Sleeping next to snorer questions: help!

[mmasc]

Background: I’m a *very* light sleeper. Even in my own home, but especially if traveling and staying elsewhere. 

My dilemma: I’m taking a vacation and sharing a room with a LOUD snorer. And truly, I mean ***super*** loud. What can I do???!!!

I bought ear plugs (have no idea if they will actually block the loud sound though). If I lie  awake all night just listening to snoring, I will be so tired and grumpy on my trip. 😞

please give me any tips or suggestions you have!

(Another thought—-I don’t take them, but would a sleeping pill (like ambien) actually enable me to sleep through someone’s loud snoring???)

[maize]

What about noise cancelling headphones of some kind?

[mmasc]

6 minutes ago, maize said:

What about noise cancelling headphones of some kind?

I thought of those but I don’t know much about them. Do they only cancel noise if you’re listening to something, like music? Or does just simply placing them over your ears cancel noise?

also, do you have some specific ones you recommend?

[maize]

No personal experience, but here's one person's experimental assessment of some different options:

https://remembereverything.org/how-to-block-out-snoring/

Many of these include playing some sort of white noise, which can help to keep your brain from noticing intermittent sounds such as snoring.

[MercyA]

White noise plus ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones are your best options. I like fan noise, real or recorded. Being very physically tired at the end of the day also helps. 

Can you book a suite with two bedrooms, or an enclosed bedroom and a pull-out couch in the living room?

I have my own room now because I got tired of sleeping on the sofa. 🙂 

[mmasc]

55 minutes ago, MercyA said:

White noise plus ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones are your best options. I like fan noise, real or recorded. Being very physically tired at the end of the day also helps. 

Can you book a suite with two bedrooms, or an enclosed bedroom and a pull-out couch in the living room?

I have my own room now because I got tired of sleeping on the sofa. 🙂 

Well, I bought ear plugs and I had planned on bringing my white noise machine, but maybe I should bring a fan instead. 🤔 or both 😂 

unfortunately the room has been booked already, so I will need to make do this time. 

Thank you for the suggestions!

[J-rap]

Will you be sleeping in the same room?  If you could have a suite with a bedroom and sitting area, you could sleep in the sitting area?

Otherwise I'd probably say ear plugs and something like Tylenol PM or Ibuprofen PM.   I was paranoid of OTC sleep medication my whole life until last year, and when I was going through a difficult time and couldn't sleep I took Tylenol PM and couldn't believe how well I slept!  I wondered why I'd never taken it earlier during difficult times of sleeping.  It was just the thing!  I could've slept through anything.

[mmasc]

4 minutes ago, J-rap said:

Will you be sleeping in the same room?  If you could have a suite with a bedroom and sitting area, you could sleep in the sitting area?

Otherwise I'd probably say ear plugs and something like Tylenol PM or Ibuprofen PM.   I was paranoid of OTC sleep medication my whole life until last year, and when I was going through a difficult time and couldn't sleep I took Tylenol PM and couldn't believe how well I slept!  I wondered why I'd never taken it earlier during difficult times of sleeping.  It was just the thing!  I could've slept through anything.

Yes, same room. Sigh. I’m not opposed to taking drugs if they’d actually make me sleep through this! After reading the link from @maize I think I’m dealing with a ‘loud snorer’ which means my ear plugs probably won’t help much, according to this person’s studies. I mean, in comparison,  that guy on the link above sound practically quiet. 

[Farrar]

Go outside and sleep on the floor. That's the only solution I've ever found.

[ktgrok]

Use ear plugs, take an over the counter sleeping pill, and go to sleep first, before the snorer. Rarely does snoring wake me up, but it will keep me from falling asleep. If I got to sleep first we are fine. 

[katilac]

Sleeping aids will definitely help, but you don't need to bring out the big guns like Ambien, just something OTC. Try something out before you go to figure out what works (you want it to help you sleep but not give you a 'hangover')/ 

[maize]

Benadryl works pretty well as a sleep aid for me. It is very safe for occasional use.

[scoutingmom]

Not sure who the snorer is... but they should get checked for sleep apnea...

[PeterPan]

I took a cruise with my mother, and she snores on and off, not the constant sawing logs gig like some people. Even that was disturbing. It was a great cruise, but I'd pretty much be in danger of ruining a trip if it were worse. They could take a different room, go see a doctor and get started on a CPAP, something. Do they have energy issues? When my dh snores, his energy is low the next day. I flop his face around to get it to stop. A supportive pillow also seems to help. 

