Sharing a bed with a snoring partner can be stressful, especially when the sound keeps interrupting your sleep night after night.
As reported by Hopkins Medicine, approximately 45% of adults snore occasionally, while 25% snore regularly. Whichever category your partner falls into, the situation does not always have to become a source of frustration or conflict.
Here are some practical ways to deal with a snoring partner without turning bedtime into a nightly battle. 
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Talk About It Honestly and Directly
First, you need to talk about it. Stop pretending it’s not a problem. Have an honest conversation to let your partner know he or she snores and it’s becoming unbearable. Frame it as a shared issue affecting both of you, not like an accusation attack.
Share a laugh about it. Open communication prevents resentment. If they get defensive, remind them it’s a healthy concern, not an insult.
Simple Practical Lifestyle Changes
Snoring rarely stops on its own. After talking comes action. An average African lives an interesting but heavy life.
Cut Heavy Meals and Alcohol: According to Cleveland Clinic, to control snoring, eating heavy late-night meals like fufu, which relaxes the throat muscles too much, has to stop. Instead, encourage lighter dinners. If your partner must eat fufu, it should be eaten earlier. As for drinks, try herbal teas like zobo instead of a bottle of beer.
Change Sleeping Position: Many snorers are back-sleepers. Insist on side-sleeping instead of the back.
Weight and Exercise: Having extra weight around the neck worsens snoring. With extra weight around the neck, the internal diameter gets squeezed which makes it more likely to collapse. Suggest regular exercises like evening walks together which is also perfect for gisting and bonding.
Use Accessible Home Remedies
Sudhansu Chokroverty, is the program director for Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep Medicine at JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. He says, “Many stop-snoring aids are marketed without scientific studies to support their claims.” Instead of fancy gadgets that require stable electricity, you can do the following:
Elevate the head with an extra pillow or fold a wrapper underneath the pillow. This helps to open the internal airways.
Using honey and warm water before bed can soothe the throat. Peppermint tea or saline(salt water) nasal rinses also helps clear the airways. During dry seasons, a bowl of water near the bed acts as a natural humidifier.
Earplugs from the pharmacy or playing white noise or soft music at low volume are also great for drowning out the noise. Nasal strips, which are cheap and available in most chemists, also help open nasal passages.
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Protect Your Own Sleep
Create your survival kit: Choose to go to bed earlier than your partner sometimes. Prioritise your rest by using earplugs, white noise, or separate sleeping arrangements on tough nights. You cannot support your partner or family if you’re exhausted.
Know When It’s Serious
Sometimes snoring is a sign of sleep apnea when breathing actually stops for seconds. About 75% of people who snore have obstructive sleep apnea, which raises the risk of developing heart disease. To be sure, look out for:
• Gasping or choking sounds
• Extreme daytime tiredness
• High blood pressure
If this is happening, encourage a visit to an ENT specialist who understands these issues
If the snoring is mild, patience and small changes go a long way. Laugh about it and work on it together. And if you’re the snorer reading this – my guy or my sister – take it easy and try the tips too.
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