Ten Hacks for Sleeping with a Snorer

You’re drifting into that delicious moment when you melt into restful oblivion.

Just then, a tremendous whistling snort brutally pulls you back from the brink. Silence returns and, in a nightly triumph of hope over experience, you cautiously start to relax – and then it happens again, and again, and again.

If you share a room or a bed with a snorer, this is a familiar story. And it’s no joke, in one study conducted by the Mayo Clinic, the spouses of snorers were woken by their partner an average of 21 times every hour. If you’re not getting your sleep while your roommate is blissfully snoring away, it can put a considerable strain on your relationship, not to mention leaving you tired and cranky.

It’s time to try out one or two of these hacks for sleeping with a snorer – heck why not try them all – you’re awake anyway!

#1 – Let them in on the secret

If you haven’t already done so, it’s a good idea to tell the snorer what’s going on and how it affects you. You could also record their nightly noises, so they can hear just how loud it sounds. If you approach the topic tactfully, they might be willing to start looking into changes they can make to reduce your suffering.

However, if you brandish your recording device in front of their face at 3 a.m. while howling you can’t stand it any longer, they may be a little less receptive. On the upside though, they will at least be awake and not snoring for a short time.

#2 – Use a humidifier

Dry air can irritate the airway especially if snoring is linked to allergies or nasal congestion. Adding some moisture into the air might well help reduce the snoring and can also counteract the way forced-air heating dries out your skin. So, even if a humidifier doesn’t help you get more beauty sleep, at least your skin will feel soft and dewy.

#3 – Add more noise

Adding more noise to the cacophony sounds ridiculous, but there is good evidence that many people find white noise helps reduce the impact of snoring and makes it easier to sleep. A report into white noise in Popular Science found that “white noise creates a masking effect, blocking out those sudden changes that frustrate light sleepers, or people trying to fall asleep.”

To create white noise, you can buy a special machine, turn on a fan, or tune the radio to static.

#4 – Buy them a gift

It’s true they don’t deserve a gift after keeping you awake all night. However, this is really a sneaky gift for you. If you swap their normal pillow for an anti-snore pillow, it will support their head in the best position to open up their airways, giving you the chance to catch a snooze.

# 5 – Learn to love it

This one takes a little patience, so don’t expect it to work straight away. The trick is to fool yourself into thinking of the snoring as a pleasant, soothing noise that lulls you to sleep. You can get snore-blocking hypnosis MP3s that aim to convince you of just this.

#6 – Get a bigger bed

If you and your beloved snorer share a bed, then investing in a larger one may improve your slumber. You won’t hear the noise or feel the vibration, quite so much if they are further away from you, and you can bundle blankets in the middle to muffle the noise even more. Shopping online for a new bed or pillow will also give you something to do in the middle of the night when you need a break from the snoring.

#7 – Put something in your ears

Earplugs are certainly worth a try. It’s a good idea to try a few different types to find the ones that are most comfortable fit for you and block the most noise. Wireless headphones playing white noise or soothing music are another good option.

#8 – Stagger your sleep time

Going to bed earlier than the snorer may give you a chance to nod off before they really get going. Even if they wake you eventually, you’ll benefit from the hour or two of uninterrupted shut-eye.

#9 – Seek deeper sleep

Improving the depth and quality of your sleep might mean that the snoring is less likely to wake you. Try establishing a regular sleep schedule and build in a relaxing bedtime routine. Replace caffeine with herbal tea and switch off screens in the run-up to bed-time.

#10 – Leave the room

When all else fails, sometimes you just have to go elsewhere. If your snorer is your spouse, then it’s a smart move to explain that you might need to sleep in the spare room and you’re not angry, just exhausted.

If you don’t have a handy spare room or couch, then sometimes it can still help to get up for half an hour or so to defuse your frustration and, hopefully, relax enough to get to sleep.