I've started using the Powerbreathe, and there's some data showing it helping with sleep apnea. 

Beyond that, I'm not a nice person. I'd tell 'em to get another room.

Adding: Fwiw, I'm a pretty solid sleeper, so I don't usually wake up for snoring. But if the person is already snoring before I go to bed, that is a problem. So timing can help sure. Earplugs won't be enough, and personally I wouldn't take a med. Some of those like Ambien have pretty significant side effects on some people. Can you take a house or condo instead of a hotel so you can have separate, removed bedrooms? Sometimes condos, like in FL, are no more expensive than hotels. 

Edited May 7, 2019 by PeterPan

[Laura Corin]

Not all ear plugs are the same. I find SparkPlugs to be the most effective and comfortable. Make sure to roll them up tight so that they expand to properly fill the ear canal.

[mmasc]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Not all ear plugs are the same. I find SparkPlugs to be the most effective and comfortable. Make sure to roll them up tight so that they expand to properly fill the ear canal.

Thanks! I’ll look into these...I picked up whatever I saw at the store, but they were cheap so probably not as effective/comfortable. 

[mmasc]

10 hours ago, Ktgrok said:

Use ear plugs, take an over the counter sleeping pill, and go to sleep first, before the snorer. Rarely does snoring wake me up, but it will keep me from falling asleep. If I got to sleep first we are fine. 

Good tip! I hadn’t thought of trying to fall asleep first. I’ll try to beat everyone to it!

[mmasc]

10 hours ago, Farrar said:

Go outside and sleep on the floor. That's the only solution I've ever found.

Sadly, I had thought of the possibility of sleeping in the tub so I could close the door. 

[mmasc]

9 hours ago, scoutingmom said:

Not sure who the snorer is... but they should get checked for sleep apnea...

 

8 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I took a cruise with my mother, and she snores on and off, not the constant sawing logs gig like some people. Even that was disturbing. It was a great cruise, but I'd pretty much be in danger of ruining a trip if it were worse. They could take a different room, go see a doctor and get started on a CPAP, something. Do they have energy issues? When my dh snores, his energy is low the next day. I flop his face around to get it to stop. A supportive pillow also seems to help. 

I've started using the Powerbreathe, and there's some data showing it helping with sleep apnea. 

Beyond that, I'm not a nice person. I'd tell 'em to get another room.

Adding: Fwiw, I'm a pretty solid sleeper, so I don't usually wake up for snoring. But if the person is already snoring before I go to bed, that is a problem. So timing can help sure. Earplugs won't be enough, and personally I wouldn't take a med. Some of those like Ambien have pretty significant side effects on some people. Can you take a house or condo instead of a hotel so you can have separate, removed bedrooms? Sometimes condos, like in FL, are no more expensive than hotels. 

Yes, this person should, but never will. Even in the hospital, it was mentioned by nursing staff. 

(This isn’t my DH, so not a nightly thing I’m dealing with here)

[PeterPan]

58 minutes ago, mmasc said:

Thanks! I’ll look into these...I picked up whatever I saw at the store, but they were cheap so probably not as effective/comfortable. 

On the earplugs, look at the attenuation number. I use 30db earplugs, and it looks like those Spark Plugs are 35, which might be a little better. They're worth a try, but they aren't enough for me. Apparently I find noise when I'm trying to fall asleep highly disturbing.

56 minutes ago, mmasc said:

Yes, this person should, but never will. Even in the hospital, it was mentioned by nursing staff. 

That's really a shame, because most people have more energy and feel better when they improve their sleep apnea.

Back to the earplugs a minute. Don't laugh, but what actually WILL work is to use noise canceling headphones with a good degree of attenuation ON TOP of the earplugs. Then you'll have pretty significant blocking. Now noise canceling is electronic and you'd turn them on or plug them in your iphone. These are 36dB. https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Reduction-Adjustable-Protection-Defenders/dp/B07MR3FFY1/ref=dp_ob_title_hi  With them over the earplugs, you'll be happy. And if anybody else with you is disturbed, then you have options to share. Would be better than sleeping in the bathroom, that's for sure. Really not a big deal at all to sleep in headphones.