Does your SO snore? Need advice!

[MHSweb79]

Ok - I'll lay it on the line. My DH and I both snore, and always have (I had my own room as a kid, even though I was the youngest, because nobody could sleep with me). Up to now, it's been somewhat do-able.

But now we're both 50. My DH is on new medication and his snoring has doubled in volume, even when he's on his side. Couple that with my raging 50-year old hormones, which make it difficult for me to fall asleep even in blissful silence, let alone next to a bouncing Lear Jet, and I've got serious sleep deprivation.

I find myself getting anxious about our Disney trip in just 4 weeks. There's no spare bed or couch for me to crawl to. I've already tried:

1. Ear plugs - they block every sound except the snoring
2. White Noise machine - see #1
3. Over-the-counter sleeping pills (Unisom gave me a headache, the all-natural one did nothing except upset my stomach)

Any advice short of booking two rooms?

 

[maxiesmom]

Try the breathe right nasal strips. And maybe an adult beverage right before bed.

 

[Mousemom]

My husband snored and I to tried all of what you have. After several years of him having restless nights and being tired the next day he went in and had a sleep test and now has a machine. I still wear ear plugs because of the noise of the machine but with the plugs I don't hear anything. His snoring made me tired as well because it kept me up during the night so much. I usually ended up in another room. Now that I am 50 I have started to snore...I am going to talk to my doctor to see what he suggests. I don't want to keep anyone awake because of my snoring and will try the strips to see if that helps. Anxious to hear what others suggest. Good Luck! and oh ya, have a great trip.

 

[MHSweb79]

After several years of him having restless nights and being tired the next day he went in and had a sleep test and now has a machine.

My DH refuses to admit he may have sleep apnea since he's horrified at the thought of using one of those machines. (He's seen them on Mike & Molly and Men of a Certain Age). I think I could sleep very well using earplugs to muffle the machine noise, since I have had great nights' sleep when we sleep in a room with a window air conditioner.

It didn't help that during my MIL's two-week visit (she went home yesterday so the guest room is free again -yay) she told us a "hilarious" story about her friend who uses a CPAP machine. She nearly wet herself telling us how hysterically funny the friend looks with it on, "like a pug dog!" and how "the machine makes more noise than the damn snoring!" I wanted to strangle her (she had no idea this was a sore subject in our house and hey, I have been sleep deprived...) I did point out that people with sleep apnea have a higher rate of stroke, so I was glad her friend was using the machine. But the damage was done.

 

[Momofthreemen]

My husband snores!! I bought a pillow for me from the chiropractor for my neck. Turned out it did not work for me but my husband said let me try it. I haven't had a sleepless night since. It is a D coil pillow. The center is shaped like the letter D. It was the best $45 I ever spent.

 

[Jessica527]

I know you have tried ear plugs, but for my SO I use the same ear plugs that he does when he goes to the shoot range. The looks like 3 codes onto one earplug. Basically if you stood the earplug up it kinda looks like a Christmas tree.

$10 at Walmart and way worth it!

 

[yanilat]

for me it is the other way round, I am the snorer and hubby complains he cannot sleep sometimes..BTW I am overweight, have been gaining steadily since 2010 (nearly 200lbs now and 40 yrs old) Do you think I need to see a Dr about my snoring?

 

[Sadie22]

My CPAP mask consists of some soft straps which hold nasal pillows from which extends the flexible tubing connected to my CPAP machine. I do not need a fireman-type mask. I would guess that the fireman-type mask is what is used on television for more dramatic effect. The sound of the air blowing from the machine is not noisy.

If I could lose some weight, I could probably lose the machine. DH and I had sleep studies the same night. He doesn't snore if he sleeps on his side, and he did not have additional risk factors, so he did not need a machine. I have diabetes. It took almost no time to get used to the nasal pillows, and I wake up feeling much better than I did before I began using it.

Talk to your doctor(s) and both get sleep studies ASAP. You will both feel better.

