DH snoring - what else to try?

[Seaside31]

Please. I’m at the absolute end of my tether here 😔

DH has snored for as long as I’ve known him but it seems to be getting progressively worse over the years. We all had the flu at the beginning of December and since then it has been completely unbearable 😔 We live in a small bungalow so even if he sleeps in a different room he can be heard through the whole house. I’ve had to start putting white noise on in DCs room as they keep being woken by it. I can’t even begin to explain how loud it is.

He has seen the GP multiple times over the years as he’s concerned it could be sleep apnoea. GP is completely uninterested. Eventually sent a referral to ENT just to pacify DH but he’s been on the waiting list 21 months so far with no sign of an appointment.

Questioned the GP as to wether he could use a private ENT for consultation/diagnosis and then access NHS treatment as we definitely cannot afford full private but GP said he’d have to be assessed by NHS ENT to get treatment anyway so “it’s pointless doing that”.

He’s waking himself up with it constantly so is exhausted. And on a selfish note, I’m at the end of my tether 😔 I’ve had a horrendous year of up and down health myself including sleep issues and eventually been diagnosed recently with Hashimotos. I havent had a continuous period of sleep longer than an hour for over a year. I have previous trauma from being in a house that was burgled and I cannot wear any kind of earplugs/headphones - plus, I need to be able to hear preschool aged DC as DH can’t.

We’ve tried:

• every pillow/nasal strip/mouth guard etc on the market
• humidifiers and dehumidifier
• nasal steam before bed
• getting fresh air and exercise before bed
• not eating close to bed
• cutting caffeine
• every sleep position possible

Can anyone think of ANYTHING else we can try?!
He’s not overweight, is active, rarely has a drink (although snoring definitely IS worse when he does), non-smoker. It doesn’t seem to be just nose or throat - it sounds like both to me but I’m obviously not an expert.

Ah OK, I wasn't sure how it worked hence the question

@CaptainBeanThief Thank you. It really is hugely affecting our lives now. Since having Hashimotos I’m awake for hours on end each night anyway which is very frustrating but adding the snoring meaning that I can’t sleep, even when my body is allowing me too is even worse. Add in work, nursery, home life etc and I’m just about on my knees!
And poor DH is exhausted and feeling horrifically guilty despite it not being his fault at all!

I've been seeing doctors for 3 years and tried every device going yet I'm borderline for a CPAP.

I literally want to cry every morning I wake up because I'm so tired.

@ScaredSceptic Thank you. I have no idea why none of the GPs at our practice will take it seriously as I know that sleep apnoea can have serious health implications.
Maybe I’ll go back with him as the even more pissed off wife and that’ll get their attention 😅

Asking again, have you tried mouth tape?

Have you tried stitching a ball to the back of the neck of his pyjamas? If he doesn’t wear them get him to wear a T shirt with one stitched to the back of the neck. Usually men only snore when lying on their backs so this will ensure he can only sleep on his side

I couldn't blow my nose, always having sinusitis, feeling tired, terrible snoring etc.

Saw a locum at my GP Practice one day (as having another bad bout of sinsitis) who just looked at me & said I think you may have a broken nose!
No Doctor had ever said that to me before!

She referred me straight to ENT (was seen within 2 weeks however this was back in 2002) & it was found that I had a deviated septum & a broken nose!
(Deviated nasal septum or “crooked” internal nose can occur at childbirth or as the result of an injury or other trauma)
Had a sinus drain operation followed by a septo- rhinoplasty.
And now I can blow my nose, don't snore & don't feel tired all the time.

So just wondering if a deviated septum might be the cause of your DH's snoring, tiredness etc?

Edited: spelling correction

@Seaside31
I stop breathing 23 times per hour in my sleep so I wake up pretty tired each morning as I'm not the most of complient users of the CPAP machine 🤔
Also I'd encourage your DH to sleep on his front, when we sleep on our front, all the oxygen goes to the front of our lungs making it easier to breathe,
Also I know its cold but is there any chance you could leave the windows open a tiny bit?
I came across an accredited website the other month that is a sleep clinic that sends out the sleep recorders ( for a fee) and they can diagnose sleep apnea and send it to your GPs.
With that being said, you just really need to be firm with the doctors, doesn't matter which one, tell him/her you need a referral for the sleep clinic.
I go to wythenshaw/Trafford.

