Is snoring ruining your love life?

Is snoring ruining your love life? If it is, you are not alone. It’s a much bigger problem than couples think and Yes, sleep is crucial to not only your health but having a better sex life too.

Separate Rooms;

No wonder why couples you know are sleeping in separate bedrooms. It not so much that couples have fallen out of love as much as they have fallen behind on their sleep that’s the reason behind having his and her sleeping quarters.

Gender Stereotypes:

Usually, men are more likely to snore, but women can snore too. According to studies, 25% of women snore with some regularity. That rate goes up to 40% in women over 40 and continues to increase each year past age 50.

Aging: As we age, the tissues in our upper airways lose elasticity and tend to vibrate more during breathing, increasing the incidence of snoring. When you sleep, the tongue is more easily sucked into the back of the throat, which obstructs part of the airway. This narrowing of the airway prevents the free movement of air through your nose and mouth and can cause snoring.  Older people are particularly prone to snoring: About one-third of people ages 55 to 84 snore. For a great article on snoring read this 

But snoring can also be a sign of something more significant than an annoying sound. The more likely scenario, is one in three men are habitual snorers who suffer from some degree of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. As a psychologist, I see many of my depressed and anxious patients struggling with multiple sleep issues. Many suffer from insomnia, while others suffer from fatigue that comes with anxiety, but almost all report daytime sleepiness resulting from a lack of good sleep at night.  If you are concerned that you might suffer from sleep apnea, you should do a sleep study to confirm the diagnosis.  Given how important sleep is to your mental health proper treatment of sleep-related problems is crucial to living a healthy, happy life.

Seek Treatment:

If you’re single and the sounds from your bedroom aren’t those of pleasure,  you may worry that snoring is ruining your love life—yet another reason to seek treatment.  For infrequent snorers, simply cutting back on your wine intake may be enough to cure your problem, but in some situations, it may be necessary that you see a doctor.

Take this test to gauge the likelihood that you suffer from sleep apnea:  http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-apnea.htm#quiz

Snoring can take a heavy toll on a relationship. A study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that the bedmates of heavy snorers lose an average of one hour of sleep per night.  Dr. Shepard calls the phenomenon of partners being awakened by snoring spousal arousal syndrome. Unfortunately, this is not the kind of arousal most people crave in bed.

Tips for Snoring:

The good news is that there are a number of things you can do medically to reduce, if not cure, your snoring. Check out these tips to help limit snoring: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/how-to-stop-snoring.htm

If the idea of surgery, a loud appliance, or a mouth guard doesn’t sound appealing, you still have options: Recently, nontraditional measures that strengthen the lungs have also shown success. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that playing the didgeridoo led to a decrease in snoring.  Google It!

So how does playing an aboriginal Australian wind instrument (see picture) work as a cure?  Well, it looks strange, but the didgeridoo promotes circular breathing.  By breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, you strengthen your upper airway.  Check out this video on didgeridoo for snoring.

Don’t have a didgeridoo handy?  Sleep doctors claim that playing brass and woodwind instruments could have the same effect. Supposedly, singers and rockers seldom have to snore or sleep apnea issues (go figure).

Summary:

Snoring can cause a lack of sleep, difficulties in your relationship, and can be frustrating. If your mate is keeping you up at night, and not in a good way, it’s time to speak up. They may not be aware and are not snoring on purpose, nor do they want to ruin your relationship. Try to be upfront early in your relationship when they may be more motivated to seek remedies to make it better or seek treatment. There is help for snoring.  Seek it out, not only for your partner but for your own health.