Sleeping with a Snoring Partner

Sometimes, the issues that occur in a relationship or marriage are things that are pretty much uncontrollable. She cries whenever he’s mad, which just makes him feel bad. He hates Chinese, which she loves. Or maybe one of them snores so loudly at night that the other is often woken up. The problem with a snoring partner is that normally it’s the partner who doesn’t snore who loses sleep over the noise, which can become incredibly frustrating. A person who is frustrated and lacking sleep is not fun to deal with.

So, what do you do about sleeping with someone who snores? Well, there are a few solutions. One of the best is to get a white noise machine for your bedroom. This type of machine will fill the room with white noise. Often, it won’t totally cover the worst of the snoring, but it will mask the way that your brain hears the sound, which means that you’re less likely to be awakened by it. White noise machines are commonly used for babies, but they can be incredibly helpful for couples who are struggling with the problem of snoring.

Another good solution might be to go to bed at different times. If the non-snoring partner is a heavy sleeper, then snoring might not be a problem after she’s already asleep. Trying to fall asleep by someone who is sawing logs, though, can be a frustrating and futile endeavor. So, the partner who doesn’t snore should hit the sack half an hour or more before the snorer so that she can fall asleep first and stay asleep through the noise.

These two techniques, the white noise machine and the different bedtimes, can help many couples deal with the problem of snoring. Of course, if the problem is severe or continues for a long time, it might be a good idea to check out the snoring partner for conditions like sleep apnea.

Sleepwellbaby recommends these popular sound machines:

• SM-980A White Noise Machine by Marpac
• Homedics - SoundSpa Portable Sound Machine
• S-550-05 Sound Conditioner by Sound Oasis

Drowning Out the Night

In today’s fast-paced world, it can be hard enough to sleep without having to worry about background noises that keep you awake. The backfiring car down the road can wake you up with a start, and the cat’s yowling at each other outside can keep you from falling asleep in the first place. You could sleep with earplugs, which can be annoying since you will either lose them halfway through the night or won’t be able to hear your alarm clock in the morning, or you could check you some sound machines to give you relief from the nighttime sounds that are keeping you awake.

Sound machines come in many different varieties, shapes, and sizes, but they all use soft background noises to drown out the more disturbing noises of the night. These types of machines usually use several different sound frequencies, which allows them to drown out different types of noises.

When you’re choosing a sound machine, you should think about your personal preferences in white noise. If you don’t want to be distracted at all, you might want to choose a machine that masks sounds with a radio-static-like noise, which won’t be distracting since it doesn’t bring any particular pictures to mind. If you want to calm yourself down with visions of a soothing environment, try sound machines that use waterfall noises or ocean wave noises to both soothe your mind and drown out background noises throughout the night.

If you just have trouble falling asleep, you might want to look at sound machines with automatic shut off functions. They’ll run for a couple of hours until you’re deeply asleep, and then they’ll turn themselves off so as not to waste electricity. If you’re a very light sleeper who is constantly waking up to small noises, though, you might want to check out the sound machines that run all night so that the noises that wake you are drowned out even after you’re asleep.

Check out these popular white noise sound machines:

• SleepMate 980a by Marpac
• S-550 by Sound Oasis
• Sound Spa by Homedics

No More Fans!

As soon as the summer was over and we no longer needed the ceiling fan in my daughter's room, she couldn't fall asleep. You see we live in a small, cozy apartment and there is noise everywhere. She started staying up later and later and couldn't get to sleep until late in the evening when the apartment noises got quiet. I started to panic. She's only 4 so she needs at least 10 hours of sleep a night to be able to function the next day.

Then it dawned on me; she slept all summer without a problem. Aha! The ceiling fan lulled her to sleep. But, it was September and was too cold for the overhead fan. Once I had this aha moment I immediately began my search. I went online and found Sleepwellbaby.com and discovered there is a whole world of white noise machines that I never knew existed. There are white noise machines with the sounds of waterfalls, thunderstorms, crickets, heartbeats, white noise etc.

I found a product called the Marpac Marsona White Noise Machine - SleepMate 980 and ordered it right away. The Sleepmate 980A white noise machine is a miracle worker. It has an actual fan inside and creates a consistent whooshing sound, like rushing air, the sound a fan makes to help lull my daughter to sleep. From the very first night I put the machine in my daughter's room she was out like a light. I keep the Sleepmate 980A plugged in all night and the sound of my daughter's fan is replicated. The sound is adjustable for tone and volume and has two frequency levels for broader range. The tone and volume are controlled by simply rotating the "cap" and "collar" of the Sleepmate 980. This white noise sound effectively masks unwanted noises and helps my daughter fall asleep. The Sleepmate 980 hums all night and now we can all sleep again!