# Snoring in the Military **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079 "2011-09-21T16:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/1 "2011-09-21T16:36:38Z")
Hello All, When I am asleep, there are times that my wife swears I sound like a angry moose in heat, I snore loudly. It got me to thinking, how does the military handle loud snorers? Particularly the Army and Marines. I would think that in a combat situation where you are on the front lines in ground combat, snoring could present a big problem. You don’t want the enemy tracking you down while hiden in your foxholes. If you got one man-beast like myself who can scare all of the woodland creatures, surely the enemy can zero in on that. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/2 "2011-09-21T16:37:39Z")
Moderator: I meant this to be in GQ, if possible could you please move for me? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/3 "2011-09-21T16:38:49Z")
Moved thread from Great Debates to General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/4 "2011-09-21T23:19:35Z")
Keep waking him up when he’s snoring… No special trick. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/5 "2011-09-21T23:46:37Z")
I snore like a jackhammer in an echo chamber. It was never a problem for me while I was in the Army or in the Navy. Actually, a fair number of people in my berthing area of both ships snored, some worse than I did. In the Army, I don’t think anyone was all that concerned about it since the tanks and armored personnel carriers certainly made a lot more noise than someone snoring could ever hope to. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/6 "2011-09-21T23:49:51Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I snore like a jackhammer in an echo chamber. It was never a problem for me while I was in the Army or in the Navy. Actually, a fair number of people in my berthing area of both ships snored, some worse than I did. In the Army, I don’t think anyone was all that concerned about it since the tanks and armored personnel carriers certainly made a lot more noise than someone snoring could ever hope to. Hold up…you were in the army \*and \* the navy?!? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/7 "2011-09-21T23:58:05Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Hold up…you were in the army \*and \* the navy?!? My dad was in the Army and the Air Force. Switching branches of the service might not be entirely common, but it is far from unheard-of. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/8 "2011-09-21T23:59:48Z")
They told me I snored in the Navy, but I didn’t believe them. I never once heard myself snoring 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/9 "2011-09-22T00:03:18Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > My dad was in the Army and the Air Force. Switching branches of the service might not be entirely common, but it is far from unheard-of. I suppose now that DADT has been repealed, the incidence of service people switching teams may not be all that uncommon. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/10 "2011-09-22T00:40:23Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > I suppose now that DADT has been repealed, the incidence of service people switching teams may not be all that uncommon. [Moe]Why I oughta _pound_ you![/Moe] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/11 "2011-09-22T01:00:55Z")
I was in the Army, and during the few times that I had to live in open bays with 10 - 20 other GI’s, woe to the last guy that fell asleep–for he might not. Instead, he would be serenaded by at least a third of the other guys snoring like rusty chainsaws. Oddly enough, when we we living in the field (“on maneuvers”), I don’t remember hearing anyone snore. Hm. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/12 "2011-09-22T10:55:40Z")
When I was in Basic (Lackland AFB, 2007), the SOP for someone snoring was for the guy on guard duty to wake him up and tell him to find another position to sleep in (fun fact: You are more likely to snore sleeping on your back than on your side, due to how the inside of your throat is arranged). It occurs to me that the obvious solution is to put the loudest snorers on night guard duty. In any case, anyone trying to home in on your snoring at night should run afoul of your sentries if they are doing their jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Emphant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Emphant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emphant)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/13 "2011-09-22T11:24:32Z")
I’m in the Navy, and when out to sea most people work such long hours (12-20 hour days are not uncommon) that normally, you tend to fall right asleep. If someone snores within arms reach, you just hit them or toss a pillow or boot their way. Short of that, ear plugs are your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/14 "2011-09-22T13:12:09Z")
As a last resort, there is always fragging. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/15 "2011-09-22T19:11:58Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > As a last resort, there is always fragging. I think that if my wife could get away with throwing a grenade in my direction when she it trying to sleep she just might! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/16 "2011-09-22T19:15:05Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Hold up…you were in the army \*and \* the navy?!? > mmm Yep. Did my first hitch in the regular Army, went into the Army Reserves under their “Try One” program, and then went into the Navy, finally retiring from that branch. In every unit I served, in all three components, there were plenty of people, both officers and enlisted, who’d been in other branches of the military. ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/17 "2011-09-23T04:50:04Z")
I snore loudly. Sometimes my wife sleeps on the living room couch with the explanation: “There was a bear in my room.” I can only assume that I didn’t always snore loudly. I was an Infantry Medic during my second tour in VietNam. Those guys would have woken me with a rock or rifle butt if my snoring had endangered our position. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/18 "2011-09-23T05:08:12Z")
I don’t know how many relationships I’ve had break up over my snoring. Maybe I should join the military. I’ll just throw this in here. Since snoring is a sign of possible sleep apnea, does the military test for that? ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/19 "2011-09-23T20:16:01Z")
Yes, the military does test for sleep apnea. Well, at least the Navy does. I knew a guy who was diagnosed with sleep apnea and he was really happy. As, you get more for retirement. Also, his rack-mates were not happy as he had this machine that would pump air in for him and it was kinda loud. Needless to say, all the people that were annoyed by the machine, “tea-bagged” the face-piece. I also had this guy across from me on deployment, he would snore and it was incredibly annoying to me. I usually pinched his nose so that he would open his mouth and it would stop. Or, I’d kick him (gently) in his back to make him “upset” his current sleeping position. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079/20 "2011-09-24T04:07:13Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > I was in the Army, and during the few times that I had to live in open bays with 10 - 20 other GI’s, woe to the last guy that fell asleep–for he might not. Instead, he would be serenaded by at least a third of the other guys snoring like rusty chainsaws. > Hm. I was that unlucky guy. I’m a very light sleeper and take long to doze off. Trying to sleep in the open bays at basic made things very difficult to the point where I would sleep in the shower stall. It was beyond just being annoying. It affected my health and well being. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snoring-in-the-military/597079.md?page=2)