Michelle Reed
Body

Tips to happily coexist with a snorer

Snoring can take a heavy toll on a relationship when it disrupts your sleeping patterns. Frustration and resentment brews which can cause embarrassment, guilt and conflict. However, sleeping in separate rooms isn’t your only option.

According to a US study conducted by the Sleep Foundation, 32 per cent of men report that they are snorers, versus 16 percent of women. This means the majority of “sufferers” (the one’s lying awake) are women.

A study by John Shepard, M.D., medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that the bedmates of heavy snorers lose an average of one hour of sleep per night. Another study released last year, from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., found that when heavy snorers with sleep apnea underwent treatment, they and their spouses reported better sex lives and a smoother relationship.

How to tell them

Snoring tends to get worse as people age because, like so many other body parts, tissues in and around the airway start to sag. The mid-40s and up is when snoring really becomes more prevalent. This means that people who were never snorers before, may become snorers later in life. Regardless, there's usually very little perception of snoring on the part of the snorer. If they are having trouble believing your concerns, try a tape recorder or getting their friends to tell them. They’re more likely to believe it from them rather than dismiss in embarrassment. 

Ways to deal

There are a few tricks you can try to get around your partners snoring issue before the couch starts to look more and more comfortable.

Related links:

6 signs you need more sleep

Your sleep position linked to diseases

Why do women have a harder time sleeping than men?

 

Tags:
health, sleep, relationships, snorer, snoring