When customers walk into a Slumberland showroom to learn about getting a better night’s sleep, one of their common complaints is that their partner snores throughout the night. This makes sense – roughly 25% of Americans snore regularly. Generally, snoring is about as loud as a normal conversation but can get as loud as a lawnmower cutting grass.
That level of noise in your room at night is hard to ignore. That’s why we generally don’t recommend solutions like ‘use white noise machines’ and ‘wear earplugs.’ The most they can do is dampen — not eliminate — the noise. Instead, you need a direct approach to solve the snoring problem.
There are several reasons why someone might snore – from being overweight to having sleep apnea – and various ways people try to solve their partner’s snoring problem. (Sometimes this includes sleeping in different rooms or reaching over the mattress and giving them a shove. Needless to say, this solution isn’t popular with their partners!)
At Slumberland, we work daily with couples trying to solve the snoring issue. We’ve learned from experience what does work (and what doesn’t).
In this post, we discuss an advanced adjustable base from Tempur-Pedic that can actually detect when your partner is snoring and raise them up to open their airways. Plus, we cover 6 common ways to stop your partner’s snoring (that don’t involve giving them a not-so-gentle kick under the covers).
Visit one of our Slumberland locations to try a Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base in person. Our experienced staff of sleep experts can show you how an adjustable base can be used to reduce lower back pain, eliminate tossing and turning, improve REM sleep and, yes, stop your partner from snoring.
The Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base - Stops Your Partner from Snoring So You Don't Have To
Snoring happens when airflow is partially obstructed through the throat. That interference, mostly present when someone lies on their back, creates the snoring sound. Eliminating snoring can be as simple as opening those airways via a change in position. The question is how to do that effectively while still getting a good night’s sleep.
That’s where a split king adjustable base comes in. The base raises the head up (by “head,” we mean from torso up), which opens your partner’s airways enough to stop the noise. And because it's a split king, you only need to raise up your partner’s side.But to make this work, you need to click a button on your adjustable base’s remote (or app on your smartphone) to raise your partner’s head.
But to make this work, you need to click a button on your adjustable base’s remote (or app on your smartphone) to raise your partner’s head.
This means the snoring needs to wake you up, then you need to fumble with the remote, so you can have the base raise your partner just enough to stop their snoring, and then you can try and get back to sleep.
To solve this annoying obstacle keeping you from soundless nights, Tempur-Pedic's Ergo Smart Base does something no other base on the market does - it senses when your partner is snoring and elevates their head up automatically.
The Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base can do this because it has an advanced motion sensor that’s so powerful that it can pick up the vibration of a single pin being dropped on the mattress.
This means it can also detect the vibrations your partner makes when snoring. When it detects snoring, it lifts their head up a few degrees to open airways and stop their snoring.
Fun Fact: Tempur-Pedic’s Ergo Smart Base’s motion detectors are so advanced that they actually register your heart rate, which means they can be used to monitor the quality of sleep you get throughout the night by documenting how long you’re in REM sleep vs. the lighter stages of sleep.
If you’d like to see the Tempur-Pedic’s Ergo Smart Base in action, you can watch the video below.
But nothing compares to trying the Ergo Smart base in person. You can visit one of our Slumberland locations where our sleep experts can show you how an adjustable base can help you sleep more comfortably, deeply, and quietly throughout the night.
6 Common Ways People Try to Stop their Partner from Snoring
There are several reasons why people snore (from allergies to alcohol consumption). Sometimes, you can eliminate snoring by identifying the cause of the snoring. Other times, a coping strategy will suffice to improve sleep quality.
Below we discuss common ways people try to stop their partner from snoring, including lifestyle changes and buying specifically made anti-snoring products.
1. Make an Appointment with a Medical Professional (Recommended)
Snoring can signal other health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, and sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea can be a very serious sleep disorder: you literally stop breathing throughout the night.
There are two different types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and central sleep apnea (CSA).
- OSA is when your airway is blocked by the tissues in your throat. This happens when your muscles relax as you sleep. This restricts the amount of air that gets into your lungs. This interrupts your sleep cycle because what eventually happens is you gasp for air and your brain tells your body to wake up. This helps your muscles tighten, improving airflow. Then you fall asleep, and it all starts over again.
- CSA is more rare and is similar to OSA with one major difference - your brain doesn’t tell your body to wake up. This means you go longer without proper airflow before you start breathing again.
Both types of sleep apnea need to be diagnosed and treated by a medical professional.
2. Have Your Partner Change Sleeping Positions (Recommended)
When you wake up because your partner is snoring up a storm, chances are when you look over to hit (er, gently nudge) them they are sleeping on their back.
