Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with snoring

Guess I can't be on my back so much

DrGirlfriend — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:59:24 -0800

Do you have experience with training yourself to not sleep on your back? I had a sleep study done recently, and the results showed that while I do not have obstructive sleep apnea, I do snore like a madwoman when I'm on my back and it's waking me up at night. I knew about the snoring, but did not know whether OSA was a factor.

Because of my results, my insurance won't cover a CPAP machine, so aside from moving on to an ENT my dr suggested "positional treatment", which means training myself to not sleep on my back. I don't fall asleep or wake up on my back, so I must be doing it when I am fully asleep and not aware of it. I Googled the term and am seeing suggestions like sewing a tennis ball to the back of your shirt, but that just sounds annoying. I'll do it if it works, but I'd rather not if it's useless. So...has anyone successfully trained themsleves to not sleep in a particular position?

Help My Wife Snore Less And Sleep Better?

suasponte — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 19:24:29 -0800

Help my very pregnant wife breathe (and sleep) again (more inside) My wife is eight months into being pregnant with our third child, and while she's always been afflicted with pregnancy-related snoring, it's especially bad now. Not only is it louder than ever, but it's getting to the point where she's struggling to breathe while sleeping. As a result, she wakes up many times a night.

She's tried elevating her head while sleeping, nasal stips, saline spray, using a ceiling fan, etc. Tonight we will try inhaling steam before bed, but I'm not optimistic.

So, the question is, what more can we do? I don't think going to a sleep specialist and having a sleep study would be worth it, because in four weeks the problem will likely self-correct. Any thoughts?

Has anyone had success treating sleep apnea without a CPAP (or surgery)?

tastybrains — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:00:04 -0800

Has anyone successfully used non-surgical alternatives to CPAP therapy (oral appliances, special pillows, etc) for treatment of mild-to-moderate sleep apnea, or been able to stop CPAP therapy after losing weight? (Note: Surgery is not an option, I do not have severe apnea, and my doctor even told me it wasn't worth considering.)

I was recently diagnosed with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea after a sleep study. It had actually surprised me, as in the 6 months between when the study was ordered and when it actually happened, I had lost ~25 lbs and according to my husband hadn't been snoring at all anymore (I used to snore like a "chainsaw" apparently). Anyway...

I was given a CPAP machine along with a nasal pillows-style mask. I've tried to use it several times over the past 3 weeks, and I loathe it. I feel like I'm suffocating no matter whether the machine is on, off, or doing it's "ramping up" thing. I've forced myself to keep it on for hours, and I've fallen asleep with it a couple times, but I always wake up within an hour, and always with a tremendous headache. I'm at the point where just thinking about trying to sleep with it again makes me feel like crying.

I am planning to ask about getting a nose & mouth mask to see if it's the fact that I can't breathe through my mouth that makes me feel like I'm suffocating...but in the meantime, I'm just feeling VERY discouraged and miserable about the whole thing. I don't even have severe apnea ... I know there are some alternatives!

But I am having trouble finding first-hand accounts of people successfully using them. Also, I am having trouble finding accounts of people ever stopping CPAP therapy after starting it. Even people who have lost a lot of weight. And I find this really discouraging...

Has anyone here used (or known someone who used) alternatives to CPAP for sleep apnea with success? Has anyone ever been able to stop using CPAP therapy after losing weight (or anything else)?

Best Earplugs/Earmuff for sleeping with a snorer?

beezy — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:38:33 -0800

What's the best set of noise cancelling apparatus you can get and sleep in? Earplugs? Noise cancelling muffs? I love my husband more than life itself, but I will smother him in his sleep if he wakes me up with his hear-it-in-the-basement loud snoring. He's been to a sleep apnea clinic, and he's waiting for his CPAP. Meanwhile, we're going on a 5 day roadtrip, with hotels, where I cannot set up an air mattress in the basement. I MUST SLEEP!

What gadgets can I get my hands on FAST that will help muffle the monster? I've ordered a passle of earplugs, but is there something better?

Snnnkrrrkk.....[drip, drip, drip]

plaidrabbit — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 19:41:38 -0800

I'm flying trans-Atlantic in less than a month, and I've got questions about how to control snoring and other potential highly-embarrassing actions that I take in my sleep. What can I do? While driving on an extended drive today, I was going down a mental checklist of things that I needed to do to make sure I can sleep on my first flight to Ireland, via London, in a little over three weeks.

It then occurred to me that, should I actually be able to get to sleep (I have a slight fear of flying) via purposeful sleep-deprivation and/or drugs, I have quite a few...embarrassing...things I do in my sleep.

First, I talk. Loudly. Secondly, I snore - also loudly. Lastly, I drool...sometimes excessively.