 

[Heluvsme]

The new CPAP machines are SOOOO quiet!!! Seriously, it is quieter than the sound of a refrigerator running. My husband had a sleep study done in May this year, received a brand new CPAP, and our lives have improved 1000%!!! He's sleeping, I'm sleeping, and honestly sleep apnea is a matter of life and death, how he looks while wearing it is inconsequential. It's. Extremely comfortable and from night #1 my dh has not had a problem getting used to it, his body was so sleep deprived he fell immediately to sleep.

His blood pressure is completely within the normal range now, his weight is dropping due to not having to "store" the extra calories just for energy during the day (a natural side effect to the CPAP!!), neither one of us has felt this good in years!! The spouse suffers as much as the snorer when sleep apnea is present.

I promise the noise from the CPAP is virtually non existent, at least in the new machines!!!

 

[lnevo]

Second and third on the newer machines and especially nasal pillows. Get educated on the options available to apnea patients because the doctors and insurance usually prescribe only the generic basic crap!

 

[OutOfSpace]

My DH refuses to admit he may have sleep apnea since he's horrified at the thought of using one of those machines. (He's seen them on Mike & Molly and Men of a Certain Age).

My hubby too! He was very stubborn but the nasal stripes work really well so I guess I'm lucky... now.

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

This is a long story, but one you may want to share with your DH b/c of the extreme dangers apnea can cause.

I teased my hubby for years saying that he had narcolepsy b/c he fell asleep constantly! He would fall asleep getting his haircut, and once even fell asleep on his stilts while doing drywall. As the years went by I started noticing that his snoring was increasing, and he would hold his breath while sleeping. I changed my "diagnosis" from narcolepsy to apnea. It made me really nervous, so we scheduled a sleep test. He was diagnosed with apnea, just like I thought. He got his C-pap, and now is able to stay awake during everyday tasks. It is not loud unless his mouth falls open while sleeping, which is rare, or if the nasal pillow shifts and a little hiss will be present. I just nudge him, he adjusts, and it is silent again.

I was having a lot of problems with my health and was diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism, Epstein Barr, etc...but nothing was improving my daytime sleepiness. I was having a hard time sleeping at night b/c of restless leg syndrome that I had struggled with as long as I could remember, so I just naturally thought that was the problem. I went to see a new thyroid specialist, and after 20 minutes of talking to me he said: "I think you have a sleep disorder." Ok...so I went and got the test done. Guess who actually has narcolepsy? That's right! Me. All those years of teasing, and I am the one who has it. Anyway, fast forward a couple years, and my DH starts telling me my very infrequent snoring has become nearly constant. I had to get a new sleep specialist, so when I visited her and told her all my symptoms, she said she thought I had developed Apnea as well.

Meanwhile...I developed a debilitating uterine disease, (yeah I know, I am a mess) that the doctor told me would disable me, and the only cure was hysterectomy. Fast forward again three years, and I had to have the hysterectomy. While trying to come out from under the anesthesia, I kept stopping breathing. The hospital had put me in the maternity ward (which is sort of cruel and unusual punishment for someone who just had a hysterectomy) to recover, and the alarm kept going off and waking me up. Finally someone heard the alarm and came running. Apparently it kept going off b/c my oxygen was dropping so low when I fell asleep. The nurses and doctors kept asking me if I had ever been told I had apnea, and I told them my doctor had mentioned I might have it, but that I hadn't been tested. They told me I had to stay awake. Well, I have narcolepsy people! I could not keep my eyes open. I kept falling asleep, so they had to have someone come babysit me until I could go into the surgery ICU. Once I got into the SICU I was fine b/c they put me on oxygen. When it was happening, I could feel that I had no control, but I kept telling myself "Keep yourself alive. Keep breathing." I could hear all the panic happening around me, and could hear the nurses saying that all my stats were dropping and such, but I could only tell myself to stay alive. I managed through prayer, but not without effort.

I had the test shortly after, and was told that I do have sleep apnea. My apneas are infrequent, and I have some hypopneas too. Most people wouldn't even be treated with my level of apnea, but what concerned my doctor was that when I do have an apnea my oxygen dips so low that it is causing "tings" to my brain every time. That causes brain damage, and I run a risk of stroke or heart attack. I have to wear an auto-pap instead of a C-pap, which gives a very low airflow until it senses my breathing stopping. Then it forces air into me. I wear a mask that covers my nose and mouth b/c I am a mouth breather. Essentially, it is the best for me b/c when I am sick I can still use it if I can't breathe out of my nose. If my husband gets sick and can't breathe out of his nose, he can't use his machine. I think that's when it's most important for him to use it!

