6 Tips To Ensure Better Sleep If You Have A Snoring Partner

 Sleep is crucial for our overall well-being, but it can be quite challenging to get a good night's rest if your partner snores loudly beside you. The constant noise can disrupt your sleep, leading to fatigue and irritability the next day. 

However, there are ways to address this issue and promote better sleep for you and your partner. In this article, we will explore some effective tips on how to ensure better sleep if your partner snores at night.

How can you sleep better with a snoring partner?

1. Encourage Healthy Lifestyle Changes:

One of the primary reasons behind snoring is poor lifestyle habits. Encourage your partner to maintain a healthy weight, as excess weight can contribute to snoring. Encourage regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding alcohol and smoking, as these can exacerbate snoring.

2. Optimise Sleeping Positions:

Certain sleeping positions can worsen snoring. If you are wondering how to stop snoring at night, one solution is to encourage your partner to sleep on their side, as sleeping on the back can cause the tongue and soft tissues to collapse, blocking the airway. Elevating the head with an extra pillow or using a specially designed wedge pillow can also help reduce snoring.

3. Create a Calm Sleep Environment:

A peaceful sleep environment is essential for quality rest. Use earplugs or invest in a white noise machine to drown out the snoring sound. Ensure the room is cool, dark, and comfortable. Consider using blackout curtains and earbuds for a serene atmosphere.

4. Use Nasal Strips or Nasal Dilators:

Nasal congestion can contribute to snoring. Nasal strips or nasal dilators can help open up the nasal passages, allowing for smoother airflow and reducing snoring. These simple devices can make a significant difference in improving sleep quality.

5. Explore Anti-Snoring Devices:

Various anti-snoring devices are available in the market that can assist in reducing snoring. These include mouthguards, tongue-stabilising devices, and nasal sprays. Discuss these options with your partner and consult a healthcare professional if necessary to find the most suitable solution.

6. Seek Medical Evaluation:

If snoring persists despite trying the above tips, it may be beneficial for your partner to seek medical evaluation. Persistent snoring could indicate an underlying health condition such as sleep apnea. A healthcare professional can provide a proper diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment options.

Snoring can be a frustrating issue that disrupts both your partner's sleep and yours. By implementing the tips mentioned above, you can create a sleep-friendly environment and support your partner in finding effective solutions to stop snoring at night.

Remember, open communication, understanding, and patience are key when addressing this issue. Prioritising good sleep hygiene for both of you will lead to a happier, healthier, and more rested relationship.

Can Sleep Deprivation Affect Mental Health?

 Sleep is essential for maintaining good physical and mental health. Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can negatively affect mental health. From occasional mood swings to severe issues like depression, poor-quality rest can be held responsible for many problems. Here are a few mental well-being conditions which can result from bad sleep.

Effects of sleep deprivation on mental health

1. Depression and anxiety

Sleep deprivation can lead to increased feelings of depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that people with insomnia, a common sleep disorder, are more likely to develop these problems. Lack of sleep can disrupt the balance of hormones that regulate mood, leading to these problems.

2. Mood swings

Sleep deprivation can cause irritability, mood swings, and emotional instability. When we don't get enough sleep, our emotions can become more intense, and our ability to regulate them can be affected. This can lead to outbursts of anger, frustration, or sadness.

3. Cognitive impairment

Sleep is crucial for proper cognitive function, including memory, attention, and decision-making. Sleep deprivation can impair these cognitive processes, leading to difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and poor decision-making. In extreme cases, sleep deprivation can even lead to hallucinations.

4. Increased risk of mental illness

Chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The disruption of normal sleep patterns can lead to changes in the brain's chemistry and structure, which can contribute to an increased risk of mental illnesses.

5. Decreased ability to cope with stress

Sleep deprivation can make it more difficult to cope with stress. Lack of sleep can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol, affecting our ability to handle stressful situations. This can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and burnout.

6. Impaired social functioning

Sleep deprivation can impact our social functioning by impairing our ability to read social cues and understand social situations. This can lead to difficulty forming and maintaining relationships, social isolation, and feelings of loneliness.

7. Increased risk-taking behaviour

Sleep deprivation can affect our decision-making and promote risk-taking behaviour, such as driving while drowsy or engaging in reckless behaviour. This can lead to dangerous situations and negative consequences.

How can you affect sleep deprivation?

