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Original poster

snoring HELP!!!!!

52 replies

Sugarmag · 23/09/2005 07:39

Does anyone know any miracle cures for snoring? DH has always snored and I've put up with it for nearly 10 years now. I'm a very light sleeper so even when the snoring isn't too bad it disturbs me and I've slept with earplugs in for years now. Not sure whether it's suddenly gotten much worse or whether my tolerance for it has just gone but I can not cope with it anymore. He was away for a week and sleep was just heaven - went to sleep at night and woke up the next morning without being disturbed once. Since he's been back I've ended up sleeping elsewhere in the house because I simply can not sleep in the same room with him. Please help because I would really like to be able to share a bed with DH again!

OP posts:
pjsmum · 27/09/2005 09:08

Thank goodness its not just us! DP snores all the time, doesn't help that he works away alot so i'm used to sleeping on my own, i dread it when he's back. He usually sleeps in the spare room. We used a spray from boots which helped a bit, he has also lost a bit of weight. He has been referred to a sleep clinic for possible sleep apnea(sp?)I agree with tribpot!
Sugarmag, i found refusing all bedroom activities kicked my dp in to action to try and sort it Thats how dp came about ha ha!

LilacLotus · 27/09/2005 09:12

DP snored for a while when he gained some weight and the most successful things were a spray from boots and losing the weight again!

SleepySuzy · 27/09/2005 09:13

Looks like I need to lose weight then! Didn't think I was that big, but it might help.

Original poster
Sugarmag · 27/09/2005 09:17

Well, off to Boots it is then. Will let you know how we get on.

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SleepySuzy · 27/09/2005 09:17

Please do, cos I have the same problem, but it is me who snores, not dp!

busywizzy · 27/09/2005 10:07

Oh you guys have really made me laugh this morning

DH and I haven't slept in the same room all night for years due to his snoring. I sleep in the spare room but now that's occupied by DS who is six months so I get his delightful noises to listen to instead.

I'm like you Sugarmag that it's always me who moves beds - I'd fall over in shock if DH suggested I have the room to myself for the night and he took himself off elsewhere.

Once my DD was poorly and I'd had a week of being up with her every night. I asked DH to take over one night when I was exhausted beyond belief. So he went to her and half an hour later she came and woke me to say daddy had fallen asleep on her bed and his snoring was keeping her awake

Please, please let us know how you get on with the contents of Boots

MizZan · 27/09/2005 10:11

oooh - not just us, then. DH started snoring really badly 3 1/2 years ago just after DS1 was born (great timing). So I nearly went out of my mind between being woken by DS1 and woken by DH snoring - cue massive exhaustion and ongoing PND. Am now pregnant again and determined this will NOT happen this time around - the spare room is fully kitted out for DH and that's just the way it will have to be for a while. We too have been through the whole thing of having to sleep separately even when staying with friends, many nights in spare room, etc.

DH's went to a sleep specialist and did a sleep study but they concluded no sleep apnoea, just snoring. Dr. said remedies were: 1) try losing lots of weight (DH has ignored this one completely); 2) have tonsils removed; or 3) have fairly gruesome op to open nasal passages and shift some cartilage in the nose. We have not done any of these, unfortunately.

End result - I sleep with earplugs on the nights when he's in with me, otherwise he sleeps in the spare room. Things that have helped SLIGHTLY for us include having DH follow this routine before bed: 1) no alcohol; 2) large cup of hot tea before bed to clear sinuses; 3) hot shower right before bed to clear sinuses; 4) nasal spray (prescribed by sleep specialist but I think probably no different from what you could get from Boots over the counter). If he follows ALL of these and goes to bed at a reasonable hour, we might have a night without too much snoring. It doesn't happen often.

I suspect the weight loss thing would help a lot - maybe it would help a bit for your dh too? FWIW DH does not appear to be overweight - we were both kind of shocked when the doctor said he needed to lose 13 kg.

busywizzy · 27/09/2005 10:15

Our problem is deffo weight related DH needs to loose about 3 stone and has supposedly been on a diet for about a month. If he's lost 3 pound I'll be amazed so good to see he's taking this so seriously !!!!!

Original poster
Sugarmag · 27/09/2005 10:18

Well, DH swears he weighs the same as he did when he was at uni. Of course he forgets to mention that he played rugby at uni and most of that weight was in very broad muscular thights and chest. Now does no exercise of any kind so you draw your own conclusions. I don't really think he's overweight but certainly very 'soft' round the middle these days. Rarely drinks before bedtime but sinuses could definitely be a problem.

LOL busywizzy - that story sounds all too familiar!!!

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Original poster
Sugarmag · 27/09/2005 10:19

Busywizzy - I meant the story about DH looking after DD one night.

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PomsMum · 27/09/2005 10:26

I had a friend who had exactly the same problem, he got his GP (who took his concerns seriously - often the first hurdle) to refer him to an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist who then operated to remove his tonsils - yep tonsils not adenoids, and the problem never reoccurred. Worth talking over with the GP maybe?

savanna · 27/09/2005 22:39

My dh also snores badly and i am a light sleeper so in the interest of peace, we often sleep in separate rooms.

