that should be “bonus” cuddling time. I’m not sure what bunus cuddling time is.
So I’m back to report that we tried the moldable silicone earplugs (thanks CarlyJay!) with great success. We’re on night #4 and he’s like a completely different person. Actually, I’ve gotten used to him being sleepy and low-energy, and he seems almost hyperactive in comparison. We’re almost giddy with relief.
He is now able to get far enough asleep that I can even cuddle up next to him for part of the night without getting pushed away or waking him. I can read without the page-turning waking him up.
well this particular thread probably seems mundane and pointless to most people but I appreciate everyone’s advice. We’ll start looking for a bigger bed for a more long-term solution, but for now I’ve got my man back!
Good for you both!
That’s what my parents and both sets of grandparents had. More common than “marriage beds” in Spain, a friend who owns a furniture store tells me.
My mother snores. She snores a lot less now (a wonderful side effect of her weight loss; wonderful not just because I don’t wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of steam locomotives even with two closed doors between us but also because I’m less afraid that she’ll choke to death in her sleep) but still her breathing when she’s asleep is pretty loud by my standards.
The first time I took her on vacation and we shared, I only slept one night out of 6. Every other night, she fell asleep faster, and even when she doesn’t snore her breathing is loud enough for me to be unable to fall asleep. The one night I fell asleep first, I woke up at 3am to the soundtrack of Go West - ah, no, it’s Mom snoring… uhrggggg…
The second time, I brought earplugs. She got angry but eventually had to calm down or get an ulcer 
And I did sleep. Beautiful, beautiful sleep!
Now that I can afford to, I take two individual rooms. But I still keep earplugs handy. My ears are tiny, so the ones I buy are pink cubes of soft silicon that you have to shape to your ear. I cut them in half: when I say tiny I mean it!
Yay -I’m so glad you were able to find such a simple solution!!
No problem, I’m so glad things are better now! 