Help! My Husband Snores and I Can’t Sleep!
When I first got married I had no clue how to sleep through snoring. I’d be laying there going insane while my snoring husband was next to me, blissfully unaware I secretly wanted to put a pillow over his head. Instead I’d just go to couch and wonder, was I ever going to sleep again?
I decided to make it my mission to figure out a way to sleep with someone who snores. My husband never liked it when I deserted him in the middle of the night, so he was pretty game for just about every idea I came up with even if they were pretty weird.
The sound of snoring is just about the most annoying thing ever. So I’ve put together a short list of snoring spouse tips into one post to help you get a restful night of sleep. (instead of contemplating murder or divorce) 🙂
*Snoring can be a symptom of a more serious condition, like sleep apnea. Be sure to see your physician first.
Fall Asleep before your Partner with a Little Help
I know it’s easier said that done, but it really helps if you can beat your partner to sleep. My husband can fall asleep in five minutes or less, usually while I’m talking to him. I have trouble sleeping a lot, and it can take me a long time to fall asleep.
I started going to bed about a half hour before he did, but it’s hard fall asleep under pressure. I started taking all natural homeopathic sleep aids before I went to bed so I could be drowsy enough to fall asleep quickly.
Prescription and over the counter sleeping pills can do more harm than good, so it’s usually a good idea to use natural sleep methods unless your doctor says otherwise.
My favorite natural sleep aid is Bach’s Rescue Remedy for Sleep. It comes in spray or gelcap form, and you just take it about a half an hour before bed so you’ll be drowsy enough to fall asleep.
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How to Sleep through Snoring 101: Try Comfortable Earplugs for Sleeping
One night when my husband was loud and I was particularly ticked off, it hit me. Why the heck haven’t I been using earplugs to block snoring?
There’s a ton of earplugs that claim to muffle snoring, and I think I went through most of them trying to find ones that worked. Most were duds, but I finally found earplugs that blocked snoring enough to where I couldn’t hear him most nights.
This was the first time I ever got close to sleeping in silence. I still wear earplugs every night, and it’s one of my top snoring partner tips I give to my friends who don’t know how to sleep through snoring.
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I Love my Soft Headphones to Wear While Sleeping!
Using earplugs to block snoring is effective, but they can only do so much.
Earplugs, well, just plug your ears and they only work as long as the snoring level is minimal. If your partner is snoring loud enough, you can still hear it through your soft tissues.
My husband bought me SleepPhones to wear while sleeping for Christmas. Let me tell you, you’ll have to pry these things out of my cold, dead hands before I’ll sleep without them. I can honestly say when I wear these I don’t hear him snore at all. EVER.
They’re bluetooth, so I listen to white noise from an app on my phone. I still wear earplugs with my sleeping headphones so the white noise blocks what the earplugs don’t. Now every night I get to listen to the relaxing sound of rain hitting the roof instead of my husband pulling paint off the walls.
Admittedly, SleepPhones can be pricey, but they’re worth it. But if you’re desperate and on a budget, there are plenty of headband headphones that are pretty darn cheap, but still effective.
Related: How to Help Snoring without Wearing a Mouthpiece (or other snoring torture devices)
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Just Need a Little Distraction? Put a White Noise Machine for Snoring in the Bedroom
Some people can sleep through snoring if they have another noise to focus on instead of the snoring. Putting a white noise machine for snoring in your bedroom can give you that, plus help you both sleep better.
I like white noise machines because sudden loud noises (like snoring) doesn’t seem as jarring when something soothing is playing in the background all night.
If you’re wondering just how to sleep through snoring one more night and you can’t or don’t like the earplugs or headphones, white noise machines are definitely an option.
HoMedics SS-2000G/F-AMZ Sound Spa Relaxation Machine with 6 Nature SoundsLectroFan – White Noise Machine, 20 Sleep Therapy Sound Options with Travel Case
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If putting a sound conditioner in your bedroom is something you’d like to try, I’ve written a buying guide for white noise machines that can help you choose which one is best for you.
Ignore the Roar Completely with Hypnosis to Block Snoring
Guided Self-Hypnosis for Sleeping Through Snoring Or Disturbing Noises
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could sleep right next to your partner and completely ignore the sound of their snoring? I’m talking not even hearing it at all.
It’s a possibility with snore blocking hypnosis MP3’s.
Snoring hypnosis trains your brain to ignore the sound and not pay any attention to it at all. Kind of the same way if you’ve ever worked or lived near train tracks, an airport, or somewhere noisy, after a while you don’t even notice the sound anymore.
