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How To Sleep With Someone Who Snores? 6 Tips

Published: Jul 26, 2022
Updated: Oct 15, 2024
How To Sleep With Someone Who Snores? 6 Tips
In this article
    Reading time
    9 min

    Are you struggling to get some shut-eye because of your partner’s snores? You’ve tried so hard but every snore is deafening and pierces through your ears. An annual report by Mute Snoring found that 37% of people reported experiencing sleep difficulties because of their or their partner’s snoring. If you want to know how to sleep with someone who snores, keep reading!

    Key Takeaways
    Snoring happens when there is air obstruction through the mouth and nose during sleep.
    37% of people reported experiencing sleep difficulties partly due to their partner’s snores.
    Some ways to deal with a partner who snores include evaluating their snore using a sleep tracker, distracting yourself and listening to white noise for instance.
    Snoring could cause you to be sleep-deprived, which can lead to health complications.
    You can also try using a humidifier or using an additional pillow under the head of the next person.

    Why Does My Partner Snore?

    Doctor’s assessment
    People snore when the flow of air through the mouth and nose is obstructed during sleep, leading to vibrations of the tissues in the throat. Factors such as sleep apnea, anatomy, obesity, alcohol consumption, and sleep position can contribute to snoring.
    Dr. June Seliber-Klein
    MD DABPN, Sleep Board Certified, Chief Medical Officer Ognomy Sleep

    So, if you wonder why your partner snores, you may want to take these lifestyle factors into account. See if it is something that your partner can work on changing.

    Why Is My Partner Snoring So Loud?

    Did you know that roughly 57% of the global population is affected by snoring?

    The two prime factors that lead to snoring are:

    • Structural Factors

    Any physical change in the body leads to snoring. For example, sudden excessive weight gain around the neck, thyroid, change in nose or palate shape, etc., leads to irregular airflow, resulting in snoring at night.

    • Temporary Factors

    If your partner has changed their lifestyle, like using sedatives, drinking alcohol, smoking, drinking, etc., it leads to swelling of the tonsils and airways. So, if snoring is due to any of these temporary factors, removing it can return the peaceful sleep.

    how to sleep with someone who snores

    6 Ways To Sleep With A Snoring Partner

    Getting enough sleep when your partner is snoring loudly is quite a difficult task. In fact, it is so difficult that it can result in partners divorcing. In America, snoring is the third leading cause of divorce.

    But if you don’t want to end up in a divorce, what can you do instead? Below are 6 ways that you can try, to make your sleep better next to a partner that snores.

    1. Evaluate their sleep and snoring

    The first thing to do is to evaluate the sleep and snoring. You can do so by downloading a sleep tracker. ShutEye® is one of the best sleep trackers to examine sleep and get a full detailed report of how well you slept. After each night, you can gain access to things like snore time, average snore volume levels, max snoring volume level and much more.

    You can even do a sleep study to see if you are at risk of any health conditions!

    2. Distract yourself

    The best but the hardest way is to ignore the funny sounds of snoring. Though easier said than done, it is not impossible. You can divert the mind and attention to downplay the funny, loud voices. 

    A few strategies to distract your mind is by:

    • Listening to the podcast and guided mindfulness tones
    • Doing meditation
    • Use a sleep sound to drown out background noises

    Eventually, your mind becomes tuned to ignore the voice and fall asleep.

    3. Listen to White Noise to avoid snoring sounds

    Listening to white noise can drown out snoring noise and lull everyone to sleep. So, you won’t have to listen to the disturbing snores of the person lying next to you, which would lead to a relaxed state of mind. What can be a better bet to make?

    In the ShutEye App®, you can opt for sounds like:

    An app is a great alternative if you don’t wish to buy a white noise machine. White noise machines can be troublesome to bring around and it may set you back quite a bit for a high-quality one.

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    4. Having your partner change their sleep position

    Sometimes all that it takes to stop the loud wheezing is changing the position. Research bears out that changing position stops snoring for some time. Sleeping on your back can increase snoring as compared to other positions. So, try nudging them or elbowing them to sleep on their sides next time!

