How to sleep next to someone who snores

The quickest help is to mask the noise with earplugs or steady background sound. The more lasting fix usually comes from the person snoring, through changes like sleeping on their side and cutting back on alcohol before bed. If the snoring comes with gasping or pauses in breathing, they should see a doctor, because treating the cause can help both of you sleep.

How does snoring affect your partner?

Snoring affects a lot of partners, so you're in large company. In a 2021 American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) survey, nearly 70% of Americans who sleep with a bed partner said their partner snores.

There isn't much research on what that does to the partner's sleep, but one study gives a sense of the effect. In 1999, researchers at Mayo Clinic ran overnight sleep studies on 10 married couples at the same time. In each couple, the husband was being tested for suspected obstructive sleep apnea.

Midway through the night, the husbands were put on CPAP, a machine that keeps the airway open and stopped their snoring. During the CPAP part of the night, their wives slept better. The wives' median arousals dropped from 21 an hour to 12, and their sleep efficiency rose from 74% to 87%. The authors worked out that this was roughly equal to an extra 62 minutes of sleep a night.

It's a small study, and everyone in it had suspected sleep apnea, not just ordinary snoring. But it shows that a partner's sleep can be measurably disrupted, even in someone who has slept next to a snorer for years.

What can you do on your side of the bed?

Mayo Clinic's advice for partners of snorers is practical. Earplugs, or background noise such as a white noise machine or a fan near the bed, may help mask the snoring so you get more sleep.

Mayo Clinic frames these as something to use in the meantime. Masking makes the noise easier to live with, but it doesn't change the snoring itself. Its advice is to suggest home remedies to your partner, and if those don't help, for your partner to see a doctor.

What can the snorer try?

The snorer can try lifestyle changes, and this is where the bigger gains usually are. Mayo Clinic lists several lifestyle changes doctors often recommend first for snoring:

• Sleeping on their side rather than their back, since lying on the back lets the tongue fall back into the throat.
• Avoiding alcohol and sedatives, with no alcohol for at least two hours before bed.
• Treating nasal congestion, since a blocked nose forces breathing through the mouth.
• Raising the head of the bed by about 4 inches.
• Losing weight if they're overweight, and quitting smoking.
• Getting enough sleep.

Mayo Clinic also includes nasal strips and external nasal dilators on its list, noting they help many people increase the area of the nasal passage. It adds that they aren't effective for people with obstructive sleep apnea.

If you want to read more on any of these, see how to stop snoring and sleep position and snoring.

Which fix matches which kind of snoring?

Snoring has more than one cause, so the fix that works for one person can do nothing for another. The NHS matches treatments to causes:

• If the tongue partly blocks the back of the throat, a mouthpiece that brings the tongue forward, called a mandibular advancement device.
• If the mouth falls open during sleep, a chin strap to hold it closed, or a mouthpiece called a vestibular shield that makes you breathe through your nose.
• If the nose is blocked or narrow, nasal dilators or strips that hold it open, or decongestants and nasal sprays to reduce swelling.

The NHS also says sleeping pills can sometimes cause snoring, and suggests the snorer avoid them.

Mouth tape is another option for the open-mouth kind of snoring, and it's an easy one to try. The Sleep Foundation explains the thinking: snoring often happens when someone breathes through their mouth, and gently encouraging nasal breathing may help keep the airway more stable. The research is still limited, so treat it as an experiment. It's for adults whose nose is clear, and the Sleep Foundation says not to use it with untreated sleep apnea or a blocked nose. If you try it, use a porous tape made for skin. The nose test is a quick check before the first night, and how to start mouth taping walks through the rest. Our review of whether mouth tape helps snoring covers what the studies found.

If your partner's nose tends to block up at night, a nasal strip is the simpler first step. Mouth tape vs. nasal strips explains how to choose, and some people use both.

If you want to try mouth tape and nasal strips together, our pick is the Titan Sleep System, which pairs TitanAir Nasal Strips with Titan Mouth Tape.

How do you bring it up with your partner?

Bring up snoring with your partner gently, and ideally not at 3am. AASM spokesperson Dr. Seema Khosla has said that when sleep is compromised by a disruptive partner, resentment can grow, and that poor sleep leads to less empathy, patience and understanding. Her advice is direct: if you notice your bed partner snoring excessively, bring it to their attention so they can speak with a health care professional.

The AASM notes that symptoms like loud snoring, choking or gasping can easily be written off as annoying habits, especially by a bed partner. In its 2021 survey release, the AASM estimated that about 23.5 million of the nearly 30 million US adults with obstructive sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Your observations can be the missing piece.

Evidence helps the conversation. Cleveland Clinic suggests using an app or a noise-activated voice recorder to track snoring, and the NHS says it can help to bring someone to the appointment who can describe what the snoring is like. A short recording and a few notes on what you've heard, such as pauses followed by a gasp, give a doctor more to work with than "they snore".

When is snoring a sign of something more serious?

Mayo Clinic advises seeing a healthcare professional if you or your partner notice any of these:

• Snoring loud enough to disturb your sleep or someone else's.
• Waking up gasping or choking.
• Pauses in breathing during sleep.
• Excessive daytime drowsiness, such as falling asleep at work, in front of the TV or while driving.

These can be signs of obstructive sleep apnea. Partners often notice them before the snorer does, so if you've heard your partner stop breathing and then gasp, tell them. Mayo Clinic also notes that not everyone who snores has sleep apnea, so a check-up is about finding out, not assuming the worst.

Is sleeping apart a reasonable option?

Sleeping apart is a reasonable option, and for a lot of couples it already is. In a 2025 American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey of 2,007 adults, 31% said they had opted for a "sleep divorce", sleeping in another bed or another room to accommodate a partner. The figure was highest among adults aged 35 to 44, at 39%, and lowest among those 65 and older, at 18%. The same survey found 37% of people go to sleep at a different time than they'd like to suit a bed partner.

AASM spokesperson Dr. Seema Khosla said sleeping apart has more to do with mutual respect for each other's sleep than with relationship problems. She also pointed out that if snoring is disrupting sleep, it could be a sign of obstructive sleep apnea. Her advice for making it work is to talk openly about your preferences and to be intentional about spending time together before you head to separate spaces. Snoring isn't the only reason couples split up at night, either. She lists room temperature, work schedules, white noise, pets and light among the things worth considering.

Sleeping apart can solve your half of the problem quickly. It's worth making sure it doesn't become a reason to stop looking into the snoring itself.

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.