--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he sleeps, the snoring does not…" description: "\"“When he sleeps, the snoring does not bother me: the rhythmic growl, gravel shoved across the sidewalk of his throat. It is the grasping, desperate way..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/sierra-demulder-33525_art-work_when-he-sleeps-the-snoring-does-not-both_1526133.jpg" --- # When he sleeps, the snoring does not bother me: the… ![“When he sleeps, the snoring does not bother me: the rhythmic growl, gravel shoved across the sidewalk of his throat. It is the grasping, desperate way in which he takes in air—his gulping lungs as if every dream is filled with water and he is trying to inflate the life jacket under his skin. I…” quote by Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/sierra-demulder-33525_art-work_when-he-sleeps-the-snoring-does-not-both_1526133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/sierra-demulder-33525_art-work_when-he-sleeps-the-snoring-does-not-both_1526133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/sierra-demulder-33525_art-work_when-he-sleeps-the-snoring-does-not-both_1526133.jpg) > ““When he sleeps, the snoring does not bother me: the rhythmic growl, gravel shoved across the sidewalk of his throat. It is the grasping, desperate way in which he takes in air—his gulping lungs as if every dream is filled with water and he is trying to inflate the life jacket under his skin. I babble in my sleep. He believes I am trying to tell him how my heart works, says he will translate the manual one day. I want to ask him: am I the ocean? Are you drowning in everything I don’t say when I’m awake?” —Heart Apnea”” [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem uses vivid breathing imagery to explore intimacy, vulnerability, and the struggle to be understood. **In simple terms:** Breathing metaphors reveal deep emotional connection and fear of being unheard. Key Takeaway Seek honest communication and emotional safety. Themes intimacy vulnerability communication Mood intimate poetic Type expressive philosophical When to use this quote - partner conversations - therapy sessions - creative writing - mindful listening Key Concepts metaphor psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you express hidden feelings? - What does “being the ocean” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective The abstract language may obscure practical meaning for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apnea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apnea/) [Art work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-work/) ## Related quotes > [“More than half of the people with sleep apnea are overweight, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brecher/more-than-half-of-the-people-with-sleep-apnea-are-overweight/) [Alex Brecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brecher/) > [“Sleep disorders are commonly misdiagnosed as mental health disorders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-disorders-are-commonly-misdiagnosed-as-mental-health-disorders/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“My employer never told me about Shift Work Disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/my-employer-never-told-me-about-shift-work-disorder/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Results of the 20-year follow-up study show that people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea were four times more likely to die (hazard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/results-of-the-20-year-follow-up-study-show-that-people-with-moderate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sleep apnea is a plague in the western world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-apnea-is-a-plague-in-the-western-world/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Good sleep is vital to good mental health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/good-sleep-is-vital-to-good-mental-health/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Eighty percent of those she examined were found to have periods of “email apnea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/eighty-percent-of-those-she-examined-were-found-to-have-periods-of/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [I did the sleep test, and they said I had apnea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamarcus-russell/i-did-the-sleep-test-and-they-said-i-had-apnea/) [JaMarcus Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamarcus-russell/) > [I have both sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, which are both debilitating conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/i-have-both-sleep-apnea-and-atrial-fibrillation-which-are-both/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [I actually stop breathing, I think it's 80 times a night, because I have sleep apnea. I've had it since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-ryder/i-actually-stop-breathing-i-think-it-s-80-times-a-night-because-i/) [Shaun Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-ryder/) > [“Research suggests that sea level adapted humans that work at the very high altitude 13,796 feet summit of Mauna Kea may eventually develop sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/research-suggests-that-sea-level-adapted-humans-that-work-at-the-very/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Testing with CPAP and APAP sleep apnea machines in June 2020 revealed I am intolerant to anything but the lowest pressure setting of 4 cmH2O.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/testing-with-cpap-and-apap-sleep-apnea-machines-in-june-2020-revealed/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“nose. Many children who have sleep apnea may exhibit changes in daytime behavior, such as hyperactivity or lack of attention, irritability, anger, or hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-talbot/nose-many-children-who-have-sleep-apnea-may-exhibit-changes-in/) Lindsay Talbot > [“can imagine, you never get a good night’s sleep or feel rested when you wake up in the morning. Sleep apnea makes you tired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brecher/can-imagine-you-never-get-a-good-night-s-sleep-or-feel-rested-when/) [Alex Brecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brecher/) > [“Screen apnea is the temporary cessation of breath or shallow breathing while sitting in front of a screen, whether a computer, a mobile device,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/screen-apnea-is-the-temporary-cessation-of-breath-or-shallow/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) ## More by Sierra Demulder > [“You wonder why I don’t answer your 3 a.m. phone calls. When you say “I miss you”, I begin to undress myself out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/you-wonder-why-i-don-t-answer-your-3-a-m-phone-calls-when-you-say-i/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“Your body is not a temple. Your body is the house you grew up in. How dare you try to burn it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/your-body-is-not-a-temple-your-body-is-the-house-you-grew-up-in-how/) [SIERRA DEMULDER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“My sister told me a soul mate is not the person who makes you the happiest but the one who makes you feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/my-sister-told-me-a-soul-mate-is-not-the-person-who-makes-you-the/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“Change, it moves