Snoring – help me to prevent a divorce

The last couple of years or so I’ve started snoring. It doesn’t bother me but it drives drive my wife mad. She is a light sleeper with a stressful job so she is understandably impatient when it comes to my wild boar impressions at night. I need to shift weight, but I’m also open minded to mouth guards, sprays etc. are these just snake oil or has anyone found a thing that works?

Separate bedrooms

Separate bedrooms and / or get her some custom made ear plugs.

In no particular order;

separate rooms if you can do it.

ear plugs

snoring remedies can work if open mouth breathing/snoring is your problem. It is for a lot of folks so it’s worth a go

loose the pounds

Shifting weight will be a win win situation. You’ll feel better and stop snoring too. In the meantime I only know people who snore sleeping in separate bedrooms. Seems to be a bit of a ‘thing ‘ these days.

Obviously losing weight is massively beneficial for all sorts of reasons but being overweight isn’t the only reason people snore so it may not solve this particular problem.

In a similar position, though we take it in turns to be the guilty party.

Its got worse as we’ve gained weight, so simple win there. I also seem to get nasal blockages more, that might need a GP to look up my nose.

These work well for me.

Other than that, avoid alcohol, stop smoking if you do, treat any nasal congestion (steroid nasal sprays work well, look on asthma UK website for an instruction video), avoid eating or drinking anything for a couple of hours before bedtime.

Losing weight works in the short to medium term, but you’re likely to put it back on in the longer term.

I find I am less likely to get a sharp dig in the ribs if I ensure I am properly hydrated

Had remarkable success from a snoring ring. Fits on a pressure point on one finger. Genuinely amazing.

Do you sleep on your back – that can cause me to snore, but I wake up if I do, always sleep on my side. Fecked back and shoulders so use lots of pillows.

Working at remote sites and sharing sleeping quarters with up to 3 other guys, the only thing I’ve ever known to work every time is a CPAP machine. I’ve personally witnessed guys who could peel the wallpaper off the wall go silent with one of those things.

Separate bedrooms

This is the only solution, I’m afraid, and also the only reason I’ve not been smothered in my sleep

Had remarkable success from a snoring ring. Fits on a pressure point on one finger. Genuinely amazing.

Really? Every fibre of my being says they must be nonsense. But i am trying to be open minded…

We’ve gone down the moulded earplug route.

Really pleased with them. I went for ultimate ear direct.

But all they do is direct you to your nearest hearing shop. My suggestion is go to your nearest audiology shop and ask them.

NB you’ll probably need to include the cost of syringing your ears as well. Couldn’t believe the size of the blobs that came out

Really? Every fibre of my being says they must be nonsense. But i am trying to be open minded…

me too. But yeah.

Had remarkable success from a snoring ring. Fits on a pressure point on one finger. Genuinely amazing.

I too am cynical but willing to take a punt and report back. Any particular recommendation?

Spare room sleeping has become the norm but we’ve got guests staying now pretty much up until the end of August which has caused the current angst.

I think curing snoring is a little bit complex but what helped me, so the feedback form confirmed, was using a powerline breathe thing i got on wiggle. It helped strengthen my lungs and also worked for hills and running after buses.

According to Billy Connoly’s book that I’ve just finished. Buy a t shirt with a front pocket, put it on backwards with a tennis ball in the pocket. Stops you rolling onto your back.

Severe snorers may require a haversack and basketball.

So, in summary:

Weightloss
Ear plugs (for her, not me)
Pressure point ring
Powerbreathe device.

This is all great stuff. Has anyone got any experience of mouth guard type things. I really don’t want these to work as I hate the idea of sleeping with one in my gob, but willing to try if they are good.

Generally it’s sleeping on your back that causes snoring but there’s nothing more infruriating in the world than people snoring. I know my OH doesn’t do it on purpose but as soon as you shove him and he stops, then 5 seconds later he starts again, all you want to do is smother him!! It’s still a fairly taboo subject but one that I think more people are openly admitting, separate beds! I’m a light sleeper and my husband snores and my IBD means I struggle with fatigue and so 8 hours of sleep is massively important to me. We now sleep in separate neighbouring rooms and it means when we’re both awake I’m a nicer person to be around = win win!

