Does your DH snore?

[kelly ann]

I know I am not the only one on this board with a snoring husband!

DH has been taking Zyrtec to help with his snoring for the last few years, but I don't think it is helping anymore. Now that I am up in the middle of the night once again, I hear him hold his breathe more often.

I am ready to ship him off to a sleep clinic but I don't think either one of us wants him to wear that mask-like device every night. I heard about some new pillar procedure that seems pretty successful.

Has anyone heard of this new procedure? What has helped your DH to stop snoring? We have tried so many over the counter things. I am actually contemplating separate bedrooms...okay, maybe that is the sleep deprivation talking :P Of course, he may just move to another bedroom soon if I keep kicking his shins in the middle of the night to stop him from snoring }(

[mom2kandj]

I'm not the snoring husband, but in fact a SNORING WIFE! Yes, I have been snoring for years and finally got something done about it.

FWIW, my marriage is pretty good except for the sleeping/lack of sleep that occurs when my DH would poke, prod, and roll me to try and stop the snoring. So, in addition to being a busy mom of two, I really was only getting a few hours of quality sleep per night.

At the beginning of the year, I finally got a referral from my PCP to an ENT(ear,nose,throat) guy. Basically, I have bad genes, allergies, and am overweight. The ENT looked at my airway and thought that surgery was not a good choice for me and that we would work on weight loss and allery relief to eleviate the snoring.

Fast forward two months. I lost 20 lbs(still chubby), used Flonase to help open the nasal passage, and slept with a tennis ball in the back of my nightshirt to keep me on my side. I still snored. Time for a sleep study...I went, and it was weird. I thought I just snored, but my results showed that though I had moderate sleep apnea, my breathing was stopping about once every 3 minutes or so.

Fast forward another two months. Though it is not always comfortable, I use my CPAP machine every night. It was a challenge to get used to and I still itch and work hard to get it adjusted just right. I am getting better quality sleep, though not much more than before. As for DH, he loves it! There is a low hum from my machine, but that white noise is better than any snoring that came from my open mouth. I did have to learn to sleep with my mouth shut but there are masks that cover both the nose and mouth together. Anytime, I sleep without the CPAP, DH is quick to wake up and ask me if I was planning on dying that night. Yes, his comment is a bit rude, but when you get down to it, with sleep apnea, you do stop breathing!

It took me a long time to realize that this was something I could easily fix in my marriage. I'm glad I did it, but should have done it years ago.

About the pillar procedure, my homehealth rep who delivered my CPAP suggests that you try to use what your insurance gives you first and then going and trying other masks, etc. Most people get good results and a good fit the first time.

HTH and pleast LMK if you need more info on CPAPs and sleep apnea.



Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02

[DebbieJ]

My husband used to a be a huge snorer because he was a mouth breather. He finally got a referral to an ENT only to find that his nose was filled with nasal pollups. No wonder he couldn't breathe! He had same day surgery to remove them in January and his snoring has significantly decreased.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[hez]

My MIL sleeps with a CPAP (even after a couple procedures by an ENT), and let me tell you how UNattractive that is :)

We need to get DH to a sleep clinic-- there's some apnea going on, and if I don't fall asleep before he starts snoring, I have to poke him lots. I can usually sleep through the snoring (as can DS!) but on the rare occasion we share a hotel room with another couple or chaperone an youth group overnight, we get reminded that most people CAN'T sleep through it!

I haven't heard of the new procedure. Our current method is that I kick DH 'til he rolls over :)

[psophia17]

My DH snores like crazy - I'm sure he needs to get to a sleep clinic of some sort, but he refuses. He's made it to 30, he says, he can make it for longer.

I stand a chance if I get to sleep before him, but if I'm not 110% exhausted, that's hard to do.

Things that make it worse are alcohol, too much caffeine during the day (in the form of coke and slurpees, both of which he's addicted to), and what's blooming out the window.

I figure once I get pg again I can harass him to go to get to a sleep clinic then, since falling back to sleep between pee breaks was impossible.

[elliput]

My DH has sleep apnea and has been using a CPAP for 6 years. The change that it made in our lives is remarkable! He gets better sleep, I get better sleep. We have a much better life in many, many ways.

Sleep apnea left untreated can be very dangerous. The pauses in breathing diminish the blood oxygen level, which contributes to daytime drowsiness, and can lead to a host of other health issues. A sufferer will fall asleep at inopportune moments, like when they are driving (this happened to DH several times), while at work (DH would be at his computer and wake up to a line of "e's" on the screen), while in the middle of a conversation (this happened a lot!).

I know the CPAP mask is not exactly sexy bedwear, but it only has to be worn while sleeping. I can personally guarantee it does not interfer with other bedroom activities.;-)

Please have your DH get a referral for a sleep specialist to find out more about the snoring issue. There are several factors that could be contributing to the snoring, and he may not need a CPAP. But if he does, it is not the end of the world and there are many people out there who use them.

[holliam]

Hubby has been sleeping with CPAP for 2 years now. He apparently has a genetically short neck or something... who knew?! He had severe sleep apnea, and I would much rather he wore the device than suffered from related illnesses or possibly death in his sleep. Yes, his was that severe.

I'd rather an alive hubby with a silly device on his face any night of the week!

Holli

[kelly ann]

Hmmmm...that is so interesting about the short neck. DH is at church right now, but I am going to check out his neck when he gets home! How did they diagnose this? I would not be surprised if this was the case with DH (looking at his build). Both of his parents snore pretty bad as well...maybe it is genetic. He stayed with them in a hotel room a couple of years ago and came back complaining about their snoring. Welcome to my world honey!

[kijip]

My husband does not snore at all but my mother snores so loudly that I checked on her at night if her snoring stopped. She is spending the night at a sleep clinic tomorrow night. I will let you know if her docs suggest this new procedure you talked about.

[barbarhow]

My DH is also a snorer. So much so that I spend many a night in the guest room. The other day I told him we needed to do something about it because I was tired of the separate bedrooms (I feel like my grandparents). He got the breatheright nasal strips and spray and we have been snore free since. Ahhhhhhhhh. Heaven.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!