleep next to a snorer that isn’t too loud or an occasional snorer.

Just be sure to get a pair that won’t easily fall out if you change sleeping position during the night as you may wake up in the night, and this will lead to disturbed sleep.

Listen To A White Noise Machine:

White noise is brilliant at blocking out noises; there are many different white noise machines on the market to choose from. By playing a soft static sound in the room, you’re less likely to focus on the noises that are going on around you, which will help you fall asleep easily.

However, you will need to get used to sleeping with this type of noise, which may take some getting used to; plus, these machines cost a lot more than any regular foam earplugs, so they are costly techniques to try. There are a few apps on your phone that you can try before making the splurge.

Distract Your Ears:

There are a few ways you can distract your ears from the snoring sounds; playing sounds from nature can help distract you from a person snoring. I personally love listening to waves crashing or the sound of rain when sleeping next to my partner; it can be enough to distract you and help you fall asleep.

Classical music works too, or music that has no singing with it, such as meditation music, can help distract your ears from the snoring so you can get a better night’s rest, free of all distractions.

Wear Sleep Headphones:

Another technique to help block out snoring from your partner is to wear sleep headphones to bed; for many of us, it can be quite difficult to find earbuds that fit comfortably into all ear canals. So alternatively, you can buy noise cancellation headphones that are designed for sleeping.

So how do they work, and are they worth it?

So for starters, Bluetooth earphones don’t come with a wire, which could become a safety hazard in the night by getting tangled. They are also safe to use as long as you don’t use them for long periods at high volumes. You can pair them with a soothing app that can play sleep audio and white noise.

But this isn’t the best option for the side sleeping position, but they do offer some headphones that can best suit side sleepers so you can get a good night’s sleep without the snoring noise.

Sleep In Another Room:

I know this is the last thing you’ll want to resort to, but it turns out that 23% of couples sleep in separate rooms to help improve sleep quality, prevent sleep deprivation, and works for those with different work schedules. It can even help boost sex life as couples feel more rested and not frustrated with their partner.

Now I know, and everyone knows that it’s “not your partner’s fault,” but for many of us, sleeping with a snoring partner stops you from getting those deep stages of sleep which can result in restlessness, leading to arguments– as who isn’t short-tempered when they’re tired??

Sleeping in a separate room can actually help boost your relationship with your partner as the time you spend together is appreciated and creates a great long-term solution, especially if you sleep with a loud partner. Removing yourself from the situation can allow you to finally get a well-rested night’s sleep.

Sometimes we need that little space in a healthy relationship; it is not because you don’t love them but the opposite; it is a healthy long-term solution.

Get To Sleep First:

If you’re one of the lucky ones that once you drift off, you can stay asleep, you can try to go to bed earlier, before your partner to have a chance to fall asleep before your partner goes to bed. This should help you get into those deep sleep stages where you are less likely to wake before your partner starts snoring.

But for most people, this is not an ideal technique as most people will wake up with slight noises, so this technique may not work for everyone, sadly. 

sleeping with a snoring patner

How to Get Your Partner To Stop Snoring:

There are a few ways to get your partner to stop snoring, but some things will work while others won’t; it all depends on the cause. Here are a few tips from the sleep clinic to help keep those nasal passages clear and help prevent snoring so you can get a better night’s sleep.

Get Your Partner An Anti-Snore Pillow:

A brilliant way to help stop your partner from snoring is to get them an anti-snore pillow; they are ergonomically designed to support the head and neck to improve ventilation, help keep nasal passages free and help keep airways clear. This can help improve breathing and prevent someone’s snoring.

Something as simple as replacing a feather pillow can make an improvement as feather pillows don’t have much support for back sleepers, which causes snoring. So if your partner’s snoring is sleeping position related then just switching up the pillows can make a difference.

Make sure you find a comfortable one; you don’t want an unsupportive pillow as this will just swap out snoring for neck pain, which is not what we want. It is best to invest in a high-quality pillow as reducing snoring is worth the investment after all, especially if it works.

Put A Tennis Ball In Their Pyjamas Pocket:

This is the oldest trick in the book, but does it really work? Well, if your partner’s root for their snoring is their sleeping position, then this is another tip that will be sure to do the trick; this could be the right solution as it prevents your partner from sleeping on their back.

