This would probably not work with #2’s husband who is all CPAP’d up and whose snoring was so bad prior to CPAP that they once had to have separate beds on *separate floors* of a house.
My DH’s snoring hasn’t been quite so bad. He’s had a couple things checked for it but it isn’t anything dealing with the dentist or some other thing that the doctor checked out. It also tends to disappear when he’s in good shape and only creeps up when he tips into overweight, which is most of the time. Obviously the best solution would be for him to get buff… but as that’s not a realistic forever solution, I appreciate this one weird trick that seems to be working.
Basically he bought this cylindrical pillow. You can get it for <$25 on Amazon (you can also get it for >$60 on Amazon– choose the <$25 option… it is the same pillow either way). And it works. I don’t know why it works or how it works, but I sleep so much better when he’s using it than when he’s using his beloved regular pillow. He doesn’t find it as comfortable as his regular pillow, but you know the saying, Happy Wife, Happy Life? That’s a good saying.
(Reminder that we’re amazon affiliates, so if you click and buy we get some small percent.)
Do you have any snoring stories or solutions?
Grumpy Rumblings (of the formerly untenured) 
April 26, 2017 at 3:13 am
The pillow probably puts him into a better sniffing position than a conventional pillow, lifting the excess soft tissue off his neck preventing the worst of the airway collapse. Or it’s s great placebo. Either way I’m glad you’re sleeping better!
April 26, 2017 at 6:24 am
Our dog snores incredibly loudly given his small size. And his preferred sleeping location is between the wall and toilet in our bathroom so we get to hear massive reverberations too… I might have to get him a cylindrical pillow too. One weird trick eh? Worth a shot!
April 26, 2017 at 6:25 am
I wonder how it would work for dogs…
April 26, 2017 at 6:28 am
My father snores a lot. He got a CPAP about 15 years ago, and it has really improved his quality of life!
My dog snores because of seasonal allergies. The vet suggested benadryl, and it seems to work okay. The dosage seems shockingly high, because dogs metabolize it differently than humans do. For a 28-pound beagle, the dose is 50 mg (2 adult benadryl pills) two to three times per day!
April 26, 2017 at 9:52 am
My husband uses a Slumber Bump: https://www.amazon.com/slumberBUMP-Positional-Snoring-Sleep-Disordered-Breathing/dp/B01MXO81TY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493221833&sr=8-1&keywords=slumber+bump
He did a sleep test, and the machine showed he had more of the apnea like episodes when he was sleeping on his back. Those episodes were the snores that woke me up, so keeping him on his side mostly solves the problem.
April 26, 2017 at 11:54 am
Hmmm. may have to look into this. My husband snores most when he’s sleeping on his back, and especially during allergy season. Problem is that he can ONLY sleep on his back. I never thought about a different pillow. This one simple trick the doctors won’t tell you…
April 26, 2017 at 12:56 pm
Funny you should ask … I’ve recently decided I may be having sleep apnea problems, and rather than, you know, actually seeking medical advice (Sigh — just don’t want to deal with the time involved at this point. Also, unenthusiastic about the idea of CPAP) I’ve decided to start with “force myself to sleep on my side.” I have no problem falling asleep on my side — indeed I prefer that — but clearly at some point I roll onto my back and that is probably not good. So I’d bought Neonysweets Womens Yoga Shorts @ Amazon, not because of that but because I figured having snug, slim shorts with pockets might let me expand my wardrobe (make it possible to wear pocketless skirts or pants or whatever). It’s not obvious they’re going to work in that regard (pocket positioning not great for me), but I realized their back pocket works well for sliding a tennis ball or 2 into and that seems (N=2 nights, so far) to be preventing me from rolling onto my back (and staying there) while sleeping. We’ll see. Also ditto whether annoying symptoms improve. And maybe I will (really) get evaluated at some point, even if so (if not, almost certainly).
For those seeking handy repurposed tools toward this goal, as I was exploring options, I found that an empty body cream “jar” (full size Body Shop body butter container, specifically) could be opened and then closed around the back of a t-shirt (place outer part outside back of t-shirt, approximately positioned right between where shoulder blades would be, inside on inside of shirt, same spot, screw together. It worked for me. Do this while the shirt’s not on, obviously, and use a snuggish-t-shirt so it holds the jar where you want it to stay), and I think this would work also, though I found it less comfortable. But if someone wanted to try something without making any purchases and had such a container handy, it could work.
April 26, 2017 at 1:02 pm
My students today told me that one of the things that is commonly done with drunk passed out undergrads is to put a backpack on them so they can’t roll to their backs. [Insert professor lecture on calling the student volunteer EMTs instead.]
April 26, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Ah. I was just thinking (as graduation rolls near) that it’s been 4+ years (I think) since any of the campuses in the local area (N= 3 or 4, depending how local) had a horrible-drunk-accident/death and that, sadly, that means we are probably “due,” just in the sense that as current students lose an I-was-there-when type of memory of such, it seems to me, another occurs (this is just anecdata, though, because I haven’t really examined the pattern, and have a small N). Also I may be wrong (about the timing relative to now) because there was a pretty dreadful fatal drunk driving accident in the not-too-distant past, though the deaths in that case were not of people with a connection to the universities (though the perpetrator was), so the lesson may not have permeated in the same way.
Here’s hoping the students behave sensibly and don’t experience or cause any serious injuries, or deaths.
April 27, 2017 at 8:47 am
Oh, and I totally spaced, but also I asked Dr. Google and — this: http://preview.tinyurl.com/mxxu4cr (or similar). Assorted exercises (actually per stuff I found on PubMed) seem evidence-based to reduce snoring, and I figured the downside to trying them is minimal, so I’m trying to do some when I’m stuck in traffic or meetings.
April 27, 2017 at 8:53 am
neat!
April 27, 2017 at 9:03 am
And just to be clear, when I say “exercises” I mean “wiggling your tongue around in your mouth.” So even those of us who are perhaps exercise averse may be willing to try these :) !
April 26, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Oh, great discovery on the pillow. Too bad he doesn’t love it. Maybe he could still use his favorite pillow for special occasions like if he can’t fall asleep or something.
Luckily for me (and them), my mom and boyfriend love their CPAPs. And my snoring is cute. :-)
April 27, 2017 at 10:22 am
I have been told that I occasionally snore. :-) Most often associated with seasonal allergies or extreme fatigue. Over the past couple of years my allergies haven’t been as bad and I haven’t heard many complaints, but …
My husband snores like a walrus. For a long time our solution has been separate rooms. Not sure how we are going to cope after we move if it doesn’t get better. His snoring is worse when he is heavy, and he is presently the heaviest he’s ever been. :-(
April 27, 2017 at 12:07 pm
For you guys, I can’t help recommending … more dancing!
April 27, 2017 at 2:53 pm
I totally agree!!
April 28, 2017 at 6:02 pm
PiC snores horribly when he sleeps on his back, but not always. I mostly make him sleep on his side when it bothers me enough. He’s tried those nose strips but they were useless. We could do some more digging but I don’t think we’re motivated enough to try yet!