My DH had this issue and it was a polyp in his nose that 3 doctors before has managed to miss.
also have you tried wax earplugs they were the only ones that works for me

While you try to sort out a referral to a sleep clinic (& I would go to the GP with your husband to emphasis the need for help), I'd recommend something that might sound unusual but really worked for my partner - ashtanga yoga.

His snoring had always been horrific & he'd sometimes choke/stop breathing - despite having undergone the extreme option of soft palate surgery years previously. Then he started ashtanga yoga classes twice a week to improve his flexibility, & after about 6 months I realised his snoring had decreased massively in frequency & volume. I think it helped alter how he breathed? An Indian work colleague said that it also worked brilliantly for her father. It needs to be at least twice a week & it takes a few months - but it really helps!

Ent consultant wouldn't help my husband because he can breathe through his nose, so hopefully they can help you

My husband was snoring like yours, went to GP, got referred to the sleep clinic, he has a monitor on his finger to see if there was an sleep apnea, 3 months later he got cpac machine from the cpac clinic

OP, most private doctors also work for Nhs. Find one who definitely does locally- you can phone their secretary to check. Pay for private consult and they will switch you to NHS for further expensive tests eg CT of sinuses.

This worked for me: using a nasal rinse every day. NeilMed Sinus Rinse Original Kit, Squeeze Bottle + 60 Sachets https://amzn.eu/d/iI9YIg6

Follow with a nasal steroid spray like flixonase. You can use an epharmacy to buy one, say he has a dust allergy or something.

I personally found cutting out dairy helps as I am lactose intolerant.

But honestly using the above twice a day stopped what had been lifelong snoring.

It can't hurt, and isn't an expensive thing to try.

Sleeping on a bed wedge helped reduce DH's snoring quite a bit, and using an asthma inhaler. No back sleeping! You can try different tricks for this like sewing a pocket with a tennis ball in it to the back of the pajama top.
My mum is a tiny lady who wasn't overweight when diagnosed with apnoea, she has a congenitally narrow airway apparently.

I'd at least pay privately for a sleep apnea test. They basically send you hope with tubes for your nose and an oxometer that you wear on your finger and you leave it on over night while you sleep. You the return the equipment and they analyse the results. My husband had his test in December and has had his cpap machine over Xmas and it's been life changing

What a brilliant woman that GP was, and what a great outcome!

Have you phoned ENT Dept to see where he is on the waiting list? I'd have phoned 4 times by now! As soon as I get a referral I ring to agree it's been received, ask what the waiting time is, ask when I can be expected to be allocated an appointment, and then I ring again then.

Ask GP to chase ENT again. The fact GP chases will be logged on Dh's ENT file. Then Dh phones and chases again.

Many people once they eventually get given a cpap machine don't get on with it anyway!

Is there anywhere local to you that offers oxygen therapy. There’s one near us that is a charity so it’s very reasonably priced. Dh started going once a week and it made a massive difference. It can also help with other conditions as it helps to improve the circulation.

DH was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea after years of similar snoring, we slept on different floors in the house and he still woke me up!

he was boarderline for the CPAP but was luckily given one and it has made such a difference - his sleep has improved and the snoring is much less, we can share a bed again. It took a week or so for him to get used to, but hasn’t caused any real issues since then.

Keep chasing the GP and as for a referral to the sleep clinic, explaining what an impact the snoring is having on everyone’s lives. From the referral going in, it took around 9 months for diagnosis and the CPAP being issued.

And many of us do. They’re life changing pieces of equipment and I’ve used mine every single night since I got it 18 months ago. It’s been life changing for my husband too as he also now gets a full nights sleep.

This was something that concerned me when DH was given one, however he took to it straight away and won't even attempt to sleep without it.

CPAPs don't have to be prescribed. We've just bought a CPAP for our 19yo after she was roundly dismissed by the GP.
She has massive tonsils and adenoids and has snored since 6mo.

We're a week in and it's helping already.

The whole kit cost under £400. Worth every penny.

Cut carbs drastically and he will stop within a few days. Happened to my DH and he used to be very bad. I had to use ear plugs

Husband has just done a home sleep study using kit that was sent to him. It's a private service and the kit is sponsored by Hope To Sleep. Worth a look?