I'm not so embarrassed to talk about these things here, as I imagine that many share these problems, and I also realize that there are worse afflictions I could suffer from (night terrors, sleep walking, etc.). However, these are not just things that might be embarrassing to me, but also very distracting and/or highly annoying to other passengers; that is the most potentially embarrassing part of this whole problem.

Not sleeping...may be an option, but it looks grim. While its highly likely that I would be able to stay awake on the plane, I have a seriously intense day after we land. I land in Heathrow at 8:30AM GMT, and have to somehow get to Gatwick for my 4:30PM flight to Cork, IE. I have never traveled in Europe, ever. I've never been outside of the US & Canada. I'm not going to be able to sleepwalk this like a pro - the newness of everything is going to require me to have my wits about me, something that isn't usually the case if I'm sleep deprived. I do usually have a kick of adrenaline that will push me in seriously new and exciting situations, but I'd rather not rely on it in case I'm the walking dead.

So...dear MeFites, can you either tell me how to curb these activities, or successfully get myself to London with energy to spare? My flight is on a Saturday, and I've got about three days prior to my departure at my disposal to alter sleep schedules or try any ideas. Thanks in advance.

What to do with our dead walnut tree?

Siberian Mist — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 03:32:36 -0800

During a recent storm here in Belgium, the walnut tree in our garden was blown down. Now we have this huge (about 7 meters long) tree corpse in our garden. I could cut it into firewood, but it seems a waste of all that beautiful wood. And we all loved that tree: in late spring our friends used unripe nuts to make port, in summer, we ate countless delicious meals and drank many bottles of fine wine in its shade, in early fall we ate its delicious nuts. I don’t want our relationship to end here. How insanely difficult would it be to turn the wood from the tree into furniture? Also, I snore like a pig. I heard playing the didgeridoo can help reduce snoring. So, maybe a walnut didgeridoo? Other ideas?

pediatricians & parents, tell me of toddler tonsils

oigocosas — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 22:25:37 -0800

our 2.5 yo son has giant tonsils and sleep apnea. listening to his labored breathing hurts us. contemplating a tonsilectomy on such a little guy hurts us, too. anybody wanna weigh in?

Trauma? Not Trauma? You decide!

FritoKAL — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:13:01 -0800

Can something non-traumatic end up as PTSD-related trauma? I already have a diagnosis, I'm just very confused about something that's been happening lately. New therapist doesn't start until next month, so no luck there - and I'm somewhat nervous about bringing this up, because it seems so STUPID. Okay, so there's some background here. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, as well as a minor anxiety disorder separate from the PTSD. The details are probably largely unnecessary, but for a few points. (PTSD is from marital abuse, been divorced seven years now)

The guy I dated for five years between The Ex Husband and the Current Guy was a chronic snorer. Bad enough that it'd wake me up from a dead sleep. He was also largely uncooperative in dealing with it, and so I had many years of interrupted sleep.

The current guy is not a snorer, but has a cold this week and so was snoring a little last night, and despite him being cooperative in rolling over/moving/etc, the snoring would not cease. It was by no means even close to the mating-dinosaurs riding f-15 fighters and dueling with chainsaws of the previous Guy - more just a light whispery snore. In the light of day? It's almost cute.

However, in the middle of the night, all I could remember was nights of prodding and elbowing and kicking to get Previous Guy to roll over so I could get some sleep, and I ended up flipping out (not like a ninja), tossing the laundry off the couch and crashing there.

It felt like a panic attack, or a PTSD-related flashback (God, I hate that term). But... it was just snoring. Previous Guy wasn't a prince, but he's not Evil - just grossly neglectful. I didn't think that could bring about trauma like I felt like I was having.

Loud snoring spouse - What to do?

543DoublePlay — Tue, 02 May 2006 03:35:05 -0800

I'm looking for help with a snoring spouse, who's snoring is getting progressively worse and more intrusive to my sleep pattern. My wife has always been an occasional light snorer, but recently it has progressed to the point where it keeps me awake. I am a light sleeper when I first fall asleep, whereas she falls asleep and gets into the deep, loud snoring within minutes of falling asleep. The snoring then keeps me awake as I try to go through my unwind and settling down to sleep period. It is intrusive to the point where I literally have to shake her awake and ask her to go and sleep in another room (at least until I can get fully asleep). She has tried reading until I get to sleep, but as she reads she invariably dozes off (literally within minutes) and then it starts. The snoring happens regardless of her sleeping position and we have tried OTC remedies, windows open, windows closed, humidifiers, heat off, air con on, and on and on. I have to get up early (4.30 am) and we usually go to bed at the same time, but the sleep disturbance is starting to really get to me.

Ear plugs don't seem to be an option as I rely on the alarm to wake me and I would be worried about missing it if I had ear plugs in.