Most couples know this all too well because the routine is they go to bed, they fall asleep, one starts snoring, the other wakes up, and rolls them on their side.
But this is easier said than done. Changing a sleeping position is like breaking any habit – it takes time (and some sleepless nights). But you’re also at a disadvantage because it’s not your partner’s waking mind that’s in control. Your partner’s body will find its most comfortable position when sleeping. This means if they’re uncomfortable on their side it doesn’t matter how many times you push them over, they’re going to keep rolling back.
Your partner can try to hack their sleep position with pillows. They can put a pillow between their legs while they lie on their side, but this can be impractical for other reasons (such as making their inner thighs hot). Your partner can use a body pillow to hug as they sleep (but this may not be effective if they just roll onto their back later in the night).
As your partner starts sleeping more on their side, you can look for a mattress made specifically for side sleepers. These mattresses give side sleepers the support and comfort they need in key areas, such as their shoulders and hips.
But side-sleeping may not be a solution for everyone. For example, your partner may just always revert to their back because it’s what they’re used to or they may need to sleep on their back for medical issues, such as sleep apnea (which could require them to wear a CPAP machine). In those cases, we recommend finding a way for your partner to lift their head – whether through an adjustable base or a wedge pillow – so they can sleep on their back without snoring the night away.
The Tennis Ball Trick
There’s a somewhat well-known lifehack to get someone to stop sleeping on their back – and it involves a tennis ball. There are specifically designed shirts (and you can also easily make one at home yourself) that put a tennis ball near your partner’s back by sewing it into the shirt they wear to bed.
The idea is if your partner rolls on their back, it’ll be uncomfortable because the tennis ball will push against their back, making them sleep on their side. This has mixed reviews online but overall the tennis ball trick is effective at making sure your partner doesn’t sleep on their back. However, if your partner just keeps rolling on their back, waking up in annoyance, and isn’t getting a full night’s sleep – then look for a more long term solution.
3. Is Weight the Issue? (Something to Consider)
Weight loss – especially your partner’s weight – can be a sensitive issue. And it’s no good to solely blame snoring on your partner’s weight without first getting a medical opinion. But research shows there is a relationship between someone’s weight and whether they snore. This is because the excess fat in the back of the neck can lead to louder vibrations.
However, losing weight isn’t always a quick fix (and for some, it isn’t even an option). If losing weight is not something your partner can – or wants – to do, then the other strategies on this list should be sufficient.
4. Decrease Alcohol Consumption Before Bed (Something to Consider)
Alcohol consumption before bed (and we mean a good 2-4 hours before your head hits your pillow) can lead to even non-snorers snoring.
This is because drinking alcohol loosens your back of throat muscles, which can cause snoring.
5. Mouth Guard (Not Recommended)
Mouthguards can also help reduce snoring by pulling your tongue and lower jaw forward. This helps open up your passageways, reducing vibration, and thus reducing snoring.
However, like the tennis ball trick, sometimes adding these low-cost solutions is more intrusive than helpful.
While a mouthguard works, it’s not natural for most people to sleep with a mouthguard – especially adults who are struggling with snoring. Your peaceful night’s sleep could come at the cost of sleep deprivation for them.
6. Nasal Strips (Not Recommended)
Sinuses also play a significant role in whether or not your partner snores (including how often they snore and at what decibel).
This is because congested sinuses can lead to increased vibration as your airflow passes through a narrow passageway.
Nasal strips try to solve this issue by “lifting” or “opening” your nostrils to increase airflow.
While nasal strips may help some people, it’s not a big enough fix to stop serious snorers. It’s a good idea, but has too little of an impact to help most snorers (and their partners) get better sleep).
Visiting Slumberland for a Demo on How to Stop Your Partner's Snoring
To recap, snoring in and of itself isn’t a bad thing for your partner. It could signal other issues (such as sleep apnea), but can also just be a fact of life due to their anatomy.
But that doesn’t mean you have to resort to sleeping in separate bedrooms. There are several ways to stop snoring, including sleeping on a Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base.
Most anti-snoring tools are trying to open up your airways, increase airflow, and minimize congestion in the throat and nasal passages.
Tempur-Pedic's Ergo Smart Base can do that automatically by lifting your partner’s head up a few degrees. The Ergo Smart Base knows when your partner is snoring (often before you do) and will then lift them up. Not enough to disturb them, but enough to open their passageways and help both of you get a good night’s sleep.
Visit one of our Slumberland locations to try a Tempur-Pedic Ergo Smart Base in person. Our experienced staff of sleep experts can show you how an adjustable base can be used to reduce lower back pain, eliminate tossing and turning, improve REM sleep, and, yes, stop your partner from snoring.
