How do I sleep next to someone who snores?

How to sleep through someone's snoring, step by step

1. Mask the sound. A fan, white-noise machine, or steady track raises the background level so each snore stands out less against the quiet and is less likely to wake you.
2. Wear earplugs. Soft foam or wax plugs take the edge off the volume. Combined with masking sound, they handle the loud peaks that earplugs alone can still let through.
3. Go to bed first. Your deepest sleep comes in the first hours of the night, so being asleep before the snoring starts gives you a solid block before you are easily roused.
4. Nudge them onto their side. Snoring is usually worse lying on the back. A body pillow, or sewing a tennis ball into the back of their shirt, keeps them turned over.
5. Tackle the triggers. Alcohol in the evening, a blocked nose, and extra weight all worsen snoring; raising the head of the bed slightly can help too.
6. Keep a separate exit. If one night is unbearable, moving to a spare bed is not failure; protecting your own sleep sometimes matters more than staying put.

Why a partner's snoring is so hard to sleep through

Snoring is caused by air vibrating soft tissue in a relaxed, partly narrowed airway, and it is both loud and irregular, which is the worst combination for sleep. Your brain keeps monitoring sound through the night and reacts most to unpredictable noise, so a snore that rises and falls and pauses is far more rousing than a constant hum. The person snoring usually sleeps through it; the partner absorbs the disruption, and studies of bed partners link a snorer to measurably more disturbed sleep next to them.

It is worth separating ordinary snoring from a warning sign. Mayo Clinic notes that loud snoring accompanied by gasping, choking, or pauses in breathing can indicate obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that fragments the snorer's own sleep and carries health risks. Masking and earplugs protect your night, but if those red flags are present, the real fix is a medical assessment for the person who snores.

Common mistakes

• Elbowing your partner awake all night, which wrecks both your sleep and theirs.
• Assuming all snoring is harmless and ignoring gasping or breathing pauses that point to apnea.
• Letting them drink alcohol or fall asleep on their back when both make snoring worse.
• Refusing to ever use a spare room on principle, even when you are chronically exhausted.