Any home remedies, suggestions or web sites I can refer to?

Snoring and epilepsy

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 12:50:54 -0800

Snoring treatments for people with epilepsy. I love my partner to bits, but his snoring is driving me crazy, and seriously impacting my ability to get a good night's sleep. (He has the wonderful ability to fall asleep at a moment's notice, in almost any situation - while I'm a spoiled sleeper who needs absolute silence and everything just right.) The trouble is, he has MS and a form of epilepsy that prevents him from taking over-the-counter snoring treatments - they all contain a chemical that, he knows from past experience, interacts with his epilepsy in bad ways.

So what to do? Earplugs don't offer too much help (my hearing is far more sensitive than I'd like, and the slightest noise - even heard through earplugs - can keep me from falling asleep), and I can't think of any alternative but sleeping in a separate room, which would be unpleasant and heartbreaking for both of us... but I'm tired of being so tired, having to stay awake until I'm about to pass out before I can fall asleep, then waking up several hours too soon, all because of his snoring. Thanks for any help...

Snoring Neighbors and Light Sleepers

schustafa — Fri, 06 May 2005 07:13:05 -0800

My fiancee, a light sleeper, is often driven from our bed onto our couch by our neighbor's loud-snoring boyfriend. Short of suffocating said boyfriend, what can we do to ensure that my fiancee and I share a bed every night? We live in a basement divided into two studio apartments. The apartments' layouts are mirrored, each with an alcove that is just the right size for a bed. Consequently, the wall at the head of our bed is the same wall at the head of our neighbor's bed.

Shortly after we moved in, we had some noise problems with our neighbor. Our apartment had sat vacant for some time, so she was used to playing her music and TV loudly, and staying up late doing so. We spoke to her about it within a few weeks of moving in, and it hasn't been a problem.

At some point in the past month, we're pretty sure she got a new boyfriend, and they share her bed three or four nights a week. And he's a snorer.

My fiancee is not a terribly light sleeper, but every night that our neighbor's boyfriend is over, she is awakened by his snoring. I've heard it a few times, but I tend to sleep through anything, and if it wakes me up I go right back to sleep. My fiancee can't, though, and now frequently winds up sleeping on the couch, out of earshot of the snoring.

She's tried using her ipod to drown it out, reading until she is exhausted, and sleeping with a pillow over her head, but nothing works. Moving the bed, unfortunately, is not an option, given the size of the apartment. She's getting some miserable nights' sleep, and I just get sad that I can't wake up next to her (awwww). Is there something we could attach to the wall to deaden the sound? Any other suggestions? Help me, Ask-Me Kenobi, you're my only hope!

How do I sleep when I'm a lab rat?

emptybowl — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 08:02:12 -0800

I'll be going to the hospital for a CPAP fitting tomorrow night, which is a follow-up to a sleep study I had a few months ago. I've been reluctant to schedule the follow-up because in the previous sleep study I barely slept at all. I'd really prefer not to repeat that... The problem is that I thrash around a LOT both before and during sleep. Having electrodes connected to your body isn't exactly condusive to that kind of behavior though. As a result, I had to try sleeping on my back (not my preferred sleeping position), which made it very hard to get to sleep in the first place, and once I got to sleep, I would unconciously move, pulling out one of the electrodes, and they would have to come in, wake me up, and reattach it. All of this was very stressful and lead to me barely sleeping at all.

So my question to others who have had sleep studies done, what can I do to a) maximixe my comfort and calm myself down enough to actually fall asleep and b) not rip equipment out of the wall if I actually do get to sleep?

Also, to anyone who uses a CPAP machine, given my problems with getting comfortable, will I have the same problems every night with the CPAP strapped to my face?

Giant uvula - shave it down? Remove it?

emptybowl — Tue, 19 Oct 2004 06:01:02 -0800

SnoreFilter: Apparently, I have a giant uvula. One that's flopping around in my throat at night and keeping my girlfriend up with its monsterous noise. At least, that's what the ENT doctor said. She recommended Radiosurgery to either shave the uvula down or remove it completely and make more space in my throat. Has anyone heard of/had this procedure done?

Tell me about Sleep Apnea

five fresh fish — Sun, 20 Jun 2004 18:00:46 -0800

Sleep Apnea... some, ooh, let's say about 5% of the population has it. I'm starting to think I might, too: not feeling rested in the morning, snoring at night, breathing stops irregularly, etcetera. Anyone got personal experiences, stories, or advice to offer? I'm not running to the doctor yet... unless y'all scare me into it! footnote: the continuous feeling of "tired" could also be a side-effect of Celexa, my anti-depressant. The not-breathing, on the other hand, probably isn't...

Stop Snoring

ed — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 23:25:03 -0800

I snore like a mofo. Is there a reliable method to reduce or stop snoring?