Snoring. (4 am. What did you expect?)

Descendant X

So I've just been kicked out of bed for snoring. This is a problem that I've had for some time now and I'm beginning to get sick of listening to my wife whine at me at night.

I suppose she's sick of my snoring as well.

As far as I know I don't actually stop breathing during the night, so it's probably not sleep apnea. I don't need any advice about sleep apnea because I know several people who have it and I'm pretty sure I ain't one of 'em.

What I'm pretty sure my problem is is my nose. I'm pretty much constantly congested and as far as I remember have never breathed through my nose for any extensive period of time. Right now my right nostril is stuffed and there's little I can do to clear it.

I sleep on my side, because I know that I snore less that way.

Any ideas?

Improvolone

I had a UPPP for other reasons, but that is a surgery commonly used to fix snoring. It hurt like a bitch and I was on some heavy pain killers for two weeks and had to relearn how to swallow liquids... but I also stopped snoring!

edit: Course before you go that route I'd try those anti-snoring things you put on the outside of your nose that supposedly open everything up.

The_Glad_Hatter

my dad has this little OTC mouth spray that stops him from snoring.
i'll see if i can come up with its name.

CyberJackal

Depending on how loud you snore, perhaps a white noise machine might help. I got one for myself after being kept up by my neighbor's snoring (not a joke). Granted, my situation involved someone in an entirely other apartment, so I don't know how effective it would be for someone in the same room.

Maybe I should ask the people who live with that dude how they deal with it?

matt has a problem

Try those Breathe-Right strips first, they'd be the cheapest option. After that, maybe try a humidifier? I know when the air gets dry in winter my nose likes to clog. Other than that, maybe earplugs for your wife?

Gilbert0

There are also mouthguards that can re-align your jaw so that it opens your throat more.

Talk to your doctor and see what they suggest.

Descendant X

I'll take a look into the completely non-invasive stuff.

Sorry Improvolone, I am not getting surgery to fix this. I would be overkill and probably unnecessary.

I did get back to sleep last night about an hour after the OP and as far as I know I didn't snore. I did bunch up my pillow to raise my head - that may have helped.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Wezoin

There are sleep clinics where they'll watch you and figure out whats wrong with you.

My dad used to have really bad snoring (as in I could hear it from the basement when he was sleeping in his room on the second story of the house.) He went to a sleep clinic where they diagnosed him with sleep apnea and gave him a breathing machine that pressurizes his sinuses and keeps him from snoring, as well as forces him to keep breathing.

Ask your wife to listen to your snoring and see if it cuts out and starts again - if it does you may have sleep apnea.

Jimmy King

Yeah, if it's that disturbing check with your insurance to see if they'll cover a sleep study. Severe snoring tends to also mean sleep apnea since the most common kind of sleep apnea and snoring are caused by the same thing happening... your throat closing up and not letting the air through properly.

I went through this a couple of months ago. The machine is kind of a butthole to deal with, but overall it's an improvement. I'm less tired, I'm not waking my wife up with my snoring, and she's not waking me up to make sure I'm still alive whenever I stop snoring.

LewieP's Mummy

I bought breathe right nose strips for LewieP's daddy, cos i was sick and tired of his snoring waking me up at night. They have helped, I'm sleeping better, he's not sore from my elbow jamming him in the ribs to make him shut up.

Druhim

If simpler measures don't work, get your ass to a doctor and get a referral to a sleep specialist if you really care about resolving this. There are a number of things that could be going on here which could call for different solutions. I snore frequently also, and I sure as hell don't get bitchy at my longsuffering girlfriend when my snoring wakes her up. I just get up and move to the sofa. While I'd prefer not to move to the sofa, it's not her fault I'm snoring. So maybe be more understanding of what your wife is putting up with.

