British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I've started seeing a girl who I really like. We've been together just over a month and this week she stayed at my place for a few nights. We've spent nights together before and I've never noticed anything but this week it's become clear that she has a huge snoring problem.
It's got to the point where I've had to go sleep on the sofa which is an awful situation to be in at this stage in our relationship.
It seems like her snoring is happening through her nose even when lying on her side and sometimes she'll even be asleep snoring, wake up, ask me if I'm ok and then immediately begin snoring again all in a matter of seconds.
I know weight can be a huge factor in snoring and although I don't know her exact weight, I'd say she must be at least 6 stone overweight but I don't really feel like that's something I can raise with her this early on.
When she left this morning I did suggest that she could possibly seek her doctor's advice but I don't know whether she will.
Any advice would be much appreciated

Sorry to hear that what started out as a promising relationship seems to have hit a rocky patch so soon. If your lady is snoring as badly as you say, it is very likely that she can't hear herself because she really IS asleep!

If she's stopping breathing and waking with a snorting noise, you must talk to her. This could be sleep apnoea which means she's at a greatly increased risk of a stroke or a heart attack in her sleep. You could always show her this site, and I hope that things improve.

I certainly haven't noticed her stop breathing or anything like that. It seems to be fairly consistent snoring to me.
With her snoring seeming to happen through her nose, could she wear a nose clip to force herself to breathe through her mouth?

Wearing a nose clip will not help. The soft palate (on the roof of the mouth) vibrates and this causes the snoring. You can close up the nose, but the mouth will still lead to a nightly concert ... and you'll probably get harranged because the clip will hurt, make her feel unattractive and will not show that you understand her problem.

Talking and perhaps accompanying her to the doc is the way forward if you want the relationship to continue!

Hi t,
You are treading on broken glass or very thin ice trying to tell her she snores.
Sit her down, stay calm and tell her she is a loud snorer and you would like her to see her GP. Go with her if she wants you with her. If you care for her enough you will try to help her, but you have to convince her she does snore.
It may be due to her size or may not be.
Explain it is because you love her that you want her to see her GP to see if there is an easy fix.

Oh, and good luck.

Hi, just wanted to give a quick update. Around the time I posted about the nose clip idea, as a one off, my girlfriend took it upon herself to try blocking her nose with a pair of my earplugs. We both had a completely peaceful nights sleep because she doesnt seem to snore when she's forced to breathe through her mouth.
Since then I recommended that she see her doctor and see if he could help out in any way. He suggested trying all the off the shelf remedies and we've tried a few (throat strips, nasal strips etc) but none have made the slightest difference. We even read about using white noise to drown out the snoring but her snoring drowned out the white noise instead.
Anyway, last week she decided to try earplugs in her nose again as it was the only thing we'd had any success with in the past and once again, we both had a full nights sleep. She's gone away for a week so we haven't had a chance to test it again.
What I have noticed during my sleepless nights over the last few months is that she is an incredibly restless and light sleeper. She seems to wake herself up regularly with her own snoring and the slightest movement from myself will also wake her up. I think the noise she's creating means that she never gets into a deep and restful sleep and she did say that prior to meeting me she was used to surviving on 4 hours of sleep a night.
Anyway, we're still together so that's a positive sign. We do often sleep in seperate rooms though.

If it works use it, but I would still go back to the GP and tell them you have tried everything off the shelf and none of it works. GP may give you something to try or you may want to go to Ear Nose and Throat to let them have a look to see if there is anything they can do. Talk to her GP again.

Four hours sleep might be ok for now but as she gets older she may well struggle with that!

Good luck whatever you decide.

S2S