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.