Snoring, but thinks he's awake

[Teenylittlefella]

My dh is in all other ways a marvellous human. However he has a history of weird sleep - walking, talking, occasionally not recognising me in his sleep etc. As he has got older and put weight on, he snores. He seems to snore worst in the early part of the night and particularly as he falls asleep.

Most of the time if I shove him or ask him to roll over he does so. But every now and again, when I have been laying listening to him snore for ten mins and he isn't responding to me shoving his arm, I will ask him to go on his side and he will insist that he is awake and not snoring. The next day he can get very angry and frustrated about this. Obviously I believe that he believes he was awake. But I know I have been listening to him snore and in every case I have initiated the communication to ask him to change positions. So I am already awake if you see what I mean. Plus he has a history of weird altered states of consciousness in sleep, and I don't.
Is there any research on this that I can point him to? He was so angry this morning that I wouldn't agree that he was just as likely awake and I was dreaming the snoring. It was only 11:30 pm and I hadn't managed to get to sleep yet.

It's such a trivial thing but it's really becoming an issue because he won't have it that he could be misperceiving his sleep state and he thinks I am gaslighting him.

I think it's fairly common. I thought I was awake last night and could hear a noise in the background but not work out what it was. I was swiftly told I was snoring. DP has had similar.

If it's an issue, how would you feel about separate beds? It broke my heart at first but honestly, it's saved our relationship. I snore like a bear with a respiratory disorder and now I don't have to worry about it, my room is decorated as I like and I can play a chill out soundtrack to sleep soundly while I take up as much room as I want. DP does whatever he does too. Weekends we sleep together but I normally move back in the middle of the night.

My DH did this when he put weight on.
I filmed him so the time and date would show up. He was quite upset by it.
Prompted a trip to the doctor. He actually has sleep apnea so uses a machine now. No more snoring and he's loosing the weight much easier.

I'd record him snoring for a bit. He can't deny it if you have evidence.

Unfortunately, I do this and my long suffering OH is in your shoes.

Being asleep and being awake are not rigid binary states. There can be a phase of very light sleep, with eyes closed and where you've started snoring. But if somebody wakes you at this point you know you haven't been "really" asleep, and worse you know you were almost really asleep. That feels like the worst possible time to be woken up! So I can understand the anger and frustration.

However, I'm fully aware how this pales in comparison to how my snoring adverely affects my OH.