Unless your partner’s snoring and restlessness are keeping you awake as well, sleeping next to the person you love may be a soothing and restorative experience. Many people who suffer from sleep apnea are unaware they have the disorder until they are told they have it.
Their snoring may already be an annoyance for you, and it is true that this is one of the most prominent sleep apnea symptoms, but it is difficult to be certain that this is the actual issue. Snoring can have a variety of causes, but if you and your spouse are having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, it may be time to discuss some solutions.
How Sleep Apnea Manifest in People?
Most individuals grossly underestimate the prevalence of sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, breathing temporarily stops for a few seconds at a time. The airway becomes obstructed, making it harder to take in oxygen. When the soft tissues of the throat relax or collapse, it might prevent air from passing through. Occlusive sleep apnea is another name for this condition.
This other, less frequent kind of sleep apnea happens when the brain stops telling the body to keep breathing. Either way, sleep apnea causes breathing to cease until the person is sufficiently awake to resume breathing.
Common symptoms of sleep apnea might help you determine if your spouse has the condition and needs treatment.
Sleep apnea symptoms include:
- waking up several times during the night to urinate, which may seem odd but is really as frequent as snoring. Because of the physiological reaction that occurs in their body when they stop breathing momentarily, your spouse may be waking up several times each night to use the toilet.
- Gasping for air and pauses in breathing are other frequent symptoms of sleep apnea. It is difficult to breathe because of an obstruction in the airway, and the person will either gasp for air or stop breathing briefly before starting to breathe again. You may get a little reprieve from their snoring if they stopped breathing, but then you’d hear a loud gasp when they started breathing again.
- Obstructive sleep apnea can be indicated by snoring. If your partner’s snoring is keeping you up at night, it may be an indication of sleep apnea, but not everyone with the condition snores loudly or excessively.
- Those with sleep apnea are more likely than the rest of us to experience daytime sleepiness. Sleep apnea sufferers sometimes overestimate their sleep time because they are ignorant of the condition, but they really need to wake up briefly so their bodies can resume normal breathing patterns. Since their sleep cycle is disrupted every time, they stop breathing, it’s difficult for them to obtain a good night’s rest.
Although sleep apnea can have many causes, if you or your spouse are experiencing any of these symptoms, it may be time to discuss the condition with a doctor.
You should discuss getting tested for sleep apnea with your partner.
Find out whether your partner is suffering from sleep apnea so you can both get some good sleep and avoid any negative effects on your quality of life. Sleep apnea can only be diagnosed through testing, which is why it’s so important to do so.
To prepare, you can read up on our various blog post and keep a sleep diary for both you and your spouse. This aids in compiling data and proof that a problem like sleep apnea may exist. You should then have a conversation with them about your worries and how you can assist.
Several choices exist for them to undergo testing for sleep apnea if you and they share this opinion. Traditional sleep apnea testing involves hospitalisation, when the patient is monitored while sleeping while linked up to series of devices.
Ways to Persuade Your Spouse That They Have a Sleeping Disorder and Need Medical Attention
Being forced to spend the night next to a chronic snorer is one of life’s greatest frustrations. Though it may seem like a trifling problem at first, it may quickly become a source of tension in a couple’s relationship. A professional evaluation may be in order if your partner’s snoring is keeping you up at night. To learn more about why your partner snores and what can be done about it, check out these suggestions from Air Liquide Healthcare.
What is Making Your Spouse Snore?
Your partner’s snoring might be due to several distinct factors. It’s important to know if your partner’s problems are short-term or more systemic before seeking professional treatment.
Your spouse may not snore every night if the snoring is due to anything transient. Alcohol use, smoking, allergies, sleeping posture, and sickness are all examples of such transient influences. When one of these transient variables is at blame for your snoring, you may only experience it sometimes. Your companion probably snores every night because of structural causes, rather than transient variables, induce snoring. Obesity and the form of their mouth, nose, and jaw are examples of structural factors.
Snoring can be caused by obstructive sleep apnea in addition to the variables mentioned above (both transient and structural) (OSA). An untreated case of sleep apnea in your partner can increase their risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Dealing with a Snoring Spouse
To illustrate, let’s say your partner’s snoring keeps you up all night. Depending on the intensity of their snoring, you may need to have a conversation with them about it and suggest they consult a doctor. Bringing up their snoring, though, may not be the simplest thing to do, especially if your spouse becomes defensive or doesn’t think that it’s keeping you up at night.
Inject some optimism into the discussion.
It’s best not to bring up your partner’s snoring when you’re feeling frustrated if you want to keep the conversation on a nice one. Anger and irritation are natural responses to being kept up, but if you wake them up in the middle of the night to have this chat, they will simply be defensive.
Bring up how their snoring is impacting you while you’re both feeling positive. If you want to avoid defensiveness, it’s a good idea to use ‘I statements’ to describe how you’re feeling and how it’s affecting your sleep.
Express your concern for their wellbeing.
Your partner’s snoring may be a symptom of a more serious health issue, depending on the underlying cause. Your companion may be suffering from seasonal allergies if they snore inconsistently from night to night. Those who snore nightly should be warned that untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke.
Consider Useful Alternatives
Offer your spouse some suggestions for reducing their snoring so that you can both get some rest. Have some suggestions ready, such as suggesting they have a sleep study, try allergy medication, or try raising their pillow.
The success of the discussion and the achievement of a mutually acceptable outcome depends on your ability to keep the mood light.