It’s the “dream” of most couples who marry, to be able to drift off together into a peaceful night’s sleep. And yet statistics show that close to 30% of all marriages are negatively impacted because of snoring. So, what do you do when a spouse snores and you just can’t get a good night’s sleep?

We’ve talked to quite a few couples who say that snoring is robbing them of being able to sleep together. We’ve been amazed at how many couples aren’t sleeping in the same room at night because of this problem. One wife told us that she had enough of sleepless nights and finally had to start sleeping in another bedroom because it was affecting her health.

“Even though God designed us to need sleep, sleep problems are rarely considered major health epidemics. Yet Dr. James Maas, author of Power Sleep, says that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. And it’s not just the amount of sleep that’s important, it’s also the type.

“Even if you’re in bed for ten hours, you may not be able to reach all the stages of sleep if you’re constantly jolted awake. You may awaken feeling as if you haven’t slept at all. And if you don’t reach all the stages of sleep, you’ll be prone to more viral infections, mood shifts, and emotional stress.” (Sheila Gregoire, from the article “When Sleeping Together Drives You Apart” featured in the Summer 2002 issue of Marriage Partnership Magazine)

We know of another wife who said that her husband finally found a solution that helped. He wears the nasal strips on his nose at night and they seem to help stop his snoring most nights. One brand is called “Breathe Right” but we’re sure there are others

My husband has tried those, and sometimes they work but other times they don’t. Steve doesn’t snore every night, but when he does, it makes for a long night for me — and truthfully, for him as well, because he doesn’t seem to sleep as soundly on those nights as well. I’ve found that often by just nudging him to change sleeping positions, it often works to stop his snoring.

I used to get quite angry about it, when he would snore. Sleep-deprivation and a bad attitude can do that sometimes. But then the Lord spoke to my heart and helped me to see that he wasn’t doing that on purpose and by being mean towards him over this problem, I wasn’t helping things at all. I was just causing more of a division between us and I also was being disrespectful.

I’ve learned to be much kinder in how I nudge him — rather than elbowing him. I’ve also used those times to pray for him and for others — making the most of those times, “redeeming the time” as it will.

My husband feels quite bad when his snoring causes problems for me. I have to say that his expressing sympathy helps in some ways.

Because Steve is an insulin-dependent Diabetic, he often has insulin reactions in the middle of the night, and I am needed to help him get through them. So, if for no other reason, my husband needs me to sleep by his side. As his partner, a few sleepless nights, is a small price to pay for his better health. I’d much rather suffer from less sleep than have him go through a severe insulin reaction.

I know of many widows who would love to have a few sleepless nights in exchange for having their husbands by their side in their beds. I never want to take my husband for granted that he will always be here

There’s an article I read in the Spring 2007 issue of Marriage Partnership Magazine, written by Jayna Richardson, that gives another insight into this subject that I encourage you to read. Please click below to read what she writes:

And the following is a more humorous look at the same subject, written by Nancy Kennedy, posted on the Marriage Partnership Magazine web site:

If those articles don’t minister to your situation in any way, the following piece, also posted on the Marriage Partnership Magazine web site offers some suggestions that you might find helpful. Please click onto the link below:

If you need additional solutions to the problem you are facing in sleeping with a snoring spouse, the following link, posted on About.com, has a few additional suggestions you might find helpful:

We don’t know if it will work for you or your spouse or not—to stop the snoring, but we heard a wife testify that the solution found on the following web site worked wonders for her snoring husband. She said that it brought peace back into their marriage bed. You just may want to explore this as an option to see if it will work in your case. Please click below to visit the web site:

The following web site came highly recommended to us as one of the best on this issue:

Are you challenged in trying to get to sleep even though your spouse doesn’t snore? Please click onto the link below to read:

• AH, TO SLEEP!

We also know that Sleep Apnea can cause problems with snoring and some people have found help as they wear a breathing apparatus when they settle down at night. That might be something you can ask your doctor.

And finally, there is another solution to this problem. Although we don’t highly recommend it, we do know of couples where it does work for them.  You just need to make sure that you are both in agreement concerning this plan and you find ways to initiate being intimate with each other where both of you are satisfied. Otherwise temptations outside of the home may be more problematic, because of a loss of intimacy in not sleeping together. Please click onto the link provided to read:

•  ONE MARRIAGE, TWO BEDS

If you know of any other suggestions that might help spouses who snore, please write your comment below. We would appreciate it!

The above article was written by Cindy Wright of Marriage Missions.