Sleeping with a snorer

[Els]

My partner doesn't have this problem (thank GOD), but daddy dearest does. In all the family trips that we've taken together, all 3 of us (me, dad, mom) have slept in the same room, and I have ALWAYS had trouble sleeping. My dad snores; and he snores so loudly that you can even hear him from an adjacent room. Fortunately most of the other trips lasted 3-4 days at most, so I just survived with no sleep.

 

Now, we're going on a 3-week tour together soon. I totally want to go; it'd be a long time before I can afford such a tour on my own, and my partner doesn't really enjoy travelling anyway. But I doubt I'll really enjoy myself if I have trouble sleeping for 3 weeks.

 

Any suggestions on what I can do? I can't sleep with earplugs in - too uncomfortable. Dad has tried the nasal saline spray and nose tape; neither works. I feel uncomfortable suggesting that we get separate rooms because I'm not the one paying for the trip.

Edited October 24, 2010 by Elswyth

[anne1707]

Regardless of the snoring, as an adult I would not be comfortable to share a room with my parents for 3 weeks. I would also have thought your parents would want some privacy.

 

In my opinion, you need to tackle this subject now. You are a young woman, not a child and need to start showing some more independence and maturity.

 

Elswyth - I am not trying to bash. I do know that you have traditional parents (for want of a better word) so do realise this is not as easy for you as it may be for others

[Els]

Anne - Sharing a room is really the cheapest way, sadly. I think it would be quite selfish of me to demand that we get 2 rooms instead of 1 (and thus nearly double the price of all our accommodation) if I'm not the one paying for it. In my culture, a family sharing a room while on vacation is really really common.

 

I have lots of other battles to pick with my parents - this isn't one of them.

[Feelin Frisky]

You could try an intermediary noise like a small fan or noise machine which you would keep close to your head. A person can sort of synch on the main sound and not find the background snore so over-powering. Hopefuly you'll fall asleep then before pop starts calling the hogs.

[Els]

Pop falls asleep in 2 minutes usually... In fact he falls asleep so fast that sometimes when I wake him because his snoring is too loud, he falls back asleep before I've even gotten back into bed.

 

Good idea about the fan though, I might try playing some ocean sounds or something...

[Art_Critic]

ear plugs.....

 

They make all kinds.. some just knock down the noise while others totally eliminate it.

They aren't all uncomfortable..

 

Look in the snoring section at your drug store...or ask the person working there.

[Feelin Frisky]

Pop falls asleep in 2 minutes usually... In fact he falls asleep so fast that sometimes when I wake him because his snoring is too loud, he falls back asleep before I've even gotten back into bed.

 

Good idea about the fan though, I might try playing some ocean sounds or something...

 

I have one of those little black tornado fans. I have no problem with running it on max to drown out anything else. I have to take it on the road with me because I am an insomniac and even too much silence disturbs me.

[bobdole]

Last girl I lived with was up at all hours loudly eating chips and **** (when I had to work the next morning...) so I learned to sleep with earplugs. Now I can't sleep without earplugs even while I live alone.

 

So be careful if you go the earplugs route - its odd but you can become sorta dependent on them to actually be able to go to sleep.

[Star Gazer]

Skiman snored... he was LOUD. Ear plugs didn't help. I had to make sure he was perfectly positioned on his side, or I wouldn't sleep all night. There were plenty of times I went and stayed in the guest bedroom - across the house - and I could still hear him. I'd have to turn on the A/C or at least the A/C fan (without A/C) just to drown out the sound.

 

Now I sleep like a baby.

[Els]

Thanks, guys - I suppose I could give earplugs another go, although I'd feel weird sleeping with them. What happens if I lie on my side while they're inside??

 

 

I have one of those little black tornado fans. I have no problem with running it on max to drown out anything else. I have to take it on the road with me because I am an insomniac and even too much silence disturbs me.

 

Tornado fans?

[PegNosePete]

Try an mp3 player with some relaxing music. Something with a sleep function, so you can set it to turn off automatically after 30 minutes or when the album finishes (most of them have these days). Pink Floyd, Vangelis or the Halo soundtrack work for me.

[tinktronik]

My SO snores and I turn or prod him to stop multiple times in the night. Lately, I wake up at every snore so he's been banished to the sofa with his ribs under threat of meeting my elbow. I am going to go get earplugs today.

[just_some_guy]

He should visit a doctor and be evaluated for sleep apnea.

 

I have it and sleep with a cpap machine at night. The cpap eliminates all snoring and apnea episodes. It's absolutely great.

 

My father had the same problem with severe snoring. He was so loud, you could hear him outside the house at night. Eventually, he had a severe heart attack in his sleep that nearly killed him and left him basically crippled the few remaining years of his life. I am completely convinced that his untreated apnea contributed to the heart attack.

 

As my W got heavier and heavier through the years, to the point of very severe obesity, her snoring became a constant source of torture to me. It was just awful. I could hear her in the bedroom from the other side of the house. Although she would get up and move to the couch at night, I could still hear her. She refused to get a sleep study for a long, long time. Only once I left her did she go and get checked out and put on a CPAP machine.

[Feelin Frisky]

He should visit a doctor and be evaluated for sleep apnea.

 

I have it and sleep with a cpap machine at night. The cpap eliminates all snoring and apnea episodes. It's absolutely great.

 

My father had the same problem with severe snoring. He was so loud, you could hear him outside the house at night. Eventually, he had a severe heart attack in his sleep that nearly killed him and left him basically crippled the few remaining years of his life. I am completely convinced that his untreated apnea contributed to the heart attack.

 

As my W got heavier and heavier through the years, to the point of very severe obesity, her snoring became a constant source of torture to me. It was just awful. I could hear her in the bedroom from the other side of the house. Although she would get up and move to the couch at night, I could still hear her. She refused to get a sleep study for a long, long time. Only once I left her did she go and get checked out and put on a CPAP machine.

 

Your CPAP machine is quiet? Sure it may stop snoring but to a third party it's just a trade off of noises no?

[just_some_guy]

Your CPAP machine is quiet? Sure it may stop snoring but to a third party it's just a trade off of noises no?

 

It's very quiet. Today's machines are extremely quiet and compact. The ones from 20 years ago were pretty noisy and large. The machine makes less noise than the DVR - when the DVR is off. Definitely less noise than the central air conditioner or heat running.

[Vesna]

Maybe try to sew golfballs into the back of his pyjamas. That way he won't roll onto his back. Seriously I know snoring can drive a person crazy. Try and be glad that he is not your partner. If I ever get married, there will be a snorers room in the house and that is where I will go to get away from the noise. There are few things worse than resenting the person you love in the morning because you had a lousy sleep.