Although hypnotherapy for snoring is something I’ve never tried, I did use hypnosis for text anxiety and had fantastic results. I personally know hypnosis can work. I think if you’re desperately trying to figure out how to sleep through snoring, it’s worth a shot.
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Expand your Real Estate: Get a Bigger Bed
Right after we got married, my husband decided we needed to go from a queen to a king sized bed. He said it was because I’m a bed hog. (I say the jury is out on that one!) But upgrading to a bigger bed had an unintended benefit: His snoring seemed quieter.
As long as he faced away from me and I wore my ear plugs, I couldn’t hear him. There was a problem when he was extra tired or rolled over to face me, and I’d usually end up going to the other room. But I lived with it until I got my bluetooth headband.
Granted, buying a new bed just to get some sleep with a loud snorer can be a pricey fix, but it’s something to consider if you’re really wanting to sleep in the same room.
Hey, There’s No Shame in Leaving (the bedroom!)
Sometimes, there’s just no getting sleep when a partner snores. When that happens, it’s perfectly okay to go to the couch or spare bedroom.
My husband used to take it personally when I’d leave because he was too loud. He finally realized it was better to sleep separate than to deal with a tired, cranky witch the next day.
I found it was better to tell my husband before bed that I’ll be sleeping in the other room so there won’t be any hard feelings. And when he’s overtired (which is usually when he snores the loudest) he’ll give me a head’s up that it’s probably a good idea to sleep separate tonight.
Related: How to Prevent Snoring Naturally with these 6 Easy Remedies
Sign Up to Our Newsletter to Get a Cheat Sheet of 10 Ways to Help Your Partner Stop Snoring (or at least sleep through it!)
How to Sleep through Snoring? You Gotta Use a Lot of Ingenuity
When I got married, I expected a lot of things. Sleeping next to a chainsaw for the rest of my life was not one of them.
When you sleep with a loud snorer, you’ve got to get creative in order to get any rest. My husband was in denial at first, but then looked into ways to stop snoring naturally. It took a lot of trial and error on my end until I finally came up with my earplugs/sleeping headphones combination to sleep in peace in quiet.
So next time you’re laying there contemplating if snoring is a justifiable homicide, try some of these snoring partner tips that can help you figure out how to sleep through snoring. You just might get a good night’s sleep. And avoid divorce or jail!
I don’t need to block out snoring, but I may need those headphones!
You’re funny! You had me cracking up at some of the things you were saying. Thanks for the tips 🙂
I’m glad you liked it! I hope some of the tips help 🙂
Why is it that it’s always the husband that snores? My wife snores like a drunken sailor. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in years.
I wrote this from my experience with my husband’s snoring, but women totally snore too! Hopefully one of these hacks can help you deal with your wife’s snoring. 🙂
I’m ordering some of these things right now! Do you ever have an issue waking up from an alarm when you wear the headphone and ear plugs?
Hi there! I don’t have a problem hearing my alarm at all. I use the alarm on my cell phone. When it goes off, it plays over the Sleepphones. I have my volume turned up so my white noise drowns out my husband’s snoring so when my alarm goes off it’s pretty loud and I can hear it through the earplugs. Hope this helps 🙂
Which of the sleep phones do you personally own?
Hi!
When I first bought SleepPhones a couple years ago, I got the wireless, http://shrsl.com/mwgk. But this past November I saw they had a new version where you didn’t have to plug it in, you just lay it on top of a charger. The old one still worked, I just wanted convenience. The new version is called “Effortless” http://shrsl.com/n2hc. I love them 🙂
Hi,
I was really worried that I might not hear anything if our kids call us or if they fall out of bed or something. I’m usually pretty alert and my husband is not that easily woken up. How can we make sure we still can take care of the kids?
Thanks
Hi Martha!
I assume you’re speaking of if you are wearing earplugs and/or the SleepPhones? Some have told me that they put a baby monitor in their kids’ room that is connected to an app on their phone and then they can then hear everything through their smartphone. They say they can hear the monitor through their SleepPhones when their kids make noise in the other room, even through earplugs. I don’t know what brand of baby monitor does this, so you have to look around for monitors that have this capability. Hope this helps! 🙂
Just got married three months ago, and I haven’t slept well for three months. I love my husband to death, but he snores. I love the advice about trying to fall asleep before him, I will try that tonight! Also, I want to look into getting him snoring treatments. I want to be able to sleep again!
Hope you have some luck…and get some sleep! 🙂