like a bullet and you already pulled the trigger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/change-it-moves-like-a-bullet-and-you-already-pulled-the-trigger/) [Sierra DeMulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“I have calculated the total number of hours we spend sleeping beside each other in a week and I wanted to tell you it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/i-have-calculated-the-total-number-of-hours-we-spend-sleeping-beside/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“Your body is the house you grew up in. How dare you try to burn it to the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/your-body-is-the-house-you-grew-up-in-how-dare-you-try-to-burn-it-to/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“I loved you head over handles like my first bicycle accident— before the mouthful of gravel and blood, I swore we were flying. -Cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/i-loved-you-head-over-handles-like-my-first-bicycle-accident-before/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“My body is a dead language and you pronounce each word perfectly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/my-body-is-a-dead-language-and-you-pronounce-each-word-perfectly/) [Sierra DeMulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“You are a souvenir shop, where he goes to remember how much people miss him when he is gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/you-are-a-souvenir-shop-where-he-goes-to-remember-how-much-people/) [SIERRA DEMULDER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“I loved you head over handles like my first bicycle accident — before the mouthful of gravel and blood, I swore we were flying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/i-loved-you-head-over-handles-like-my-first-bicycle-accident-before-2/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“When I feel myself falling out of love with you, I turn the record of your laughter over, reposition the needle. I dust the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/when-i-feel-myself-falling-out-of-love-with-you-i-turn-the-record-of/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“Writing a list of ways I could be better and writing a suicide note are the same thing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/writing-a-list-of-ways-i-could-be-better-and-writing-a-suicide-note/) [Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) > [“Breathing is not the process of being filled and emptied: breathing is the act of actually making love to the whole world, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/breathing-is-not-the-process-of-being-filled-and-emptied-breathing-is/) [Sierra DeMulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) [Explore all 14 Sierra Demulder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/) ## More Apnea quotes > [“More than half of the people with sleep apnea are overweight, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brecher/more-than-half-of-the-people-with-sleep-apnea-are-overweight/) [Alex Brecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brecher/) > [“can imagine, you never get a good night’s sleep or feel rested when you wake up in the morning. Sleep apnea makes you tired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-brecher/can-imagine-you-never-get-a-good-night-s-sleep-or-feel-rested-when/) [Alex Brecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-brecher/) > [“nose. Many children who have sleep apnea may exhibit changes in daytime behavior, such as hyperactivity or lack of attention, irritability, anger, or hostile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-talbot/nose-many-children-who-have-sleep-apnea-may-exhibit-changes-in/) Lindsay Talbot > [“Testing with CPAP and APAP sleep apnea machines in June 2020 revealed I am intolerant to anything but the lowest pressure setting of 4 cmH2O.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/testing-with-cpap-and-apap-sleep-apnea-machines-in-june-2020-revealed/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Research suggests that sea level adapted humans that work at the very high altitude 13,796 feet summit of Mauna Kea may eventually develop sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/research-suggests-that-sea-level-adapted-humans-that-work-at-the-very/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I actually stop breathing, I think it's 80 times a night, because I have sleep apnea. I've had it since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-ryder/i-actually-stop-breathing-i-think-it-s-80-times-a-night-because-i/) [Shaun Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-ryder/) > [I have both sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, which are both debilitating conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/i-have-both-sleep-apnea-and-atrial-fibrillation-which-are-both/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [I did the sleep test, and they said I had apnea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamarcus-russell/i-did-the-sleep-test-and-they-said-i-had-apnea/) [JaMarcus Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamarcus-russell/) > [“Eighty percent of those she examined were found to have periods of “email apnea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/eighty-percent-of-those-she-examined-were-found-to-have-periods-of/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [“Good sleep is vital to good mental health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/good-sleep-is-vital-to-good-mental-health/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Sleep apnea is a plague in the western world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-apnea-is-a-plague-in-the-western-world/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Results of the 20-year follow-up study show that people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea were four times more likely to die (hazard”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/results-of-the-20-year-follow-up-study-show-that-people-with-moderate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My employer never told me about Shift Work Disorder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/my-employer-never-told-me-about-shift-work-disorder/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Sleep disorders are commonly misdiagnosed as mental health disorders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/sleep-disorders-are-commonly-misdiagnosed-as-mental-health-disorders/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Screen apnea is the temporary cessation of breath or shallow breathing while sitting in front of a screen, whether a computer, a mobile device,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/screen-apnea-is-the-temporary-cessation-of-breath-or-shallow/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) [Browse all 16 Apnea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apnea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When he sleeps, the snoring does not bother me: the rhythmic growl, gravel shoved across the sidewalk of his throat. It is the grasping, desperate way in which he takes in air—his gulping lungs as if every dream is filled with water and he is trying to inflate the life jacket under his skin. I babble in my sleep. He believes I am trying to tell him how my heart works, says he will translate the manual one day. I want to ask him: am I the ocean? 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