Get Your Snorer to the Doctor

iVillage: 11 Ways to Get Your Husband to Stop Snoring

If you think your snorer may have sleep apnea, encourage him to visit his doctor. If your partner is reluctant, ask him to do it for you -- his snoring is affecting your health as well. Be sure to go to the doctor with him. “Most snorers end up in the doctor’s office because of their spouses. Snorers often say, ‘I don’t have a problem with it, my spouse does,’” says Kolstanginova. If the doctor suspects obstructive sleep apnea , he or she will suggest observation in a sleep center or a hospital-based sleep lab to confirm the diagnosis.

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Roll Your Snorer...

Is your guy a back sleeper? If so, it could be causing him to snore. As the tongue relaxes it sinks toward the back of the mouth, blocking airflow, and sleeping on your back makes it even easier for this to happen. What to do? Prod your snorer so he rolls over onto his side. If he’s too big for you to push over or just keeps rolling onto his back, stick a long, stiff pillow behind his back to keep him on his side, says Nina Kolstanginova, M.D., of the Hamden Sleep Disorder Center of Connecticut. If that doesn't work, go bigger: Sew a tennis ball into the back of his PJs -- when he rolls on his back, he'll probably turn right back onto his side (or stomach).

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Help Him Breathe...

Nasal strips might not look sexy, but they may help turn your snorer into a silent snoozer. Available over-the-counter at most drug stores, the strips work by opening up blocked airways. They're also helpful if a snorer has a deviated septum (check with an ear, nose and throat doctor for a diagnosis), or if one nostril is narrower than the other.

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Go On a Snoring ...

Sometimes chronic snoring is related to eating spicy meals. The acid in spicy food can irritate the throat and tissues of the upper airways, causing them to collapse, which is when snoring begins. Being overweight is another cause of snoring – too much extra fat around the neck puts pressure on the airways. If you suspect one of those might be the culprit, you can start planning to make healthy changes together. Ease up on spicy food (especially at dinner) and start taking walks after dinner. At mealtime, cut back on red meat and fried food and add more vegetables and healthy oils (think olive oil). Join a gym together or organize social activities around things like bowling, bike riding or tennis.

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Stop Unhealthy H...

Drinking too much alcohol before bedtime can encourage snoring by relaxing the muscles of the upper airways and suppressing breathing. Smoking is also associated with snoring because nicotine can irritate the throat and weaken airway tissue, so urge your partner to quit. Check out these all-natural ways to quit smoking and find out what’s fact and what’s fiction when it comes to quitting .

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Discourage Sleep...

Nix the sleeping pills, at least for him. They may help your partner drift off but he’s likely to snore more: Sleep aids relax those throat muscles and lead to some serious noise.

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Hide the Noise

Sometimes, despite your best efforts (and sharpest elbow), the snoring doesn’t stop. So consider masking the sound. Use a white noise machine to drown out the racket or invest in a set of earplugs for yourself. Neither will get to the root of the problem but if they can dull the sound, it may make your night more restful.

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Consider Separat...

Don’t jeopardize your own sleep for the sake of the marriage bed, says Suzan Jaffe, Ph.D., a sleep specialist in Hialeah, Fla. “You need to be proactive about your own health and if that means moving down the hall, tell your partner you love him or her but you need your sleep,” says Jaffe. Use the marriage bed for pillow talk and sex and then retreat to your own room to get the sleep you need, she says. Or have the snorer head to another bed -- or the couch. Evicting your partner from the bedroom could be the incentive he needs to tackle the issue.

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Start a Conversa...

Rather not lose your spooning buddy to a separate bedroom? Have 'The Talk' about his snoring. But don’t start the conversation at 3 a.m., when you’re bleary eyed and cranky. Instead, wait until you’re both fully awake to broach the subject. Don’t be confrontational. “Don’t start with, ‘Here’s a tape of what you sounded like last night and I can’t sleep!'” says Jaffe. Instead, approach it from a kinder place.. Tell your partner you’ve noticed that he’s been snoring a lot and you’re concerned about his health. Explain that you’ve noticed how tired he is. If you think it will help your case, print out some info about snoring and obstructive sleep apnea from the National Sleep Foundation or the American Academy of Sleep Medicine . And explain to him what poor sleep is doing to you. A well-rested partner is a much happier person to live with.

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Consider This Co...

Your partner’s snoring might be doing more than just interrupting your dream life with Channing Tatum. Disrupted sleep can leave you pretty cranky. It’s also harder to concentrate when you’re zonked, a real hazard on the road. We eat more when we’re tired, which could result in a few unwanted pounds, says Jaffe. And if you find yourself asking people to repeat what they said more often than usual, a bad nights' sleep could be the reason: In a small study, researchers found that bed partners of snorers experienced hearing loss similar to that of people exposed to loud noises. You may become a light and anxious sleeper. No matter how you cut it (or saw it), snoring should not be brushed off as a nuisance you have to live with.

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Consider This Co...

Some snoring is just annoying (to you, at least). But if you notice your partner not breathing between snores -- depriving vital organs of oxygen -- and gasping for air, he could be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia and even sudden death. Even garden-variety snoring is associated with health issues including high blood pressure and heart disease. Enlarged tonsils or adenoids could also be blocking airflow, which can be diagnosed by an ear, nose and throat specialist.

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