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The short answer For tonight: well-fitted foam earplugs, a low rumbling background sound and a head start on falling asleep. For the long run, the snoring itself has to be addressed. Get your partner sleeping on their side, skipping evening alcohol and, if there’s gasping or pauses in their breathing, checked for sleep apnea. Separate bedrooms are a reasonable fallback, and more than a third of Americans already use them.
Nothing here requires your partner to be thrilled. The first three steps you can do alone, tonight. The rest need a conversation.
Eight steps, from tonight to long term
- Fit foam earplugs properly. Fit matters more than brand. NIOSH’s method: roll the plug into a thin snake, pull the top of your ear up and back with the opposite hand, and hold the plug in until it expands. Most of the foam should end up inside the ear canal. Use clean hands.
- Add a steady background sound. A fan, a sound machine or an app playing brown noise can blunt a rumbling snore and make the peaks less jarring. Keep it quieter than a conversation.
- Fall asleep first. If you can, go to bed 20 to 30 minutes before your partner so you’re already asleep when the snoring starts. It costs nothing to try for a week.
- Get your partner off their back. Sleeping on your back makes snoring more likely, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The NHS suggests a tennis ball stitched or taped to the back of their sleepwear. A gentle nudge to roll over works in the moment too.
- Cut the evening drinks. Alcohol relaxes throat muscles, and a 2020 meta-analysis linked it to worse snoring and more breathing events in people prone to both. Notice whether the loud nights line up with the nights they drank.
- Have the conversation in daylight. Not at 3 am, and not as an accusation. Frame it as health and sleep for both of you, and bring specifics: how often, how loud, and whether you’ve noticed gasps or pauses.
- Push for a doctor visit if you notice warning signs. You’re the only witness to what happens while they sleep. See below for what to watch for.
- Consider separate rooms, at least some nights. It isn’t a verdict on your relationship. More on that below.
Do earplugs actually block snoring?
They help a lot, if they fit. In a 2026 sleep-lab study, 25 adults slept through recorded traffic and other noise with foam earplugs, pink noise or both. The earplugs mitigated nearly all of the noise’s effects on sleep until the noise reached the loudest level tested, 65 dBA, while pink noise didn’t help sleep structure and reduced REM sleep. That study used environmental noise, not snoring, but it’s the best recent head-to-head test of the two options.
Foam plugs are the default choice because they expand to seal the canal. If they’re uncomfortable or keep falling out, silicone or wax may suit you better; our foam vs silicone vs wax earplugs guide compares them. Earplugs can also muffle an alarm, so put your phone or alarm clock close and turn the volume up, or use a vibrating alarm.
White noise, pink noise or brown noise?
If the snoring sounds like a low rumble, deeper sounds such as brown noise or a fan may cover it better than the bright hiss of classic white noise. Personal preference matters more than color. Research doesn’t show any color improving sleep on its own, and the 2026 lab study above found continuous pink noise reduced REM sleep, so keep the volume modest. Our white vs pink vs brown noise guide covers the trade-offs.
Earplugs and a low background sound can work together. The plugs cut the volume, and the background sound fills in the gaps between snores so each one stands out less.
When your partner’s snoring might be sleep apnea
Snoring is common: the AASM says about 40% of adult men and 24% of adult women snore habitually. Most of them don’t have a sleep disorder. But you’re in a position to catch the signs of obstructive sleep apnea that they can’t see themselves. NHLBI lists breathing that starts and stops, frequent loud snoring and gasping for air during sleep, along with daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and waking often to urinate.
If you notice those, say so. The AASM’s own spokesperson put it directly in 2023: if one partner’s loud snoring is pushing you into separate rooms, encourage that partner to talk to a doctor about obstructive sleep apnea.
Treating it can help you as much as them. In a small Mayo Clinic study of 10 couples, eliminating snoring and sleep apnea with CPAP partway through a single night raised the bed partners’ sleep efficiency from 74% to 87%, which the authors estimated at about an extra hour of sleep.
Is it okay to sleep in separate rooms?
Yes, and plenty of couples do. In a 2023 AASM survey, more than a third of Americans said they occasionally or consistently sleep in another room to accommodate a bed partner. In the AASM’s 2024 survey, 29% said they’d moved to another bed or room for a partner. An AASM sleep doctor described it as not a sign of a relationship in trouble, and said it can open up an honest conversation about disruptive habits.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Some couples start the night together and one moves when the snoring starts. Others split weeknights and share weekends. If you go this route, keep pushing on the snoring anyway, since separate rooms solve your sleep but not a possible health problem on their side.
How to bring it up without a fight
Many snorers have no idea; the AASM notes that in many cases people don’t realize that they snore. A few things tend to make the conversation easier:
- Pick a calm moment, not the morning after a bad night.
- Talk about your sleep, not their fault: “I’m waking up four or five times a night” lands better than “you’re so loud.”
- Offer a recording if they’re skeptical. A phone left on the nightstand for an hour is enough.
- Suggest something concrete and low-effort to try first, like side sleeping or a week without evening drinks.
If you’re still awake
When snoring wakes you and you can’t get back to sleep, lying there listening only builds frustration. Get up, go somewhere quiet and dim, and come back when you’re sleepy. Our guide to falling back asleep has the rest of that routine.
When to see a doctor
- Your partner stops breathing, gasps or chokes in their sleep, or is very sleepy during the day. They should get a sleep apnea evaluation.
- You’ve had trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for three months, even on nights apart. That’s chronic insomnia, and it’s treatable with CBT-I.
- You get ear pain, discharge or itching from nightly earplug use.
For the snorer’s side of the problem, send them our guide on how to stop snoring, which covers oral appliances and what the guidelines recommend. More guides for couples, parents and shift workers live in Life Situations.
Common questions
How can I sleep if my partner snores loudly?
Use well-fitted foam earplugs, add a low steady background sound, and try to fall asleep before your partner does. Longer term, help them sleep on their side, skip evening alcohol and get checked for sleep apnea if there are warning signs.
Is it normal for couples to sleep in separate rooms because of snoring?
Yes. In a 2023 American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey, more than a third of Americans said they occasionally or consistently sleep in another room to accommodate a bed partner.
When should a snoring partner see a doctor?
If you notice pauses in their breathing, gasping or choking, or they're very sleepy during the day. Those can be signs of obstructive sleep apnea.
Do earplugs work for snoring?
Properly fitted foam earplugs block a lot of noise. In a 2026 lab study of environmental noise, earplugs protected sleep far better than pink noise did.
Written and checked by the Sleep Brief editors. We base every article on published research and guidance from medical bodies, and link the sources inline. How we research.
This article is for general education and isn't medical advice. If poor sleep lasts more than a few weeks, or you snore loudly, stop breathing in your sleep or feel sleepy while driving, talk to a doctor.