Correcting sleep deprivation involves making changes to your sleep routine and habits. This includes creating a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, and creating a sleep-conducive environment. Exercise and exposure to natural light during the day can also help regulate sleep patterns. If these changes do not improve sleep quality, seeking medical treatment for underlying sleep disorders may become necessary. It's important to prioritise getting enough sleep as it plays a crucial role in maintaining good physical and mental health.

Conclusion

Sleep is essential for maintaining good mental health. Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can have negative effects on our mental health, including depression, anxiety, mood swings, cognitive impairment, an increased risk of mental illness, decreased ability to cope with stress, impaired social functioning, and increased risk-taking behaviour. If you are experiencing sleep problems or symptoms of a mental health condition, it's essential to talk to your healthcare provider. A proper diagnosis and treatment plan can help improve the quality of your sleep and overall mental health.

Am I suffering from a nightmare disorder?

 

You are watching something scary take place. You are trying to stop it and to get away, but you fail. And, suddenly, you get up from sleep drenched in sweat. Your forehead is covered in beads of perspiration, and your breathing is fast. It takes you a minute to realise that you are in your bedroom, safe from whichever monster you were seeing a few moments ago. You convince yourself it was a nightmare, and now, you are okay.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Do you know what fear-inducing nightmares mean? If your answer is yes, you may have a nightmare disorder. Although this sleeping disorder is rare, it is not unheard of. Here is what you need to know about it!

What is a nightmare disorder?

A nightmare can be explained as a disturbing dream that induces negative feelings of fear and anxiety. It awakens you from sleep and, occasionally, leaves you incapable of drifting back to slumber. While both girls and boys have nightmares, during the teen and young adult years, females see more bad dreams.

Although nightmares are most common in children, people of any age can have one. Experts believe that children begin seeing them between 3 and 6 years of age, and the tendency decreases after they are ten. Some people may even have them when becoming adults, while others may see bad dreams throughout their lives.

Although having nightmares is common, this disorder is relatively rare. It is when bad dreams occur often and lead to distress, disrupted sleep, problems with daytime functioning, and fear of going to bed that we call nightmare disorder.

What are the symptoms of nightmare disorder?

In people suffering from this sleeping disorder, nightmares occur during the second half of the night. They may appear more frequently, several times in one night. Typically, the episodes are brief and may make you get up from sleep. In some cases, people even report trouble getting back to sleep. Here are a few symptoms that are commonly experienced in this disorder:

• The dreams are real, vivid, and upsetting. In some cases, they may become more disturbing with every passing moment.

• The nightmares are horrific and cause you to wake up.

• They cause distress that prevents you from getting back to slumber.

• When you get up from the nightmare, you can recall the details.

• The person experiencing the bad dream feels scared, anxious, sad, angry, and disgusted.

• The dreams are often about threats to safety or survival.

How can you distinguish occasional nightmares from nightmare disorder?

Nightmares are considered to be a part of the disorder only if:

• They are frequent occurrences.

• They lead to daytime sleepiness, fatigue, or low energy.

• The nightmares are causing behavioural problems related to fear of the dark.

• You are experiencing trouble with performing at work or school.

• It leads to impairments during the day, like anxiety or persistent fear.

When to contact a doctor?

It is advised to consult your doctor:

• If the nightmares occur frequently and persist over time.

• They lead to fear of going to bed.

• Dreams cause daytime behavioural problems.

These are a few things you must know about nightmare disorder.

Best solutions to sleep with a snorer

 Snoring is a genuine concern. It not only affects the person who produces this wheezing noise, but also their partner who shares a room with them. The habit can prevent them from catching on to a good night’s rest and cause them to wake up cranky in the morning. This is not good as it can lead to a fight between you and your partner. So, to prevent this from happening, here are a few snoring solutions. Let’s have a look!

Tips on sleeping well with a snoring partner

1. Sleep first: 

Some people only need quiet to fall asleep at night. Once they have drifted off, they won’t get up, even if someone is banging at their door. If you are one of these people who stays asleep once they have drifted off, you should go to bed before your partner. The simple enough trick can help you get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep so you can wake up refreshed in the morning.

2. Anti-snore pillow:

Getting an anti-snoring pillow is another trick to sleep peacefully next to your snoring partner. They are ergonomically designed to support your neck and head. Thus, they can help improve breathing and open up obstructions. People considering gifting an anti-snoring pillow to their partners should find a comfortable one, as some individuals have reported experiencing neck pain after replacing pillows. 

