Confessions of a Snore Partner
1. The Careful Caress
This is usually where I start, at the earliest point of the night, when I'm still feeling kind enough not to inflict pain on him. With a gentle caress on his arm or his chest, I gently try to wake him up. This usually leads to a conversation, "Was I snoring?"
"Yes, honey. Please roll over."
"I'm sorry." Usually followed by more snoring, or if I'm lucky, he'll reposition the way he's laying that opens his airway a little more.
2. The Earthquake Shake
We share a king-sized bed, so while I'm on my side, I toss and turn intentionally trying to shake the mattress and jostle him awake. Since getting our new pillow top mattress, this method doesn't work quite as well anymore. But it's still worth a shot.
3. The Gentle Jab
It's pretty simple. With a finger or an elbow, I jab him in the ribs. Not the most compassionate method, or the funnest thing to wake up to, but I use the Gentle Jab when I'm at my wits' end and I'm running out of hours to get a full night's rest.
4. The Facelift
By either shoving his cheek with one finger, or grabbing a handful of his bearded chin, I try to get him to turn his head. It doesn't always work, but again, I'll try anything to change the direction of the airflow and open up what's being blocked.
5. The Bulldozer
This is usually my last resort when nothing else has worked. I slide my arm under his torso and give him a big heave-ho, trying to roll him over. At this point, it's usually past midnight and I'm so desperate for sleep I've contemplated going to the couch...
6.The Sleep Divorce
Alas, after giving it all my tries, from compassionate to downright rude, I give up. I collect my pillow, my phone and an extra blanket - usually with a dog in tow - and resign to the couch. Now, it's fine for lounging on while binging Netflix, but it's certainly not made for a full night's sleep.
What's Next For My Snoring Husband?
I've been talking to my husband about the possibility that he may have sleep apnea. From multiple broken noses over his lifetime, I have no doubt he has a deviated septum. He chalks up his snoring to being so tired from his laborer job, which I certainly don't doubt, however, the side effects of OSA are alarming.
I've been telling him all the benefits of going to ADVENT. How their in-patient ENT procedures are so effective and non-invasive that many patients experience benefits the very next day and have little to no downtime. Some hardly even miss a day of work!
What a relief it would be for both of us to breathe easier - literally and figuratively - when we could both get a sound, solid night's rest!
Stay tuned, and wish me luck on my journey to help my snore partner.