I also want to say that I had a friend whose husband was told he needed a machine b/c of apnea. He didn't want to use one and suffered several strokes which left him completely handicapped. Worst case scenario for sure, well, unless you count death, but a very real risk. She is very angry b/c he didn't listen and she now has to care for someone else 24/7 when it was a simple fix.

My mom, aunt, uncle, husband, and myself all have machines. When I travel with my mom and hubby it is pretty funny b/c we have three machines between us plus a nebulizer for my daugter's asthma. Good luck, and I really hope your DH at least is willing to get checked. It is a very real danger.

 

[18sprint]

Ok, I have a LOT of experience with this one. Tried all kinds of things, nothing worked. You mentioned that ear plugs didn't work...well, that's the only thing that does work for me. There are many different kinds out there so you may have to experiment. I can't tell you what brand I use (I get them from work) but they are green and the type that you roll in your fingers, insert into your ear and they expand. If you get them in right, they will block 99% of anything. Here's the danger though.. I got so used to them I can't sleep without them anymore. Even if everything in the house is real quiet, even a slight wind will wake me up.

 

[ToddyLu]

for me it is the other way round, I am the snorer and hubby complains he cannot sleep sometimes..BTW I am overweight, have been gaining steadily since 2010 (nearly 200lbs now and 40 yrs old) Do you think I need to see a Dr about my snoring?

Absolutely!! I am a 43 year old female and have used a C-pap for the last three to four years.

I went on a trip to NYC with my MIL and when we got back, DH asked her if she noticed anything...seems as though I kept her up with my snoring on vacation and kept him up at night at home. They had a good chuckle about it in front of me. I had my sleep study ASAP. I barely had any REM sleep at all. Now that I am used to it I love it and do not usually go without it...every great once in a while when DH is at the Fire Dept I will go au naturale.

Fast forward 2 years. DH knew my snoring had stopped instantly on the C-PAP so it was his turn. Dang-it I cared enough about his sleep to get a study and fix the problem..it was his turn. So now we have dualing C-PAPs...His study was horrible and his levels are high on his machine.

He is now more talkative and pleasant (he doesn't know this) because he is sleeping at night.

Fast forward another year. DH talked his brother into having a sleep study because he could tell a difference. BIL had a study and his levels on his machine are even higher than DH's. They both have huge necks and are big guys.

DH put a little shelf for each of us behind our headboard. They get packed up in a suitcase all their own for travel and we check them as medical equipment so they fly free.

My old boss had a sleep study after mine. He is Puerto Rican and has an olive skin tone. I could tell by the color of his face when he came in to work in the morning--whether or not he wore the machine. His skin tone was darker. I know that sounds crazy but I was right 100% of the time.

Now in the mornings I can do a small algebraic math problem in my head--before taking a shower. Before C-PAP...I was lucky to know my name. DH says he did not see the night and day difference like I did...but boy can he talk a mean streak now.

I can't tell you how much taking care of this helped us.

Oh and I traveled to Biltmore with my MIL in 2010--she couldn't hear a peep at night and was stunned.

To help others, I am 5'4" and weigh 222#, so yeas size makes a difference at times my doctor has told me. I also had to tell anesthesia I used a C-PAP the last time I had a surgical procedure.

 

[ToddyLu]

One of the scariest things I have ever heard came from my DH after he got his sleep study and C-PAP.

He told, and I quote..."Lucretia, if you ever find me out in the yard or in the house flat on my back and not breathing, just roll me over"...WTH!!

"I will start breathing again...this has been going on for years and I just wanted you to know I cannot breathe at all when I am flat on my back"...WTH!!!

I asked him why in the world would he not tell me that--that he knew this and just kept it to himself. He said he was embarassed and didn't think much of it until his study.

What if he was out in the garage on a ladder and fell on his back, with a sudden loss of conciousness and no one around? SO now I don't have to worry about it at night at least. He ALWAYS wears his machine, except a the fire house where he doesn't sleep anyway.

