DEAR HARRIETTE: How do I go about telling my roommate that I no longer want to room with her because she snores too loudly? Our apartment lease is almost up, and we need to decide if we want to live together again and renew it. She told me she definitely wants to room together again because I was such a great roommate. She was, too. She does a really good job at cleaning up after herself and respecting my boundaries.
The big issue at hand is that she snores loudly at night, and we share a bedroom. I have lost hours of sleep because her snoring is unbearable, and I have been exhausted many times because of her. I wouldn’t consider myself a light sleeper in the slightest, either; her snoring is just that loud. How do I broach this topic lightly, as I don’t want to hurt her feelings? -- Can’t Sleep
DEAR CAN’T SLEEP: Is there any way that you can get a bigger apartment with two bedrooms? That could solve your problem. You two enjoy living together, aside from the snoring. Being in separate rooms could resolve that and help you to stay together. Talk to your roommate. Tell her the truth and recommend the solution of finding a new place to live. If neither of you wants to do that, agree to part ways. Then you will have to decide if you stay at your current location and find a new roommate or start the whole process over again.
Can you avoid hurting your roommate’s feelings? You can be kind and compassionate when you tell her. But in the end, you have to take care of yourself too. Your solution of two bedrooms shows you aren’t rejecting her. You just need some space.