You get back to your hotel room after an action-packed day of traveling in a new city with new people or maybe your college bestie. Take a long shower, put on your comfies, and chat with your bunkmate. How nice that you’re getting along oh so well. 

That is, until you are awoken around 2 A.M. by a sound that starts as a gentle rumbling and soon turns into loud bellowing snores. Tossing and turning in your bed, not wanting to be rude to your peacefully sleeping roommate, you pull up the covers, scrunch an extra pillow against your ears, and hope for the best. Which doesn’t happen, and you arise bedraggled and disgruntled.

It doesn’t have to be that way! Here, the truth about snoring and how to deal with it, whether you’re the one rumbling or the one listening.

Snoring Etiquette

First things first: What brings on the noise? Snoring occurs when breathing is somewhat obstructed due to narrowed airways, causing the tissues in the mouth and throat to vibrate. Causes can include age, alcohol consumption, weight, allergies, and other factors, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

It can happen to almost anyone. “One time when I was traveling with my mother and two sisters, we were sharing 2 queen beds,” recalls NextTribe founder Jeannie Ralston. “I woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to laugh out loud. My mother was making a small chirping-like sound as she breathed. My older sister’s snore was very breathy—like she was blowing a bubble–followed by a small pop. My little sister had a more rumbly snore. I wondered how my snoring fit in with the other nighttime noises—which I deemed ‘The Ralston Women’s Midnight Orchestra.’”

It’s harder to deal with snoring when you’re sharing a room with a travel companion you don’t know very well. It’s one thing if you’re sleeping with a romantic partner, you can just nudge hin or her. But how do you do that to a woman who you might not know very? It’s a very delicate situation, notes Ralston.

“I was once sharing a room with a NextTribe traveler and learned on the first night that she snored,” says Ralston. “The next day I suggested that we both wear ‘Breathe Right’ snoring strips [more on those below]. It was easier, and I hoped more diplomatic, to suggest we both do it.” You might say something like, “Hey, tonight, to make sure we don’t bother each other, why don’t we wear these little contraptions. My partner told me I sometimes snore and he says these really work.” Or you might start off a trip with a travel roomie by saying something like, “Let’s make a pact that we’ll say something if the other one snores. I really want to be a good roommate and you won’t hurt my feelings.” That can start the rooming relationship off on the right foot. Incidentally, on every NextTribe trip, guides have various options to help solve any snoring issues. They include help for the snorer and the one who is sleeping with a snorer.

Since you don’t want snoring to be a buzzkill on your fabulous travels, consider these tools to help.

Are You the Noisemaker? Devices for Snoring

Do you have a strong suspicion that you are a snorer? Or has your partner straight-up told you so? Here are some tactics to prep pre-trip. 

Free Ways to Shush Snoring

Before spending money on gadgets, according to health experts, there are ways to naturally decrease snoring. Lying on your side or with your head in a more elevated position while sleeping is said to help open the nasal passages and allow for healthier breathing, according to health experts. In addition, there are breathing exercises that can stop snoring if done before bed. 

Gadgets to Help Silence Your Snoring 

For a quick and affordable fix, Breathe Right Nasal Strips can open the nasal passageways while you sleep and offer a peaceful night’s rest for you and your roommate. These cost about $11 and can be found at most drugstores, making this a super-convenient option when you’re traveling and run into a “situation.” Each strip stays in place across your nose thanks to Band aid-style adhesive and allows for better breathing while you sleep.

For about $11, Breathe Right Nasal Strips can offer a peaceful night’s rest for you and your roommate.

For an alternative to the nasal strips, the Zircon Nose Vents (about $15) are little soft plastic tubes that help directly open up your nasal passages for those noisy nights. They come in a pack of four, are reusable, and include a traveling case. Also recommended: The Mute Snore Stopper; it’s a similar device for about $18 for a three-pack.

Ready to ramp up? While expensive at about $449, the Smart Nora has loads of thumbs-up as an effective gadget to alleviate snoring. It’s a pillow insert that will inflate and deflate throughout the night’s sleep according to your sound levels of snoring, providing support for your head to allow for better and quieter sleep. When you think about the cost spread over your trip and then in use back home, perhaps it’s a wise investment.

A couple of other options: A mouthguard that can minimize snoring. We like the Good Morning Snore Solution Mouthpiece or the VitalSleep Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece, each for about $70. Several travelers we know swear by them. The principle at work is that it holds your tongue in position to keep your airway nice and open, minimizing the roar and rattle.

More Solutions: How to Shut Out a Roommate’s Snoring

Not everyone feels comfortable bringing up a roomie’s snoring…or maybe you did gently tell her about the situation but gizmos to remedy it are in short supply. In these cases, there are ways for the non-snorer to mitigate the situation using these nighttime aids. 

Noise-canceling Loop Earplugs can help deliver undisturbed sleep, regardless of your environment. Not only can they be used for sleeping, but for any noisy situation, whether that be in transit or a chaotic coffee shop. At a not too steep price of $28 for an 8-pack, these silicone earplugs come in an array of cute colors and sizes to ensure they fit your ears perfectly.

Loop’s noise-canceling earplugs help deliver undisturbed sleep and provide some quiet in other noisy situations, like a chaotic coffee shop.

The Manta Sleep Mask or a CozyBand is a comfy band that wraps around your head to cover your ears and eyes, with a Bluetooth feature to play music, podcasts, meditations, or anything of that nature to tune out any unwanted outside sounds. At $35 or $40, it’s one of those compact devices that frequent travelers love. “I use a CozyBand all the time to block out any night noises,” says Ralston. “I often play relaxing music from my Calm app. I have started taking along an extra Cozy Band in case someone is having a problem on a trip.” Like earplugs, these would also be great for long flights when you just want to rest but there are too many outside interferences. 

If you’re not ready for the full sensory deprivation sleep that the Manta Sleep Mask curates, Anker offers sleep earbuds. The Anker SoundCore (about $150) allows you to listen to whatever you please, from ocean sounds to sleep meditations while remaining comfortable to sleep in–even for side-sleepers. 

And you may find that a portable white noise machine is worth toting as a solution to bedding down near a snorer.

No More Snore: How to Make a Smart Gadget Selection

When comparing all the sleep gadgets that promise to wrestle snoring into submission, it all boils down to personal preference. If complete silence is what you need to reach your full REM cycle and snoring is the one thing preventing that, then the Manta or CozyBand could be a great investment. Loop earplugs can also be an affordable option to get you through the night. 

For those who snore, there’s no need to beat yourself up; snoring becomes somewhat inevitable with age.

For those who snore, there’s no need to beat yourself up about the way your body functions. Remember, as we age, snoring becomes somewhat more inevitable, and there are plenty of tools to help so you can get your rest. Happy traveling and sleeping!