By popping tennis balls in their pocket, it prevents them from rolling onto their back, so taping a tennis ball to their back will stop them from rolling onto their back as it will be uncomfortable. However, this technique can only work if your partner wheres PJs to bed, which most men do not.

Sleeping on your side helps keep your airways open, which can help reduce snoring. However, it can cause your partner to have poor quality sleep as every time they move; they will get woken up by the discomfort, so they won’t be able to reach those deep sleep stages, which are most restorative.

This may seem unfair at the same time because pushing the sleep problem from one partner to another is not ideal.

Help Them Change Their Sleeping Position:

Again if your partner’s snoring is related to their sleeping position, then helping them train themselves to sleep on their side is a great solution to combat their snoring. Sleeping flat on their back causes their tongue to fall back and block the airway, which causes the vibrating snoring noise while they sleep.

You can either help them switch sleeping positions or help elevate their head to encourage and tongue and jaw to fall forward, which can help reduce snoring. However, encouraging them to sleep on their side is recommended as there are many health benefits of sleeping on your side.

Sometimes with a little nudge, you can help ensure your partner stays on their side when sleeping; this should help ensure their airways stay open. There are a few ways you can train yourself to sleep on your side, such as by sleeping with a pillow under your legs and chest to keep your body supported.

Help Improve Their Lifestyle:

One of the top causes of snoring is being overweight; this is because when you are overweight, there is a little extra tissue developing in the neck which can narrow the tube in your neck, resulting in snoring. Leading a healthy lifestyle can massively reduce snoring, and eating a balanced diet can help too.

You should avoid alcohol before going to sleep and drinking alcohol in general as it can relax the muscles in your neck, making it more likely that you’re going to snore. Plus, many people believe that alcohol makes you fall asleep easier; while this may be the case, you are not getting to those enriching sleep stages.

When alcohol is in our system, our body tends to bounce between the first and second stages of sleep, which are also known as light sleep. This means our body cannot go through the deep sleep restorative stages, so not only does it cause snoring, but you’re not getting the best night’s sleep.

Also, encouraging your partner to stop smoking is also recommended as smoking is another big factor that contributes to smoking as it can increase bronchial inflammation and cause the airways to swell; this can make it harder to breathe and cause them to snore.

Get An Anti-Snoring Device For Your Partner:

There are many magnificent and weird devices been invented that claim to “stop snoring,” while it may not completely stop the problem, it is an inexpensive solution. Nasal strips are brilliant at keeping the nasal passages open and help promote healthy breathing.

But before using nasal strips, you need to make sure your partner has washed their face thoroughly as otherwise, the natural oils on their skin will stop it from sticking to their face. It may not be ideal for those with sensitive skin as it can aggravate their skin.

Other anti-snoring devices could include a chin strip, which best suits snorers who sleep with their mouths open. It is a belt of material that goes over the head and tightens around their face with velcro. These work wonders for keeping the mouth shut and promoting the snorer to breathe out their nose.

Plus, wearing a chin strap is a whole new look that you can share with your friends and joke about.

Promote Healthy Bedroom Environment:

This is key for both you and your partner to prevent poor sleep quality. Those who suffer from respiratory illnesses may struggle with breathing throughout the night, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Adding moisture to the air can reduce mucus on the chest and promote drainage.

Investing in a humidifier is not only recommended for snorers but also for those that suffer from allergies or sleep with pets. A humidifier will send a warm or cool mist around the room and soothe airways to prevent dry mount or a sore throat; it will also fight allergen-related snoring.

However, using a humidifier can make it the perfect environment for mold, especially if you have a memory foam mattress, as the material will soak up call the water and create the perfect environment for mold growth, so cleaning the machine regularly and changing the filter regularly will help prevent this.

sleeping with a snorer

Final Thoughts:

So there you have it, a few tips you can use to get a better night’s sleep when sleeping with a partner that snores. After all, getting good quality sleep is super important for your physical and mental health. There are a few easy tips you can try first before delving into more permanent solutions.

You’ll be shocked by the difference getting a good night’s sleep will do for your mood and your relationship. Sleeping with a snorer is no easy task, but a few tips can make a world of difference; what may work for you may not for someone else, but it’s all about finding what is best for you.

So give these tips a go, and you’ll notice the difference straight away!

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