3. Tape a tennis bowl:

Some people snore at night because resting on their backs loosens their throat tissues. This causes airway obstruction that results in blockage. To treat this problem, convince your partner to sleep on their side. Still, if, despite trying, your partner switches to their back while sleeping, you can try tying a tennis ball to their back. It will stop them from rolling over and stop snoring.

4. Wear Headphones:

Headphones are a better choice when compared with earplugs because of their noise-cancelling feature. Also, since headphones are big, they cover the whole ear. This makes it easy for you to focus on the sounds you are hearing, whether it is classical music or the sound of rain. For those who like resting on their sides, using wireless and comfortable headphones might be better.

5. Change in sleep position:

For snorers, the worst sleep position is resting on the back. So, if your partner snores loudly at night, encourage him to alter his sleep position. Ask him to sleep with his head elevated as it pushes the jaw and tongue forward. Lying in this position can reduce or eliminate snoring.

6. Help them with a healthy lifestyle:

Being overweight is a risk factor for snoring. If your partner is obese, you may want him to lose a few kilograms by practising a healthy lifestyle. For this, ensuring he eats a healthy diet is the key. Besides, reducing alcohol consumption, following a sleep schedule, and quitting smoking are also encouraged.

Snoring is an annoying habit that can lead to disruptive sleep. This is not good, as not catching on to seven to eight hours of sound sleep can harm your health.

What are the different types of sleep apnea tests?

 

Among the several sleep problems that affect people, sleep apnea is a prevalent one. In this condition, patients fail to rest well at night because of obstruction in the airway. As a result, they always feel exhausted and tired. Thus, it is vital to diagnose whether someone is suffering from sleep apnea as soon as possible. Here is a list of different types of sleep tests people can undertake for this purpose. Let’s have a look!

Different types of sleep apnea tests

If there is a suspicion of sleep apnea, here are a few tests that can help determine the results:

1. Polysomnography tests:

One of the most accurate tests for identifying sleep apnea is the polysomnography test (PSG). It records the patient’s brain waves, respiration rate, leg and hand movement, heart rate, and eye movement for deriving conclusive results. For monitoring these details during the PSG exam, several sensors are attached or strapped to the body. Moreover, the Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the number of times the breathing stopped and resumed, is also recorded during PSG.

2. CPAP titration study:

Using the CPAP machine is strongly recommended for patients with sleep apnea. It delivers a stream of air pressure via a mask to keep the airway open. The CPAP titration study is conducted to determine how much pressure should be provided to a sleep apnea patient. During this test, the brain waves, oxygen levels, and leg movements are monitored using sensors. Then, a mask is attached to the patient’s face, and the pressure is increased gradually to determine the results.

3. Split night study:

The split night study combines the CPAP titration study and polysomnography test. During this exam, the first half of the night is devoted to conducting the PSG test, while the latter is used to determine the ideal air pressure for providing treatment. The split night study is typically performed for people with severe sleep apnea when the diagnosis is unmistakable.

4. Home sleep test:

The home sleep test shows how technology has recorded a significant advance when it comes to sleep medicines. While earlier people had to physically go to a sleep lab to determine whether they have sleep apnea, the identification test can now be conducted from the comfort of the home. Individuals who opt to undergo this test are either asked to pick their test kit or are mailed one. Along with the device, they are given specific instructions on how to conduct the home sleep test. During the exam, the kit collects the breathing rate, blood oxygen levels, and other biometric information to conclude whether the patient has sleep apnea.

5. Watchpat testing:

An innovative home sleep test, Watchpat deserves special mention as it is designed to record seven different sleep parameters with only three contact points. These include a chest wire, wristband, and finger probe. The test has an intuitive design and can be easily used.

Undiagnosed sleep apnea can lead to several health complications. For this reason, it is necessary to identify this condition in the earlier phase. While earlier, PSG was the only test for diagnosing whether someone has OSA, at present, several options are available.

How does snoring affect your relationships?

 No matter how much you love your partner, snoring can still negatively influence your relationship. It doesn’t matter how good you two are during the daytime hours, but if you lie awake in your bed during the night hours while he snores away, you will eventually become resentful. Not only will the snoring disrupt your sleep, but it will also affect your productivity as you will feel sleepy during the day. And it is also possible that when you communicate or get angry about it with your partner, he may get irritated with you for harping on about something that is out of your control. Thus, people who have this annoying habit should begin snoring treatment asap.