When people come to stay he even goes and sleeps in our converted van on the driveway to maintain the happy relationship! He’s a goodun sometimes!

you can’t argue with the inverse square law. Separate bedrooms, or at least the ability to more to another bed once the snoring starts. I leave the door open.

Separate houses worked wonders for me…well almost everything improved massively!

Lose weight. Stop smoking. Stop drinking. Lie on your side not your back (that’s the big one for me). Invest in a catering pack of ear plugs (I favour Mack). See a doctor.

I’ve tried things you stick up your nose, stick on nose strips, sleeping on my side, nose decongestant spray but still snore. Don’t like the idea of those mouth things. my snoring comes from the back of the mouth/ throat, don’t think those mouth things go back that far. Next thing for me is to try and loose some weight I guess, i’m  over the average weight for my height. I occasionally sleep in the spare room it gets unbearable for the OH.

If your snoring is really loud check if you have sleep apnoea… Do you have a totally even snore or do you snort sometimes/or always?

I used to snore really loudly and would sort of start/snort in the middle of my snore. Turns out that I have sleep apnoea and now use a cpap machine.

It works and ensures you can get a good nights sleep. It started working immediately and I never ever disturb my wife whilst sleeping plus I sleep a load better.

Ask Mrs Frank if you snort etc and do watch this..  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9gGRbX5TKM

If you suspect sleep apnoea get your GP to refer you to a sleep clinic it may extend your life.

My wife could snore for Britain, it’s really quite frightening at times.

What seems to work quite well for her is a wedge shaped pillow. She sleeps on her back and the wedge under her normal pillow seems to raise her up enough to keep the roaring at bay.

I can’t recommend SnoreLab and SnoreGym enough. Brilliant apps that help you manage your snoring.

I now have 3 years of data which shows me how various triggers and conditions affect me. Above everything else it’s heavily related to my weight:

I have a friend with dreadful snoring that is caused by his jaw slackening when he’s asleep so it drops back blocking the airway.  The mouth guards pretty much stopped his snoring competently as it kept his jaw in place.  I guess it would only work for certain types of snoring.

If your snoring is really loud check if you have sleep apnoea…

Yeah, particularly if someone tells you it sounds like you occasionally stop breathing for a second, then resume with a loud chokey snort.

If your snoring is really loud check if you have sleep apnoea…

Wife isn’t concerned about sleep apnoea, confident it doesn’t sound like that, although I think she would be delighted if I did stop breathing…

Loving the look of the snore apps, have downloaded them to play around with later.

you’ll probably need to include the cost of syringing your ears as well

on a regular basis. For many people, not all, wearing ear plugs for several hours a day suppresses the natural system for your ears to eject wax.

So, in summary:

Weightloss
Ear plugs (for her, not me)
Pressure point ring
Powerbreathe device.

You’ve missed the “sleep on your side bit” that a few people have highlighted. It’s what keeps me sane with my snoring wife – it actually has two functions; snoring is much reduced, but also the offending orifices are pointed directly away from me.

I always hear the ‘sleep on the side’ advice but I move around the bed like an energiser bunny and can end up in all sorts of positions.

I’m a snorer, much worse after afew beers or a good ride on the bike weirdly. Cart myself off to the spare room on those occasions, Wife wears earplugs and I try to stay on my side/front which helps..well she’s not killed me yet anyway!

I never sleep on my back now. If I do, I snore so loudly, I even wake myself up. If I do drift over into my back, my wife pokes me and tells me to turn over. I never seem to snore when sleeping on my side (which is the only way I sleep now).

I generally sleep mainly on my right side down, banged up spine and shoulders. I don’t find on my back comfy. Just spotted my Galaxy Watch has a snore detection feature. No idea what it does.

If you move about, an extra pillow might help.

Snore sprays like Snore-eze work for me – Mrs says it does anyway and it’s probably saved me being suffocated a few times. Not cheap, tastes nasty.

@brant where do you wear it – ring finger?

If you suspect sleep apnoea get your GP to refer you to a sleep clinic it may extend your life.

Bonus is that the report includes a snore duration; my snoring is officially certified to be much less than “all night” 🙂