Partner's Snoring Keeping You Up At Night? 6 Strategies To Try

Luckily, there are things you (and your partner) can try to ensure you both get higher-quality sleep. Here are six that family medicine doctor Robert Rountree, M.D., shared with mbg co-founder and co-CEO Jason Wachob during a recent mbg masterclass:

According to Rountree, there could be a medical explanation for your partner's snoring, so suggesting they bring it up during their next health checkup is a good first step. If they have a condition like sleep apnea, their doctor will be able to identify that and start to help them sleep through the night sans snoring.

When we're deficient in magnesium, Rountree notes, it can cause anxiety, irritability, and insomnia—all things you certainly want to avoid if your partner's snoring always wakes you up. "[Magnesium] is one of the first things you want to reach for if you want to calm down. It's a calming agent," Rountree says.* "What is it doing? it's relaxing blood vessels, improving blood flow," and aiding in a restful night's sleep.*

This one might go without saying, but don't be afraid to give your partner a nudge in the middle of the night. Rountree says sometimes, that's all it takes. "Have an agreement with the partner where you gently nudge them and say 'roll on your side' if that stops the snoring," he suggests.

Rountree first heard this somewhat unorthodox tip from one of his clients: If you sew a tennis ball onto the back of your pajamas so it hits your low back, it can prevent you from sleeping on your back—the sleeping position where the most people snore. Other small tricks to stop snoring naturally include elevating your head, turning on the humidifier or using a nasal strip before bed, and avoiding inflammatory foods and beverages (alcohol included!) at night.

Any kind of white noise, or even a fan, can muffle the sound of the snoring. "For me, the sound of a fan is the most soothing thing in the world," Rountree says, "and I've seen that help with couples where the noise of one partner is affecting the other one. So, they put the sound generator on and/or use earplugs and it helps drown out the sound."

As for how to raise the idea, marriage and family therapist Weena Cullins, LMFT, previously gave this word of advice to mbg: "Be as honest as possible and include any connections you see between lack of rest and strained interactions between you and your partner. Approach any discussion about sleeping apart with sincerity and care."