Neighbour snores loudly enough to wake us up

[tortoisewoman]

Title says it all really: our downstairs neighbour snores so loudly that we can hear it at night, and it regularly wakes both me and DW up (DW moreso than me as she is a light sleeper). For context, neighbour is on the ground floor and we live on the first floor of a converted Victorian building, so the walls are reasonably thick! This week has been particularly bad, to the point that it actually sounded like he was in the room with us. What on Earth do we do?! Sometimes I'm tempted to put a letter through the door saying we can hear the snoring and suggesting he go to the doctor, because it can't be healthy to be making that kind of sound while trying to breathe in your sleep...

I'd look to move house

There's nothing you can do except buy ear plugs!

Honestly you’d be better off trying earplugs I wear them every night for my husband snoring in a separate room and he’s had surgery to try and fix

DW uses earplugs already, and this week we've used white noise, but we can still hear it!

Try earplugs.
If you are on good terms then you could maybe mention it however they might not respond well.
Alternatively you could pop some of those special strip things through their letterbox....https://britishsnoring.co.uk/top_10_best_anti_snoring_products.php

Do you have carpet or wood floors?

We are on pretty good terms, but I can't imagine how that conversation would go! "We can hear you snoring and it's stopping us sleeping, have you considered...?"

The only thing I'd do was to find ways to insulate my property, move rooms if possible, earbuds, sleep tracks or apps, move house if nothing worked.

Personally I'd never tell a neighbour they snored so hard it woke me up. Just thinking what do you want from the convo? Them to feel bad? Maybe. Them to stop snoring? Not going to happen. There's no win from that conversation, not for you, not for them.

How awful. I remember hearing my neighbour snore through the wall while I was in bed. It felt like he was in bed with me. I don't know what you can do really. Perhaps very politely & gently gave a word, rather than put a letter through the door. I assume he lives alone and is therefore not aware of it? X

My ex DH told me that his neighbour (a nurse) politely knocked on his door to suggest that he see a doctor as she could hear him snoring through the <thick> walls of their Victorian terrace. She had rearranged her bedroom so that her wardrobes were on their adjoining wall, yet he still disturbed her. She wondered if he had sleep apnoea.

Would it be feasible to use another room as your bedroom, or possibly swap bedroom and sitting room over? At least then it wouldn't wake you.

Otherwise, I'd try sound-deadening underlay (sometimes known as acoustic underlay) and the thickest carpet you can find.

Gosh that is awful. Do you have any relationship with neighbour? I am guessing not.

Moving house is an option but that's a big upheaval..

I think I would try and engage with neighbour and and you say frame it as health concern but you will have to says it keeps you awake.

LAs have noise department but I suspect this might be highly unusual case for them but they might have some suggestions e.g. how to engage neighbour

Wood floors - I'm aware this probably doesn't help, but we rent so can't get carpet.

I think if you were on really good terms, almost friends perhaps, then there would be ways of subtly abd respectfully raising it over a coffee or something. If you're not overly close then it's less possible. I couldn't cope with that either tbh - are you their only neighbours? TBH I might still be inclined to post something through their door - I'm sure they don't want to be a nuisance, maybe they don't realise.

If you rent, I'd seriously consider moving x

No, he has a wife and daughter! We have no idea how they manage.

I'm guessing he lives alone so possibly doesn't know he snores loudly. So I would actually mention it to him.

But there isn't a lot you can do beyond that. He's sleeping, so obviously not able to control it and not doing anything antisocial.

I empathise though. My dad used to snore loudly and it was hard to sleep through if he was even in the next room!

Get loads of rugs

Thick rug?
Consider relocating?
Tell landlord and see if they can speak to them?

This is looking like the best course of action right now.

There are aids to reduce, or even prevent, snoring. It could also be a health issue.

Oh if he has a wife and daughter I would absolutely say something to the wife, again very gently. She's likely to understand, she will be going through the same hell herself. Maybe if she tells him the neighbours have nowmentioned it, he'll be more inclined to do something about it, if he hasn't tried already xx

Relocating is not possible as we live in west-central London and could never find another place to live for the rent we pay! Also, would anyone actually consider moving over something like this?

You have wooden floors so you need to try and block the sound, Id buy lots of rugs ir just buy underlay and carpet and put it down like a rug but to the size of the room. Failing that sleep in a Different room or just move.

I'd get some of the accoustic underlay that @LakieLady mentioned, but just have it cut to size and laid without any adhesive or nails - surely the landlord couldn't object to that? Probably cheaper than rugs too.