I still vividly remember the first night DH & I ever shared a bed.
I spent the majority of the night wide awake, listening to DH snore-- and then, intermittently stop breathing. I lay there with my eyes open, ready to pounce on top of him in the least romantic way possible, sure I'd have to use the skills I'd honed years before as a lifeguard to resuscitate him.
Years later, I know the episodes we used to experience in those early days were actually sleep apnea, which can be a very dangerous condition. Since then, DH has lost about 100 pounds (all of his football weight), and he's lost the sleep apnea, too. But he hasn't lost the ability to give me sleepness nights.
I don't know whether it's allergies, a deviated septum, or just his way of ensuring that he annoys me round the clock instead of only during daylight hours, but DH is a loud breather. A LOUD breather. From the moment his head hits the pillow, til the instant his alarm goes off at 5-frickin-o'clock in the morning (ahhh, I just love that law enforcement schedule!), he breathes louder and faster than any other person on the planet. Honestly-- I've tried to breathe as quickly has he does, and it's literally like hyperventilating.... I get all shaky and dizzy. I don't know how he does it.
Over the years, I've made it clear this was his problem to solve. So he's tried those "Breathe Right" strips... but somehow, those only made him louder. He's gone to the doctor and come home with a prescription for allergy medicine; but that didn't help, and only made us $25 poorer every month.
Finally, about four months ago, we admitted defeat-- we started sleeping in different bedrooms.
It made me feel like such a failure as a wife; I mean, my grandparents had different beds, but they were in the same bedroom... and that was decades ago! I knew I had to do something, but I felt like we'd run out of options to fix DH's breathing problem.
You know that every problem-- and its solution-- is a matter of perspective? Well it wasn't until I completely changed mine that we figured out what would work. Finally, I realized it wasn't DH's problem to solve but mine. I went to Walmart and bought a few sets of foam earplugs, and VOILA! Problem solved! Now, I will say that at times, having those plugs in my ear make me feel like I'm swimming underwater (I'm also mildly concerned I'm going to rupture my ear drum, I have them pushed in so far), but it is worth it to finally be able to sleep through the night!
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My dad is not over weight at all, but he needs the sleep breathing machine to not make the walls swing in & out with his breathing. My mom says, the humming actually helps her sleep these days...
I'm glad you two found something that will work!
That said, I was totally thinking this was a post about G joining you guys... :)
Man that must be horrible.
I am so glad Chris only snores when he is sick or really tired...and then I just push him over :O)
I didn't know your hubs was in law enforcement too!
I could've written this post! The hubs has mild sleep apnea and is SUPPOSED to wear a mask ... yeah, that barely happens. I have bought stock in ear plugs and it's the only way I can sleep through the night. You're not alone!
I also have a pack of ear plugs in my dresser for situations like this. Unfortunatley, they hurt my ears so I can't use them all the time. Dh was snoring last night, so instead of using the ear plugs, I proceeded to bounce the bed over and over again to "slightly" wake him up. :-)
I hate the feeling of being underwater that earplugs cause. But if it is the only solution then I'd be breathing underwater every night.
That is just plain awesome!
My sil sleeps with earplugs, too. I just kick dh until he stops snoring.;)
I don't know how you managed so long... I'm dreading the day that Jason starts to snore! His dad snores and his mom has been wearing earplugs to bed for YEARS so you doesn't have to put up with it! I'm glad you found a solution to your dilemma! :)
NO. You should suck it up and be a big girl. If you had the problema and he went to the other room and bed, we the guys would be a-holes. When we dont fix the problem we are a-holes. We are a-holes anyways. We cant win. Ear plugs. I cant believe it. Must be a Duke thing. I think DH should make you sleep in that bed w/out the plugs and like it.
P.S. Please dont tell Tracy about this, I dont want her making me go to the couch
Men...wait maybe not all men...but lots of them are loud snoring people! When my husband is loud I kick him out! Earplugs are awesome but then I can't hear if the kids are screaming and I can't depend on the dear hubman to wake up...so needless to say he gets kicked out a lot! Those breathing strips didn't work on him either!
I made my husband try those breathe right strips and they made him louder too! So annoying!
