6 Best Sleeping Positions for Couples When One of You Snores

When one of you snores, the bed can start to feel like a battleground. The good news is that how you position yourselves, and how you sleep individually, can make a real difference without either of you giving up the shared bed altogether.

Why position matters so much

Snoring usually gets worse when the airway narrows or the soft tissues at the back of the throat relax and vibrate more freely. Lying flat on your back makes this more likely for most people, because gravity lets the tongue and soft palate fall backwards. Changing position, either your own or how you're arranged as a couple, can ease this without any equipment or lifestyle changes.

For a fuller picture of how different positions affect the airway, our guide to 8 sleep positions and what they mean for snoring is worth reading alongside this one.

1. Side by side, both on your sides

This is the simplest starting point. If the snorer sleeps on their side rather than their back, the airway is less likely to collapse inward. If both partners naturally sleep on their sides anyway, you can face the same direction, ideally with the snorer facing away from their partner so any noise projects towards the room rather than directly at the other person's ear.

A body pillow behind the snorer's back can help them stay on their side through the night, since many people roll onto their backs without realising once they're deeply asleep.

2. The back-to-back curl

Sleeping back to back, each of you curled slightly, keeps both of you on your sides while giving a small amount of distance. This works well for couples who find face-to-face sleeping too warm or too close for comfort. It also means the snorer's mouth and airway are angled away from their partner.

Making it comfortable

• Leave a hand's width of space between you so you're not fighting for territory during the night.
• Use separate duvets or a large one with enough give, since curled positions can pull bedding one way.

3. Elevated upper body, same bed

Raising the head of the bed, or using an extra pillow or a wedge pillow, keeps the snorer's head higher than their chest. This reduces the chance of the tongue falling back and narrowing the airway. It's a genuinely useful option because it doesn't require either partner to change their preferred side of the bed or sleeping style.

Wedge pillows are worth trying before anything more elaborate. A gentle incline is usually enough to make a noticeable difference, and it suits people who struggle to stay on their side through the night regardless of what they try.

4. The staggered position

Rather than lying level with each other, try positioning yourselves slightly staggered, so the snorer's head is a little further down the bed or offset from their partner's. This isn't about physical distance for its own sake, it simply means the direction of any snoring sound is less likely to travel straight into the other person's ear.

This works particularly well combined with side-sleeping, since it reduces both the volume reaching your partner and the likelihood of snoring in the first place.

5. Separate but connected: the "Scandinavian" set-up

Increasingly popular in the UK, this involves two separate single duvets on one shared bed, sometimes even two separate mattresses pushed together. You still share the bed and the closeness of being together, but movement, temperature and snoring vibration are less likely to disturb the non-snoring partner.

This isn't for everyone, and some couples feel it takes away from the intimacy of sharing bedding. But if snoring is genuinely affecting sleep quality night after night, it's a reasonable middle ground between separate rooms and a fully shared setup.

6. Front sleeping, used carefully

Sleeping on the front can reduce snoring for some people, since it also keeps the airway from collapsing backwards in the same way as back-sleeping. However, it isn't comfortable or sustainable for everyone, particularly if you have neck or back discomfort, and it isn't usually recommended as a first choice.

If it works for you naturally and doesn't cause pain, there's no harm in it. But it's generally better to encourage side-sleeping first, since it's easier to maintain comfortably through a full night.

What to try first

Not every position suits every couple, and comfort matters as much as snoring reduction, since a position you can't actually sleep in won't help either of you. A sensible approach is to try side-sleeping and slight staggering first, since these require no extra equipment. If that doesn't help enough, a wedge pillow or elevated head end is the next reasonable step.

Position alone won't resolve every case of snoring, particularly if it's linked to nasal congestion, weight, alcohol before bed, or an underlying condition such as sleep apnoea. It's one useful piece of a wider picture. For other practical approaches you can use together, our guide to best snoring solutions for couples covers options beyond position alone.

When it's about more than position

If snoring is loud, persistent, or accompanied by gasping or pauses in breathing, position changes are unlikely to be enough on their own, and it's worth mentioning this to a GP. For the emotional and practical side of living alongside a snorer night after night, our piece on how partners can cope with a snorer offers some grounded, realistic advice.

A gentle way forward

There's no need to overhaul your whole sleep setup overnight. Try one change at a time, give it a week or so, and notice what actually helps rather than what you assume should help. For more general guidance on sleep and snoring, our sleep hub has further reading to support you both towards calmer, quieter nights.