How to live with a snoring partner
You are in bed, trying to catch some sleep in vain. The reason you can’t sleep is that your partner is snoring loudly while sleeping blissfully in oblivion. That’s what many people with snoring partners have to go through. So, how can you live with a snoring partner?
You can live with a snoring partner by going to bed earlier than them, trying not to focus on the snoring sound, or blocking out the snoring sound. You can also make your partner sleep on their side, buy an adjustable bed frame, or encourage them to see a doctor.
If you’ve been wondering how you can continue living with your snoring partner, you’re in the right place. Read on to find out how your partner’s snoring can affect you and how to live with a snoring partner. Let’s dive right in.
How Your Partner’s Snoring Can Affect You
If your partner snores, the crackles, and cranks he makes every night can affect you in different ways. Let’s look at some ways in which your partner’s snoring can affect you:
You could start resenting your partner
When you toss in bed every night, listening to your partner snoring, you may start feeling like your partner is uncaring. This could definitely make you start resenting your partner as you feel like a ‘victim’.
For instance, if you start prodding, poking, or kicking your partner when they start snoring, it’s a sign that resentment is starting to set in.
If the resentment for your partner goes unchecked, you could end up ruining your relationship.
In fact, some partners have split because of the snoring issue (I hope you don’t get to that point).
You could start experiencing insomnia
When your partner snores, you can experience insomnia (sleeplessness). This especially happens if you are a light sleeper. If you’re sleepless, it means that you don’t get sufficient sleep – 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily.
If you don’t get enough sleep for days on end, it could lead to many negative issues such as:
- Moodiness that makes you and others miserable.
- Feeling tired due to lack of sufficient sleep.
- Feeling sleepy during the day, leading to lower productivity.
- An increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
How To Live With a Snoring Partner
As you can see, snoring doesn’t only affect your partner, it affects you too. So, suppose your partner snores. In that case, avoid suffering in silence.
If you really love and care for your partner, there are things you can do to help you live with their snoring.
Now, let’s look at some things you can do to help you live with a snoring partner:
1. Go to Bed A Bit Earlier Than Your Partner
You can come to an agreement with your partner that you’ll be going to bed earlier than them whenever possible. This gives you a head start – by the time your partner comes to bed, you’ll be asleep. You therefore might not notice their snoring for several hours, thus giving you sufficient hours of sleep.
For instance, if you are the kind of person who falls asleep quickly, you can go to bed at least 15 minutes before your partner. If you usually take a while before falling asleep, you could go to bed about 30 minutes before your partner.
2. Try Not To Focus on the Snoring Sound
One of the reasons you stay awake because of your partner’s snoring is that you focus or concentrate on the snoring sound. So, instead of focusing on the snoring sound, you could try to train your mind to ignore the sound. This is easier said than done, but it’s doable.
For instance, instead of focusing on the snoring sound, close your eyes and try to meditate. During meditation, you put the power of your mind to work by thinking calm thoughts that help your mind to relax. You will fall asleep before you know it.
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” (Jon Kabat-Zinn). In other words, learn to cope with the snoring sound if you can’t stop it.
3. Block Out the Snoring Sound
Another way you can live with a snoring partner is by blocking out the snoring sound. This method drowns out the snoring sound.
There are many ways you can block out the snoring sound as I’ve explained below:
Wear earplugs: Stuffing earplugs into your ears helps to muffle the snoring sound. It’s best to look for earplugs that are sleep-specific. Such earplugs are comfortable and soft to wear and they don’t block the sound of your alarm.
Use noise-canceling headphones: They block external sounds – you only hear the sounds of the music or podcast you’ve chosen. The headphones should be comfortable and compact enough to wear in bed.
Use a white noise machine: This kind of machine generates a consistent and steady sound that soothes you. For instance, it can produce the soft sound of a waterfall or ocean waves on sand. The white noise can easily lure you to sleep regardless of your partner’s snoring.
4. Make Your Partner Sleep on Their Side
According to experts, lying on the back while sleeping (supine position) can make snoring worse. When your snoring partner sleeps on their back, the tongue falls into the throat’s back wall, thus blocking the airways. When this happens, snoring can increase.
So, if your partner snores, you should help them sleep on their side instead of their back. Sometimes, changing positions is all it takes for someone to stop snoring (Positional Therapy).
Here’s how you can help your partner sleep on their side:
Get for your partner an anti-snore pillow: This pillow is specially designed to help reduce snoring. It’s ergonomically shaped to support the head and align the neck. It creates an optimum position that improves the user’s breathing, thus reducing snoring.
Give your partner a snore-reducing trainer: It’s basically a padded belt that the snoring partner secures on their back. It prevents the person from sleeping on the back. As a result, the wearer sleeps on their side thus reducing the compression of airways thus reducing snoring.
5. Buy an Adjustable Bed Frame
Buying an adjustable bed frame can also greatly help to reduce your partner’s snoring. You see, when someone sleeps in a flat position, they are more susceptible to snoring. The flat sleeping position allows the windpipe to close up more easily thus obstructing airflow.
When your snoring partner uses an adjustable bed frame, their diaphragm and head are raised. As a result, the airways open up and relieve pressure on the windpipe thus easing the snoring.
6. Encourage Your Partner to See a Doctor
Final Thoughts
Living with a partner who snores regularly can be challenging. However, if you care for your partner, it’s better to combine efforts to deal with the snoring issue rather than sleeping in different rooms and in the worst-case scenario, divorcing.
I hope you’ll apply some of the tips in this article to help you live happily with your snoring partner. Cheers.
