Humidifiers and snoring, anyone tried it?

[SistersOfPercy]

DH is a snorer. We've been through the system, he's had the sleep monitoring and they confirmed he snores (the kids and I knew that much already) and that he snores in a pattern, sometimes snorting himself awake. During all these tests nobody looked up his nose. In the end he was prescribed a mouth guard which frankly is useless.

So here we are 12 months on and the problem is worsening to the point he's in the spare room more than our bed. GP has now prescribed a nasal steroid and antihistamine which hasn't made a huge amount of difference.

DH complains that in the nights he snores he wakes with a dry throat and a blocked nose so we are now wondering whether to try a humidifier in our bedroom. Obviously before we spend £80 on one of these I'd like to know your experiences with them. We already sleep with the window open all year round so there is plenty of air movement in the room.

DH doesn't drink or smoke and isn't overweight. He's tried every over the counter remedy. I sleep in ear plugs but can still hear him and once recorded his grunts at over 110 decibels with an app on my phone

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

He needs to be urgently referred to a sleep clinic to be assessed for sleep apnoea and or a ENT consultant; why has his GP seemingly not done this?. Who confirmed that he snores and also snores in a pattern?. Sounds like you've all now been left to get on with it (which you are not).

I would be asking a lot of questions and return to the GP with your DH (and sit in on that appointment too), if they are out of their depth then your DH needs to see these specialists. This is also impacting on your lives at home and you're all being fobbed off.

I would not bother with a humidifier in his case, it likely won't make any difference and does nothing to address the actual cause/s of the problem.

[SistersOfPercy]

Attila, he's had the monitoring and been through the sleep clinic at the hospital who concluded he needed the useless mouthguard. They did say there was a pattern, and it's the pattern that keeps me awake because he tends to work in half hour bouts. I'll prod him, he'll stop for half and hour which is just long enough for me to fall back asleep and then he'll start again.
It's a cycle we can't break.

He went back to the GP about 3 weeks ago and he prescribed the nasal steroid and told him to come back in 6 weeks.

I'm just amazed that during all this nobody has checked his nose. He is forever blowing it, he is nasally and he and I are both convinced there is a connection. I think we might try and get a referral through his works health insurance and see if that helps.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Yes, do try getting a referral through his employers healthcare scheme.
He should see an ENT specialist.