When snoring is the problem, here are some ways this can create tension between couples.

Snoring and your relationship

The available data suggests that many couples worldwide get divorced because of snoring. In the US, snoring is the third leading cause of broken marriages. If one of the partners snore too loudly, then here are some ways it can put a dent in your relationship-

Sleeping in separate rooms-

If your partner snores loudly enough to disrupt your sleep, then you may choose to sleep in separate bedrooms. While it may sound like a reasonable solution to the problem, it turns out to be a wrong decision in many cases. It is so because sleeping separately results in loss of emotional and physical intimacy. As a result, the partners drift away, and the bonding loosens. Also, sleeping in different rooms can make the snorer feel lonely, unfairly punished, and isolated. So, you must be careful.

• Resentment between partners-

If you decide to stick with your partner in the same room to avoid conflicts, you may end up feeling resentful. It usually happens when the non-snorer has tried everything like music, earplugs, and sound machine to deal with their partner’s habit but still can’t find a solution. In such cases, you may feel like you have done everything possible, but your partner, who is actually in the wrong, is not taking any action to combat the problem. It can lead to relationship issues.

• Irritability due to sleeplessness-

Snoring not only affects the sleep of the non-snorer. But, it also influences the rest quality of snorers as the habit results from disordered breathing. Now, this doesn’t end here as poor sleep can affect your thinking skills, focus, mood, judgement, and ability to manage and handle stress. As a result, you and your partner are likely to indulge in more fights, putting unnecessary strain on your marriage.

Sleep is necessary not just for your well-being but also for your mood and mental health. However, if one of the partners snores, it can disrupt your rest and leave you irritated. Snoring can put a dent in your relationship by building resentment, causing miscommunication, and encouraging irritability. Thus, the habit must be treated immediately.

How to control snoring by making little lifestyle changes

 

Why do you want to stop snoring? Is it because you wake yourself up in the middle of the night? Or because your loved ones can’t sleep; therefore, they’re less than enthused with you in the middle of the night? Whatever the reason, you’re here because you want to learn how to stop snoring. Lucky for you, this can be achieved in a few easy steps, and a few more complicated, yet important processes. But first, you might be wondering why it’s important to stop snoring, especially if you just live alone. It doesn’t affect anyone, right? Wrong! These are a few home remedies proven to work for some, but not everyone. In no way are some of these actually “easy” by definition, but they’re fairly accessible. Sometimes, finding treatment may require help from a medical professional.

 Limit alcohol consumption

Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink per day will help reduce snoring. This isn’t just a campaign against alcohol for no reason, there’s science behind it. One of the most trusted sources, says, “Alcohol and sedatives reduce the resting tone of the muscles in the back of your throat, making it more likely you’ll snore”.

Sleep on your side.

Sleeping on your back sometimes causes the tongue to move to the back of the throat, which partly blocks airflow through your throat. Sleeping on your side may be all you need to do to allow air to flow easily and reduce or stop your snoring.

Rise up the head of your bed.

Elevating the head of your bed by four inches may help reduce your snoring by keeping your airways open.

Use nasal strips or an external nasal dilator.

Stick-on nasal strips can be placed on the bridge of the nose to help increase the space in the nasal passage. This can make your breathing more effective and reduce or eliminate your snoring. You could also try a nasal dilator, which is a stiffened adhesive strip that’s applied on top of the nose across the nostrils. This can decrease airflow resistance, making it easier to breath. Try nasal strips to help reduce snoring.

5. Treat chronic allergies.

Allergies can reduce airflow through your nose, which forces you to breathe through your mouth. This increases the likelihood that you’ll snore. Talk to your doctor about what kind of over-the-counter or prescription allergy medications may improve your condition. Buy over-the-counter allergy medication now.

6. Correct structural problems in your nose.

Some people are born with or experience an injury that gives them a deviated septum. This is the misalignment of the wall that separates both sides of the nose, which restricts airflow. It may cause mouth breathing during sleep, causing snoring. It may be necessary to get surgery to correct this condition. Talk to your doctor.

7. Limit or avoid alcohol before bed.

Try not to consume alcohol for at least two hours leading up to your bedtime. Alcohol can relax the throat muscles, causing snoring.

 

If you’re still thinking ‘ How to control snoring ’, you should probably consult a sleep expert.