How do the Japanese view snoring?
Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at
5:02 pm
My Japanese roommate is being pretty rude with me about my snoring, and I want to know if this is a cultural thing, e.g. they are biologically less prone to snoring than caucasians or somehow manage to keep it quiet, or if it’s a personal thing, and it’s him being a rude asshole.
Filed under: Snoring
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Snoring is frowned upon there–and more of a problem since the walls are literally made of paper. But also people probably snore less because heavier people snore more and obesity rates in Japan are low. Men snore more than women so men don’t as often deal with confronting someone else snoring, and women are more prone to accept something bad without complaint so men seldom have to deal with being confronted about their own snoring. Yet all the same, your roommate might be rude–since you didn’t say what he is doing, I can’t comment further. Snoring is pretty annoying and you should do what you can to stop it (which is difficult, I know). Besides the "Breathe Right" strips, there are ways to force yourself to sleep on your stomach, which usually means less snoring. But many snorers have sleep apnea, which is a very dangerous condition. If you have health insurance, you should get that checked out.
i just tried to google it, and havn’t found a thing on it except for a japanese robot that helps cure snoring. so i wouold say its your roommate being an ass.
Everyone hates snoring, not just Japanese.
Your roomate is just rude.
Your snoring isn’t anything you can control easily.
I think there is something to be said for the "Paper walls" theorey someone else mentioned, BUT, in a country like Japan, ettiquete is still very higly valued. Picking on someone for a personal flaw seems to break that code.
In the meantime, try nasal strips and different sleeping positions (buffer yourself with pillows1).
It’s not nice to share a room with a snorer, but that’s no excuse to be nasty is it?
Snoring is a human thing and knows no cultural borders. Guaranteed that there’s some human affliction about your roommate you dislike, but good for you that you’re polite enough not to abuse him for him. Just let him know that snoring is biological, likely curable, and for now out of your control.