Snoring is a cruel affliction. For the perpetrator it could be a symptom of a major medical problem. For the sleep partner — an innocent victim! — it can be akin to torture. The worst part is that the one who has to listen to the snorer can develop intense resentment and anger that he or she is impotent to express or act upon. After all, the snorer isn't intentionally snoring. So the resentment builds and the snoring roars along.
What are the options for couples trapped in the nightmare that is snoring? For those with the space, splitting up into separate sleeping quarters is one obvious — but often highly undesirable — solution.
Full disclosure: I snore. Loudly. There, I said it. I am not remotely overweight. I am not male. I exercise. I don't sleep on my back. And I snore. A sleep specialist ruled out sleep apnea (a common but serious disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep). An allergist blamed my cats and prescribed a steroidal nasal spray, which has helped a little but not enough. Next up I will consult an ear nose and throat doctor (ENT) to see if I have anything structural in my nasal passages, palate or throat that is causing my snoring. But in the meantime, I couldn't resist trying the Sona pillow, which has been approved with 510K medical device status by the FDA. This week is my trial week. After about 20 minutes of wrangling the thing into the correct position I was able to sleep with this pillow and my snoring was somewhat reduced. But I will withhold judgment until the week's end.
What are the options for those of us who are tormenting our loved ones with our snoring?
1. Lose weight.
2. Avoid large meals at bed time.
3. Avoid alcohol.
4. Stop smoking.
5. Sleep on your side, not your back.
6. Get evaluated for sleep apnea, which has serious medical consequences and should be treated.
7. Talk to an allergist about nasal spray or allergy medications that may help clear your nasal passages. According to WebMD, sometimes snoring is caused by swelling of the lining of your nose, so steroidal nasal spray may help improve airflow in the nose.
8. Try an ergonomic pillow to position your head and neck for optimal breathing alignment.
9. Consider devices such as nose strips or oral appliances and mouthpieces designed to keep your airways open. But Peter Michaelson, MD, an ENT surgeon told WebMD that these products aren’t likely to help most snorers, because "about 80% of snoring comes from soft palate at the back of the mouth" not from blocked noses. Moreover, he says the consumer "doesn't always know where their snoring is coming from."
Some of these devices include:
A) Nozovent Anti-Snore , which is like a stent for your nasal passages, opening them up to aid in breathing, $9.
B) Snorepin, $23.65.
C) Nasal dilator strips such as Breathe-Right Strips, $12.73.
10. If sleep apnea has been ruled out and none of the above solutions are working, your sleeping partner could try earplugs, headphones, or a white noise machine to drown out the noise.
What do you do to control your snoring or the snoring of the person you sleep with? What has worked? What has not worked?
Image: Snorepin
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Has anyone tried the Pillar procedure? It is 3 polymer strips that are implanted in the soft pallette to reduce vibration. I'm curious if it worked for anyone and if there are any side effects.
How funny this post came up today! I've been exhausted all day because my boyfriend kept me up all night snoring. He's young and thin, and unfortunately has serious allergies and a deviated septum, so I'm not sure if traditional remedies could help. Anyone know what to do about snoring because of a deviated septum?
My brother used to snore like a freight train. He did an observational sleep study and he ended up having surgery to remove his tonsils and trim his uvula. Kind of extreme, but after that, he didn't snore at all.
Freshman year, my college roommate's boyfriend used to snore. It didn't bother my roommate night after night, but from a bed ten feet away it would keep me up ALL night long.
Ultimately, throwing something at him in the middle of the night stopped the snoring. Cruel? Perhaps. Effective and only fair to the assigned roommate of the one sleeping with the guy?? TOTALLY.
My husband snores, loudly. I use earplugs but am paranoid about not hearing my alarm so can't use them during the week. I feel bad about poking and prodding him through the night to get him to turn over, and worry that I am disturbing his sleep as much as he is mine. He is also ultra-sensitive about it and I'm not sure would visit any specialists without an ultimatum from me. Any ideas on how to get him to see a specialist?
@Polish_Princess
In San Francisco we have Sereno, a boutique medical office dedicated to stop snoring. Check the Yelp reviews. Many people report that the insertion of splints cures their snoring. However, you should seek out an expert to evaluate what is appropriate for you. There are other semi/permanent options.