He tried a snore guard (bought from the British Snoring website) over the mouth a few years ago and it worked. in fact, it worked so well that on the first night i kept waking up to see if he was still breathing as he was so quiet! The snore guard should not be used if one has a cold as it keeps the mouth from opening (not a pretty sight, but it stopped dh's snoring way back then). Now he is adamant that he will not use it. He also needs to lose lots of weight but he is not interested. And that really annoys me.

Original poster
Sugarmag · 28/09/2005 07:01

well he used the Stop Snoring spray last night and all was quiet. Or at least quiet enough that my ear plugs could cope. But we've had quiet nights before. Lately the snoring seems to be bad every other night for some reason! So we'll have to wait and see if it can work for a few days in a row.

Savanna - I saw another brand of these mouthguard things - something called the sleeppro that has an opening in it to allow you to still breath if you have a cold. But I'm worried that these things might permanently change the shape of your jaw if used long term. I mean, it's very similar to something my orthodontist gave me years ago, no? Why doesn't your dh use it anymore - does he not snore as badly now?

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sansouci · 28/09/2005 08:17

I wrote on here about the same problem some time ago. since then dh has had all kinds of tests, including spending the night in a sleep clinic. "They" concluded that he doesn't have sleep apnea (sp?) but were willing to fit a device for his mouth to pull his lower jaw forward when he's sleeping. apparently the muscles of you neck slacken with age (and when you sleep). dh refused to dish out the £500 for it, though. I'm guessing i've almost spent that on earplugs by now! the battle continues...

Fauve · 28/09/2005 09:11

I had a yoga/Pilates teacher who claimed that when men took her Pilates classes, as a side benefit they stopped snoring. In a way that makes sense, because Pilates deals with postural issues - lower jaw being in wrong position, etc. However, I've heard no first-hand accounts of this - be interesting if any dhs have tried it.

tribpot · 28/09/2005 16:36

Fauve, as you can tell, our dhs aren't exactly keen to do anything that involves effort on their part to solve the snoring problem, so I can't see any of them rushing out to Pilates somehow

Good idea in principle though, but I reckon unless you couuld bottle Pilates and put it in beer most of our other halves will find reasons to avoid it like the plague! (Bit harsh as my dh doesn't actually drink beer, and is too ill to do Pilates anyway).

Sugarmag, best of luck with the spray.

savanna · 28/09/2005 22:54

Sugarmag, unfortunately, my dh still snores badly if not more than when he used the mouth guard. He just can't be bothered. I would like to try the Stop Snoring spray - can you please tell me where I can get it? Thanks.

sarjon · 28/09/2005 23:39

My DH uses 'Snoreeze' which is bought from Boots. It costs about £14.99 which I think is a lot but for peaceful nights sleep (which it definitely contributes to) its worth it!!!

Doesn't work when DH has been drinking though (luckily this isn't very often but worth remembering!)

HTH
x

Original poster
Sugarmag · 29/09/2005 08:04

I bought Helps Stop Snoring from Boots. It was £6.99 for a small one (supposed to be a 3 week supply). DH says it tastes/smells much better than the last one we tried. So far we've had two good nights in a row - not exactly a miracle but I'm hopeful.

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Original poster
Sugarmag · 29/09/2005 08:05

Pilates beer!!!!

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Original poster
Sugarmag · 03/10/2005 09:47

Well I just wanted to report back that it's been almost a week now and the spray definitely seems to be helping. He is still snoring a bit but much less often and much less loudly. Now if my son would just stop waking me at 5:45 am I might actually get a decent night's sleep!!

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tribpot · 03/10/2005 10:04

Cool, Sugarmag, I think I might give that a try as well. Dh has been banished to the other end of the house of late because his snoring even next door was keeping me awake and (so I claimed) disturbing the baby's sleep too.

SpikeMomma · 04/10/2005 21:12

Oh i am so with you on this one. DH snores so badly. Once came home and before i could get the key in the door i could hear him...we lived in a first floor flat! Poor neighbours. Poor me.

It truely drives me nuts. He's got a mouth guard now which has helped a lot. It's moulded to his teeth so it's more comfortable for him to wear.

I'd love someone to wave a magic wand and stop it. Haven't had a decent nights kip in years!

tribpot · 05/10/2005 13:30

My dh seemed to be snoring noticeably less last night, which was quite odd. I think it might be because he had his first session of hypnotherapy yesterday (for pain management, not snoring), will report back on whether this phenomenon continues.

I think we need our own support group, Spouses of Snorers, SOS for short

Angeliz · 05/10/2005 13:32

DP and i sleep in seperate rooms as i can't bear his snoring and think i would kill him or hate him if we had to sleep together,
I really miss the intimacy of sharing a bed though sometimes.