I have learned that if I push him over on his side the snoring will stop for a bit....of course I am afraid that in my sleepiness I might push him out of the bed one night....but it would serve him right for snoring!
From one earplug wearing girl to another. Welcome to the club.
I thought for sure I was going to murder my husband on our honeymoon due to sleep deprivation. I feel your pain.
I realized this same solution about 6 months ago and boy do I wish I would have realized sooner!!! I am such a light sleeper and it was no wonder I was tired all the time. Now I am a huge advocate for ear plugs.
Oh, and do your ears sweat from wearing them and does it make your ears itch? Mine do, but it seems like a small price to pay.
i could never sleep in earplugs..i'd worry i'd miss important sounds that might save my life (like the sound of fireballs falling past my window not long ago which woke me, saving our house)--lord knows i couldn't count on dh to wake from sleep for anything
part of my job is scheduling sleep apnea testing :)
and...my husband is a LOUD deviated septum breather
is drives me INSANE!!!
he sleeps on the couch...i sleep with 3 little girls :)
(we work different shifts)
I used to use them too! Nightly. Since DH has dropped 20 pounds he almost never snores anymore and I am so grateful! Should it ever start up again however, my pink earplugs are in my nightstand!
A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! :)
My DH wears a mask for apnea. I can so relate to the snoring! However, has your DH ever had an overnight sleep study? He could still have a medical issue that needs adressed.
My poor husband sleeps with his ipod on to drown out my LOUD snoring. Sweet man. He rarely says anthing about it - just laughs when I wake my own self up.
I am glad it isn't the other way around..if I had to wear earplugs neither of us would hear the kids at night.
I have sleep apnea and my husband has gotten so used to the sound of the breathing and the machine that HE wakes up if there is an air leak anywhere and lets me know I need an adjustment. I am sure that he prefers the humming of the machine rather than me snoring or kicking because I forgot to breathe.
So very true! It's about both of you. I have a big box of ear plugs and I wear them all the time. Funny that I can drown out the snoring but I can still hear the kids during the night if they wake up.
I'm glad you found a solution that works for you! Does it worry you to not hear G?
BTW sleeping separate is coming back into style. Both mine and my husband's parents do it, and I read an article about it the other day.
You have been awarded “The Versatile Blogger" award by Shelley T from The Trials of Big J & Little J. To claim your reward and for the rules please visit http://bit.ly/dxlQt8
Sleep through the night AND sleep with your man! The Husband says I snored when I was pregnant, but he'd just roll me over on my side. He'd go right back to sleep, because that in itself was a chore. ;-)
Oh I lol'd at the annoying you 24/7 referrence. Sometimes they have a way of doing that, dont they?
I've totally slept with ear plugs before, and it was the best thing EVER!!! I'm such a light sleeper, so ANY kind of sound would keep me up. My husband sleeps too deep for me to wear them now. If Oliver woke up crying in the night, neither one of us would wake up :)
Glad you found your solution though! Sleep is so very important!
I can totally relate to your last post. I've noticed that this blogging thing can easily become consuming.
Thanks for mentioning my blog above. And I hope you're enjoying your honeymoon :) Happy 5 year anniversary!!!
Breathe Right Strips are my friend! My hubby snores ALL THE TIME!
btw, there's something on our blog for you :)
you have such a fun blog! yay! i am so happy i found you! im following you now! follow me back! :)
www.justcherishtoday.com
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest. Hope you are having a fantastic cruise.
I must be losing my mind. I want to leave a comment on the post above this but I can't find the comment link! It must be the heat here in Albuquerque (105F! Aaaargh!)
I'm a cruiseaholic and I want all the details of your trip. I hope you're not on Costa. We just returned from a Costa cruise where we came down with norovirus. The staff pretended nothing was happening, even though half the ship was violently ill!
Not exactly the makings of a romantic getaway :p
~Lamb
Oh, this is my life.
Hello, found you through SITS. Nice to meet you.
I remember crying on our honeymood, too discover I married a mad snorer.
It's awful. He won't go to the dr. THe strips don't help.
It's miserable. I"m on the coach,just so I can sleep.
I hear ya, or , I hear him, right?
Lovely to meet you.