My husband snores and feels badly knowing that he keeps me up at night. I asked him to come to an evaluation @ Sereno. The doctor used a teeny camera in his throat and up his nose to take photos. He's got everything wrong that could cause snoring. For a flat rate of $4000 Sereno will do whatever they can to stop his snoring.
Getthebubbles, men are stupid. Sorry, but we are. I'm a chiropractor and trying to get a man to go to a doctor of any kind when something isn't seriously wrong (and therefore, often at a seriously advanced stage) is difficult. If he really won't hear you, though, that is partly maybe because of a bad approach, but it could also be a symptom of a larger communication breakdown/marriage issue. Let's assume he's stubborn and sensitive, though:
Your approach needs to be gentle and non-accusatory. "Honey, I'm worried about your health. I don't want you to have something that will take you away from me before it should. I want you to feel good and sleep good and I want to jump your bones and I don't feel like it when we're both exhausted because of your snoring. I made you an appointment to see Dr. So and So, please go..." If he doesn't soften to that sort of approach, then there is a bigger issue.
The other thing is that men have an irrational idea that if they don't know they have a health problem, it can't hurt them, so many men are afraid to go to the doctor because they feel like it's better not to know, somehow. Crazy, but that's how it goes. Both genders are guilty of some crazy ideas! lol
If you want to put a little more science and preparation behind it, you can also do a few minutes of research on motivational interviewing. From a doctor's point of view, we have to try to guide patients toward lifestyles and behavioral changes they often don't want to do, and motivational interviewing is one way to help that. Do a search online and you'll have plenty to read. Good luck!
I have had a full sinus surgery including pillar implants and tongue reduction. I still snore loudly. My husband wears custom molded earplugs and he still hears me. I have apnea and can't wear a C-pap mask because of TMJ. I don't reach rem sleep because my snoring keeps me up. I guess I will sleep soundly when I am dead. I am not overweight, sleep on my side and am female.
My husband snores and he's tried some palate strips recently with some success. They're gelatinous menthol strips (not very different from those you can buy to freshen your breath) and you stick them on your palate. It does reduce his snoring to a bearable level. :)
My husband's CPAP has improved both our of sleep and his daily functioning. He's actually getting rest at night which means he can focus on being awake during the day. Sometimes he rips the mask off in the middle of the night and I can always tell the next day, just by his coloring. Love that thing.
I use a mediaflow pillow and temprepudic 3" mattress topper has greatly helped me. I have sleep apnea but am young, 5' 11" and 160lbs, certainly not my weight. Went for a sleep study and have a 28% decrease in sleep and woke up something like 27 times in a 8 hour sleep period due to stop breathing. Next test would have been BiPap titration. No thanks! Not sleeping with a machine. Have to look into surgeries, although all for sleep apnea have a VERY low percentage of improvement for such invasive procedures.
I have tried both the snorepin and another product called Nasivent (which seems similar to the Nozovent). The snorepin worked when it stayed in, but that was rare. The Nasivent also worked well and it stayed in.
While I am adamant that I didn't snore in the first place, my girlfriend is quite grateful to the Nasivent ;-)
My husband and I (ok, and the dog) start the night together. If I snore--and apparantly I'm pretty loud--he gently nudges me. I pick up my pillow and the dog follows me into the guest room, where we spend the rest of the night.
The only problem is that my husband's feeleings are is hurt because the dog goes with me.
I was a horrible snorer until I found Brez. Its a nose insert like the pic above and it worked like a charm. My wife loves me again... :)
I get very little sleep as it is, getting to bed around 10-11 and up again at 3:30 a.m. I have not had a good nights sleep in 2-3 weeks because of hubbies snoring.
Denise
Hubby snores too, due to allergies and weight. It got so bad that I couldn't sleep at all. Recently we moved into a new house with a little office. We put an extra bed there so I can sneak off and get some sleep when I need to. It's been really great, and (I'd like to think) I'm a kinder, more patient person the next day. Just knowing we have a spare bed and I have options has been a major anxiety buster.
My husband snores when he drinks... so on boys nights he usually sleeps in the spare room or on the couch. I heard the netti pot works well, my friend convinced her husband to use it and his snoring has completely stopped.
I work at a marketing agency, and one of our clients is a company that makes an anti-snoring device that's similar to Nozovent...it's called Brez. Check it out at http://www.brez.com. It really does work!
We each have our own bedroom because of snoring.