    Apart from that, you can also try other options like:

    • Buying a snore-reducing trainer. It is a padded belt that makes it difficult for the wearer to sleep on the back. As a result, the person rolled over the side.
    • You can also slip a tennis ball or a soft ball underneath the person’s back, making them change their position. 
    • Placing an anti-snoring pillow below the other person’s head. This reduces snoring by opening the airways.

    5. Go to sleep first

    If you are the type of person, who stays asleep once you drift off, the best solution is to sleep before the other person sleeps and the snores start to disturb you.

    6. Wear headphones or earplugs

    Another most tried way to muffle or lessen the sawing wood of your partner is to buy yourself noise-reducing or noise-canceling headphones or earplugs and make your nights pleasant.

    wear headphones or earplugs if you are sleeping with someone who snores

    How Does Sleeping With a Snorer Negatively Impact Your Health?

    Now that you are up with how to sleep with someone who snores, let’s find out how sleeping with snorers impact your health.

    Sleepless nights ultimately lead to resentment and negatively impact your health. In fact, a night with less than 6 hours of sleep leads to obesity, and less than 5 hours leads to an increase in mortality risk by 15%.

    Moreover, it can lead to:

    • High blood pressure
    • Heart disease
    • Diabetes 
    • Memory loss
    • Bad mood
    sleep with someone who snores can negatively impact your health

    How to Stop Someone From Snoring Without Disturbing His Sleep?

    Till now, you have become well abreast of the different ways to stop someone from snoring. But if you want to stop them from making earthshaking voices without waking them up, here are a few more strategies to try:

    • Turn on the humidifier in the room to maintain optimal moisture, and promote better sleep. It leads to reduced nasal congestion and opened nostrils.
    • Place an additional pillow under the head of the next person.

    Final Wrap-Up 

    Snatching forty winks around a person who snores has never been easy. Therefore, it is better to opt for strategies that minimize snoring. From turning a humidifier on to ease them to putting earplugs, there are vast options to choose between.

    However, the best of all is to monitor the sleep cycle via ShutEye® and consult the partner to come up with some potential solutions.

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    FAQ

    Snoring can significantly disrupt sleep quality, leading to sleep deprivation and fatigue during the day.

    The common causes of snoring include obstructive sleep apnea, sleeping on the back, alcohol consumption, and health conditions such as obesity.

    Yes, wearing earplugs can block out the noise of snoring and improve sleep quality for the individual affected by the snoring.

    Some ways to sleep better when someone is snoring include using a white noise machine, adjusting sleep positions, and considering sleeping in a different room.

    Sleeping on the back can often lead to increased snoring, while side sleeping can help reduce the likelihood of snoring.

    Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that can cause snoring and disrupt sleep patterns, leading to sleep interruptions and poor sleep quality.

    Addressing a partner's snoring may involve encouraging them to seek a sleep study, considering different sleeping arrangements, or exploring options to reduce snoring, such as changing sleep position.

    Yes, using specially designed pillows that promote side sleeping or elevate the head can help reduce snoring and improve sleep quality.

    Yes, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional if someone's snoring is significantly affecting sleep quality as it may indicate an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed.

    Lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, and establishing regular sleep habits can help prevent or reduce snoring.
    About authors
    Jessica Brown, a 29-year-old freelance copywriter passionate about human nature and deeply committed to promoting sleep and mental health awareness. Jessica holds a Master of Arts in Literary Studies from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor's in Biology from the University of Cambridge.
    Dr. June Seliber-Klein, MD DABPN is a board-certified sleep specialist with more than 25 years of experience in sleep medicine.

    Marks, J. and Newswire, I. (2022) Did you know snoring is the 3rd leading cause of divorce? Here’s how to stop it. [online]. Available at: https://www.news4jax.com/health/2022/08/26/did-you-know-snoring-is-the-3rd-leading-cause-of-divorce-heres-how-to-stop-it/

    Mute Snoring (2023) The 2023 Snoring and Sleep Report [online]. Available at: https://mutesnoring.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023_SnoringReport_GLOBAL.pdf

    National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2006. Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/11617

    Oksenberg A, Gadoth N. Continuous and loud snoring only in the supine posture. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(12):1463–1464. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5290

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