Very odd sewing idea I've been thinking about, and so far not having the luck I had hoped to get. So wanted to turn to you amazing seamstresses and see if you have any ideas. Since my husband had his meds changed he's been snoring quite loudly, and in a few weeks I'll be sharing a room with my mom and sister when we travel to go see Wicked. My mom is a horrible snorer. We've tried a white noise machine but it only covers so much.
My original idea started with a buckwheat pillow DH has, it fits to the head well, however, it doesn't stop the sound as much as I'd like. I tried a headband like you'd wear in the winter to cover your ears, however I couldn't stand anything on the forehead and would rather keep it with the ability to just cover one ear, as the other is smushed into the pillow and that usually blocks out the sound. Not adverse to it going behind the head as I've seen some ear muffs do, but haven't tried those so not sure how comfortable that would be while sleeping.
Current idea I'm thinking on is using that craft foam, some stuffing and fabric. I'll have to toy with that to see, hoping the foam would be enough to block the sound, while letting the stuffing and fabric keep it soft enough to lay comfortably on your ear as you sleep.
Yes, I know how crazy this idea sounds, but surely I'm not the only one who's blanket just isn't cutting it for keeping the sound down. If you were making something like this, what would be your ideas?
My idea would be to get a separate bedroom until my two dearly beloved snorers get medication to help with that. ;)
Short of that, I wouldn't use craft foam. I'd use that egg crate foam you use on mattresses. Just buy the twin size at Wally World or Targét for cheap. Cut it up and really stuff the insides of the earmuff as much as you possibly can and just handsew the inside shut. Make sure the bumpy side is going out and not towards your ears.
Or you could just buy earplugs. I am a light sleeper and have to use them in a hotel or I don't sleep. Just be sure not to get the industrial ones and make sure they are soft and meant for sleeping in.
Earplugs only work on certain people. I, personally, can't even use those earbuds for my iPod because they make my ears hurt after about 10 minutes. Earplugs themselves have never stayed in my ears. Also, it's a safety issue - remember, never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. ;)
wax earplugs are actually fairly comfortable. The synthetic earplugs make my ears hurt also. I have been wearing wax ones for years. I sleep with a moto-cross rally....er a heavy snorer.
But no one in the US makes anything but synthetic...surprise, surprise.
Ohropax (http://www.smallflower.com/ohropax/ohropax-wax-ear-plugs-12-plugs-5253?gclid=CILbkuz257UCFYGrPAodsnAATw) from Germany are the best.
Quies Boules (http://www.thesoapbar.com/boules-quies-ear-plugs.html) from France come in a close second.
You can order either on line.
Unless you have an allergy to what they are made of, the 'marshmallow' earplugs designed for shooting will work. I have used them with snorers with good results.
The ones I'm talking about are the ones sold in sporting goods stores, NOT the ones for sleeping on airplanes, etc. sold in the pharmacy.
Shooting plugs are much denser, and block any noise entering through the ear canal. The only thing they won't block is low level sound waves transferred through bones and teeth-nothing I know of can help with that.
Because they are dense, some folks who cannot tolerate anything touching the inside of their ears, or any kind of mild pressure in the ear canal may not like them. They expand to tightly fill the ear canal.
I don't have any problem with them, and I hate to wear ear buds and can't tolerate hard ear plugs.
Look for them at the gun counter in Dick's or any sporting goods store.
As a former aircraft ground crew, I can vouch that if worn correctly they will block a lot of noise, including very loud heavy equipment at close range. I still use them at drag races, where I bring extras for young ones in the audience if the parents are unprepared for the noise levels.
Important Note: Many folks don't wear them correctly, thus I hear 'they don't work'.
~Roll them as tightly as you can between your fingers, getting them warm and pliable. Place in ear and allow to slowly expand and fill the canal. If you can still hear anything after about 10 seconds, they are not in place correctly, remove and try again.
It gets easier with practice, and you usually won't get a good fit the first try.
Sometimes you can find them in different sizes but most are one size fits all.
I thought I'd replied to this thread but apparently closed the window before it went all the way through.
I typically can't sleep if there's anything on my head, like an eye mask, or in my ears like ear plugs. I've not tried the shooter ones, think DH has a pair or twelve, so will give those a shot. I do have some egg crate foam around here that I'll use, I had some thoughts on that after it was mentioned, so that might work.
And if this medicine didn't help DH finally get some decent sleep he'd be off it in a heartbeat! But since it's the first real sleep he's had in ages, I have to find alternative ways of keeping the quiet.
Thanks all for the replies and ideas.
I used my ground crew plugs when my ex would snore and they worked pretty well. I was lucky I was already used to wearing them.
Does he snore in every position? Most snorers are back sleepers, since lying on their sides is uncomfortable for them.
If you can get them to sleep propped up in a semi sitting position, (helps for acid reflux too) it sometimes helps.
Good luck.
I've no ideas for the sewing project.... but I have found that a humidifier on m'lord's side of the bed keeps him snore free.... might be worth a shot!