Septus

My girlfriend snores, and the first and only step taken so far, is that I've used earplugs. They definitely help with more mild snoring, but occasionally I'll wake up later and be able to hear her though the plugs. However, there's a risk of damage to your ears if you wear the plugs all night every night, as they block earwax drainage. However(I haven't researched this much) there are ways to loosen up your earwax to help it drain during the day I think, involving putting a few drops of some liquid into your ears.

I'm going to try a white noise machine, probably this one, because it doesn't use recorded sounds, which eventually loop, and the reset might make it hard to fall asleep.

If I start sleeping together a lot more consistently, I'll try to have her use a head/jaw sling, which keeps the mouth shut, which she thinks is the cause of her snoring.

ED!

Earplugs. I've dated some pretty heavy snorers - ear-plugs, and a little fan going are sleep savers.

Thanatos

Have you tried pseudoephedrine, an OTC antihistamine, or a combination of the two? If you're constantly congested, it's probably hay fever.

And make sure you get real pseudoephedrine (you'll have to ask the pharmacist), and not that "Sudafed PE" bullshit they sell OTC (the "PE" stands for "Placebo Effect").

Septus

ED! wrote: »

Earplugs. I've dated some pretty heavy snorers - ear-plugs, and a little fan going are sleep savers.

Specifically, something like this:
http://www.macksearplugs.com/products/Pillow-Soft-Earplugs-2-pair-white

Alien Queen

matthasaproblem wrote: »

Try those Breathe-Right strips first, they'd be the cheapest option. After that, maybe try a humidifier? I know when the air gets dry in winter my nose likes to clog. Other than that, maybe earplugs for your wife?

This is exactly what my BF uses, and they work really really well.
I normally park myself on the couch and sleep as I'd feel mean for waking him up all the time. Anyway he started using these about 2 weeks ago and I've not heard him snore since.
Also, if you can help it, try not to sleep on your back as this can make you snore more.

witch_ie

I've had a similar problem. It's really frustrating because if you can't make it stop you either have to stop sleeping together or both lose sleep (as the snorer gets woken up by the not so deep sleeper). Here's what we've tried based on research and advice from medical professionals:

- Breathe Right Nose Strips (hated them, they didn't work for us)
- Testing for Sleep Apnea (no sleep apnea, but worth getting tested for)
- Exercise (losing weight, even just 5 pounds can really help here as can how your breathing changes when you exercise regularly)
- Ear plugs (can be rather uncomfortable to sleep in, but definitely worth a shot)
- Multiple and crazy sleeping positions for the snorer (didn't really make a difference)
- Endoscopic sinus surgery (not just for snoring, but helpful in getting rid of the congestion that other methods can't)
- Regular sinus rinses (this is the stuff made by Neil Med and can help with congestion)
- Antihistamines before bed
- Other drugs such as singulair before bed
- Anti-inflammatories before bed
- White noise (we use an air filter)
- Singing - there's a study ongoing to see if strengthing certain parts of your respiratory system by singing the sound "unga" can help with snoring

What has ultimately ended up working for us, and there's still a little snoring, is the white noise from the air filter, making sure that the snorer's nose is cleaned out of any congestion (as much as possible) before bed, and regular exercise/weight loss. Other things we considered but didn't get around to trying:

- Herbal supplements that reinforce sleep cycle
- Actual sleeping pills
- Meditation (for both)
- Other kinds of surgery for snoring (there are many)
- Breathing machine (didn't need one as they're used in sleep apnea situations)

Descendant X

Druhim wrote: »

If simpler measures don't work, get your ass to a doctor and get a referral to a sleep specialist if you really care about resolving this. There are a number of things that could be going on here which could call for different solutions. I snore frequently also, and I sure as hell don't get bitchy at my longsuffering girlfriend when my snoring wakes her up. I just get up and move to the sofa. While I'd prefer not to move to the sofa, it's not her fault I'm snoring. So maybe be more understanding of what your wife is putting up with.

At no time did I get bitchy at my wife. In fact, I'm pretty impressed with the way she's handled the whole thing because generally she moves to the couch because I sleep like the dead.

I was being a smart-ass in the OP.