How to Stop Snoring When You Go Camping

While snoring isn’t something you do voluntarily, it is something you must take responsibility for.

This is especially true if you find yourself sharing sleeping quarters with a group of people who are not likely to appreciate your night noises.

Think of situations like being a snorer in a camping shelter, trail shelter, travel hostel, lean-to, or camp tent. Or what about finding yourself in an emergency shelter like a hurricane or homeless shelter? Sharing a small space comes with enough inherent stress without adding mass sleep deprivation to the equation.

Here are some snorer etiquette tips to remember when you share any form of shelter (emergency or recreational) with a fellow group of residents.

Etiquette for snorers in recreational shelters

If you know you’re a loud snorer, and if you have the option to choose the location, then ask the organizers to place you as far away from the others as possible. Perhaps there’s a snorer’s section just for this reason.

When you’re out camping, pitch your tent behind a barrier of trees, bushes or boulders which act as a natural sound dampener.

Ask those around you if snoring bothers them. If it does, then offer them disposable earplugs. You should always keep a supply with you when you know you’ll be sharing sleeping quarters.

Give your companions permission to wake you and tell you that you’re snoring. People are generally too shy to wake a snorer in a public setting, but if everyone knows they have your permission, then they won’t hesitate. It will also help stop the snoring instead of having companions silently suffering through the night.

If you’re using tents, then offer to pitch yours at a safe distance. One hundred yards usually does the trick.

If your snoring is as a result of or aggravated by allergies, then take an antihistamine or decongestant before climbing into bed.

Avoid having alcohol before bedtime. It acts as a muscle relaxant on your jaw and throat muscles, which makes snoring worse.

Sleep on your side. There are some devices specifically designed to help you do this.

Sleep in a well-ventilated section of the shelter and avoid sharing a room with smokers. Cigarette smoke aggravates snoring.

The most considerate thing to do is to try to reduce the volume of your snoring by using one of the many popular anti-snoring aids available on the market.

Emergency shelters

Communal situations can differ dramatically. You have more control over snoring solutions in a recreational shelter than an emergency one. The reality is that sleep is even more critical in an emergency shelter than it would be in a camping or trail shelter, for example.

A good night’s sleep is essential for mental well-being, decision-making, concentration, and mood. Ensuring a quality night’s sleep can help combat a degree of the anxiety levels experienced in an emergency environment. Sleep in these situations is already hard to come by without adding the sounds of snoring.

But what can you do when you’re forced into an emergency communal space like a hurricane or homeless shelter? It’s guaranteed your options will be a lot more limited than when you have control over your sleeping situation.

You can still apply some of the basic etiquettes – like sleeping on your side, choosing a courteous sleeping spot, permitting people to wake you, and avoiding smoke and alcohol. You may need to compromise on some of the sleeping aids though. Place your bag, shoes or an extra blanket behind your back to keep yourself on your side.

Anti-snoring devices

If you do have an option, then choose a good anti-snoring device to lessen the impact of your snoring.

An anti-snoring pillow is designed to help you sleep on your side. While it might not be practical to carry up to a mountain to a camping shelter, it certainly is a good option for that family reunion at Grandma’s house.

An anti-snoring mouthpiece or is a better option when space and weight are limited. It’s also a more discreet way to manage your snoring without needing to announce your problem to the entire shelter.

A snorer’s back pad is a sleep positioning device that straps to your back. The device makes it uncomfortable to sleep on your back, and you’ll become conditioned to sleep on your side, which eliminates the snoring.

On the receiving end

If you’re on the receiving end, then we have a couple of etiquette points for you to remember too.

If you find yourself in a communal situation – especially if it is an emergency situation – then the best thing to do is to try to maintain the peace in an already stressful environment.

Don’t act or speak out of anger. A snorer doesn’t snore deliberately.

If you can’t stop the snoring, then perhaps look at options to minimize the impact on your sleep. Some people choose to wear earplugs while others listen to music. If you can do that, then the noise won’t bother you as much.

Your options will all depend on what type of shelter you’re in and what resources you have available to you at the time. If you don’t have anything on offer, then tolerance will also go a long way towards maintaining a healthy living environment.

Conclusion

Consider these tips if you have snoring down to a fine art and prepare yourself with some anti-snoring aids for your next communal adventure. Pre-Planned solutions will be a lot more pleasant than the hostile morning glares.