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Snoring
Don't Just Lie There. Do Something!!
The hits just keep on coming. Add snoring to the list of things that get worse as we get older.
Let's just do what we can to keep the closeness of our intimate relationship from joining the "getting worse with age" parade because we're sawing away and our bed partner can't sleep. Sleep deprived people are not good lovers.
That noisy breathing and those snorts may be a sign of sleep apnea, a sleep disorder in which the sufferer actually stops breathing for short periods and wakes up to get a breath, then falls back to sleep. It is a serious condition that can only be diagnosed by medical specialists, but the risks of not treating it can include high blood pressure, headache, depression, and auto accidents due to what I think they can micro-sleep during the day. Apparently you don't even know you've dozed and wakened.
As serious as its affects can be, sleep apnea is very treatable once the diagnosis is made, and getting uninterrupted sleep perhaps for the first time in years can make everything feel better.
In the mean time, number of things proposed to eliminate or lessen snoring is astounding actually. I guess anything is worth a look.
The list that I am aware of right now includes:
- sleeping on your side
- sewing a tennis ball to the back of a t-shirt so that you have to sleep on your side (or stomach, which is not good, at least for me since I do it on my stomach too.)
- nose clip that lightly pinched septum
- adhesive, spring strips that hold nasal passages open
- throat sprays
- medicines and/or herbs
- pillows that facilitate side sleeping
- pillows that hold jaw in good airway opening position
- collars that hold jaw in good airway opening position
- surgery
- surgical implants
- jaw/throat/tongue exercises
- devices that deliver air through a mask into your nose at slightly elevated pressure.
How well do they work? It depends on whom you are talking with. There seem to be happy users for just about every approach.
At this point, all I can say for sure is to start with the least expensive, least intrusive approach that seem the most doable to you and then work through the list until you find one that makes your bedroom a place in which two people can get a good night's sleep.
Even just working on it in good faith can have a very positive effect on your relationship.
And remember to check it out with your doctor since it may be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious, but treatable disorder.
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