 

[Wild about Walt]

Ok, I haven't had any of the horrific experiences that many of you have had but my husband comes from a long line of snorers. One thing we found that seems to work half way decent is the NettiPot. We first saw this on Oprah many years ago and when we saw it in a local drug store, we had to give it a try.

It's basically a small tea pot looking thing and you fill it with a saline solution. You put the spout on the tea pot up one nostral and pour. The saline travels up the nostral, up into the sinuses and out the other side. It really isn't as gross as it sounds. My husbands snoring drastically reduces when he uses his NettiPot. Another positive is that it helps with his allergies. The down side is that you have to use it everynight for it to work everynight.

I hope this can help you get a better nights sleep should you try it

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

Ok - I'll lay it on the line. My DH and I both snore, and always have (I had my own room as a kid, even though I was the youngest, because nobody could sleep with me). Up to now, it's been somewhat do-able.

But now we're both 50. My DH is on new medication and his snoring has doubled in volume, even when he's on his side. Couple that with my raging 50-year old hormones, which make it difficult for me to fall asleep even in blissful silence, let alone next to a bouncing Lear Jet, and I've got serious sleep deprivation.

I find myself getting anxious about our Disney trip in just 4 weeks. There's no spare bed or couch for me to crawl to. I've already tried:

1. Ear plugs - they block every sound except the snoring
2. White Noise machine - see #1
3. Over-the-counter sleeping pills (Unisom gave me a headache, the all-natural one did nothing except upset my stomach)

Any advice short of booking two rooms?

Have you thought about a 1BR villa?? You could shut the door and go to a pull out couch! You could even rent points from a DVC member and it could be pretty reasonable!! In November... we were both pretty sick and I stayed on the couch at OKW most of the time. When he is sick--he sounds like a train. It was a lifesaver!

 

[Blackbeltdisneygirl]

Ok, I haven't had any of the horrific experiences that many of you have had but my husband comes from a long line of snorers. One thing we found that seems to work half way decent is the NettiPot. We first saw this on Oprah many years ago and when we saw it in a local drug store, we had to give it a try.

It's basically a small tea pot looking thing and you fill it with a saline solution. You put the spout on the tea pot up one nostral and pour. The saline travels up the nostral, up into the sinuses and out the other side. It really isn't as gross as it sounds. My husbands snoring drastically reduces when he uses his NettiPot. Another positive is that it helps with his allergies. The down side is that you have to use it everynight for it to work everynight.

I hope this can help you get a better nights sleep should you try it

OOH! We use netti pots!! They are fantastic! My son used to get sick every year. It was very debilitating, and I was starting to get really scared. I even started thinking the word cancer. He just could barely function. He couldn't wake up (Praise the Lord he is homeschooled.), couldn't concentrate, just was a terrible mess. He couldn't even stay on his feet for more than 15 minutes before he needed to crawl back into bed. We had test after test done, and nothing was showing up. Finally, we started noticing that in the morning his nose was actually bigger than usual. I noticed it, and then my son himself brought it up. His nose was bigger in height and width when he woke up. He got a sinus x-ray, and we found out he had a raging sinus infection. His face never even hurt! We did medications and all sorts of stuff and it kept coming back. Finally I tried the netti pot with him, and he instantly felt better. Now, when his sinuses start to act up and he starts whining about being too tired to do stuff, I tell him to go do his netti pot. His infections never come back. It kicks the infection out before it can really start making him sick again. He doesn't even need medication anymore. Awesome stuff.

 

[captinhookedondisney]

Haha I have a great memory about snoring! About 10 years ago I was on a trip with my mom and my friends, it was amazing expect no one got any slee except for my mom! Ever since we have called her the broken heater!

The funny thing is she only snors on vacation!

 

[Cruz91]

This is yet another great reason to think about it. You can get a 2 or 3 BR condo for the price of a value resort room. You would have other considerations (cost of renting a car, parking, etc). You could also mitigate those costs by doing something like Wyndham Bonnet Creek where they have a shuttle, but the cost is higher - so it's almost a wash...