How To Deal With A Snoring Spouse | Ear, Nose, Throat, and Dental problems slideshows | Body & Health Conditions center

Causes of Snoring

Before trying to deal with the “snoring” issue on its own, you first need to understand where it comes from. At a certain age, people tend to start to snore, and truly there is nothing you can do about it, as it is age related. However, if your partner is not yet in his 60s and his/her snoring drives you crazy, there could be other reasons. Is he/she a smoker? That could play a role too, as smoking causes lung problems. Is he/she overweight? People who are overweight have a lot of fatty tissue built around the throat, making the airway passage more narrow, hence the difficulties breathing. Does he/she sleep flat on hs/her back? The sleeping posture could affect this too.Other causes of snoring could be sinus problems, current medications, etc.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of tina by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/menomena/2654125955/
www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/how-deal-snoring-spouse
http://fyiliving.com/health/sleep/snoring/living-with-a-partner-who-snores-a-good-nights-sleep/
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/sleeping-with-a-snorer/?_r=0
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201109/is-snoring-harming-your-marriage
http://www.helpguide.org/life/snoring.htm

Is It Just Snoring or Sleep Apnea?

While snoring might seem like a simple disturbance (though very annopying for the partner), sleep apnea is a much more concerning condition. By definition, sleep apnea is a sleep disturbance characterized by pauses in breathing or frequent episodes of deep shallow breathing during sleep. Sleep apnea maybe classified as “central” (where there is a problem with the respiratory center in the brain) or “obstructive” (caused by a blocage of the airways such as in obese people). Thus, identifying the real nature of the snoring is another important step. This can be done by consulting a physician who will be the most appropriate person to enlighten you on the real cause of your spouse’s symptoms.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Michael Symonds by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cpapanwender.jpg
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_apnea

Keep Snoring From Ruining Your Relationship

Having to listen to loud snorts, episodes of gasping from air and other similar symptoms every night, while sleeping next top your significant other is almost unbearable. This will definitely prevent you from sleeping, and even if you still manage to sleep, you are going to wake up cranky the next morning because you didn’t have a good night rest! And nobody wants to get cranky every morning, next to the person they love. Additionally, being tired from this could negatively impact your work and social environment, and I bet you don’t want to lose your job because your spouse snores! One of the main mistakes people with snoring spouses do is, blaming their significant others. Remember, snoring is an unconscious mechanism, and if your spouse could control it, he/she would.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Sasha Lynn by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/sashala/335951025/

Talk to Your Partner

And this is why the next best step here is to have a serious talk with your partner. First of all, you need to make him/her aware of the fact that he/she snores during sleep, because - believe or not - most of the time, they don’t even realize that (simply because they don’t remember any such thing). And he/she might deny it at first, because they don’t generally recall this, and also, it’s quite embarassing to admit that you snore. Next, you need to kindly expose your concern regarding the situation, and explain to your partner how his/her snoring has affected your couple’s life over the last days/weeks/months. Your ultimatr goal would be to get him/her to seek medical help (and be with him/her along the way), so that you can have a much more improved relationship.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Nathan Colquhoun by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/nathancolquhoun/1635483220/

And What If You Are The Snoring Partner?

Hum, this is a tricky one! For some “human” reasons, giving advice is always easier than taking them, isn’t it? Well, if you are the snoring partner, I hope your lover is also somewhere, reading this article! The thing is, snoring is not something that you are aware of, but rather something that your partner would report to you afterwards. If you suspect that you might be a snorer (that is, if you present with any one of the predisposing factors listed at the beginning of this presentation), you should use some courage and ask your partner to let you know if you snore during the night. This is very important, because just like you wouldn’t want to be victim oif your partner’s snoring, he./she wouldn’t want to be a victim of yours, so put yourself in his/her shoes.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of R Sio by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/4q/2692001379/

The Way You Snore May Reveal The Cause

It is also commonly said that the pattern of your snoring (and even the sound produce) could help one determine what is the cause, or at least have a clue. For instance, people who generally have heavy and deep snores tend to be diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. In addition to this, your pattern of breathing while snoring is also a big clue. Your breathing might be deep or shallow, continuous or interrupted, or not changed at all. The loudness of the snore, alongside with the other criteria could also give a hint as to what the cause could be. Those are the characteristics that you could use while talking to this snoring issue with your physician.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Karl Kaufman by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/igotcha7/273527068/

Home Remedies and Lifestyle Changes That Work

The best way to treat a problem is to identify the cause. For instance, if you are snoring because you are overweight, start modifying your diet and practice physical exercice. If your snoring is ue to the fact that you are a heavy smoker, quit smoking. If your sinus infection leads to your snoring, then use the antibiotics prescribed for the infection, and the snoring would stop. There truly is no need to jump on all those milions of anti-snoring devices sold on the market today, when you clearly know the cause and how to deal with it. You could also hold a sleep diary and ask your partner to record every night when you snore. This would help you trace back the possible causes, as well as the anti-snoring techniques that work and those that don’t. Elevating your head before sleeping, keeping your bedroom air moist and avoiding smoking and heavy meals before bed could also limit airway obstruction while sleeping.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Nick J Adams by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/personalspokesman/488898114/
www.helpguide.org/life/snoring.htm

The Tennis Ball Trick

If this can work for opening door cars, this trick could also work for stopping your night time snoring (at least, that is our hope). This works wonders for those who snore when sleeping on your back. The goal of this trick is well...to stop sleeping on your back! So here is what you do: pin a tennis ball at the back of your pajama or your T-shirt (either with a safety pin, or you sew a sock a the back of your Tee and you put the tennis ball inside); then go to bed. With the tennis ball on your back, it becomes less comfortable to sleep on your back, so everytime you are tempted to lie on your back, you will automaticslly shift to the side!

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Javier Morales by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/javmorcas/7794596048/
www.helpguide.org/life/snoring.htm

Medical Alternatives

When all home remedies fail, you can switch to medical alternatives. But remember, you need to be extremely patient to deal with a snoring problem. Don’t just jump readily into taking medications or installing some device in your throat because you want to stop snoring as soon as possible. Give the less invasive options and home remedies a chance, because they generally work and might even be less expensive for you. After consultation, your otolaryngologist might recommend that you wear some dental appliances or lower jaw positioners, to help opening your airway while you sleep. Another technique, the CPAP (Continous Positive Airway Pressure) can be used. Here, a machine is placed a your bedside, that automatically blows pressurized air into an airmask on your nose. In the event that your snoring is caused by an anatomical obstruction (uvula, tonsuils), surgical correction might be your best option. New techniques and solutions are further being investigated, to give you as many options as possible to resolve your snoring and leave a normal healthy life.

Sources & Links

Important notification about information and brand names used in this slideshow!
Photo courtesy of Matthew Batchelder by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/borkweb/148535227/
www.helpguide.org/life/snoring.htm

When To See a Doctor?

Because snoring can be the sign of an uinderlying medical problem, it is worth some medical attention. If the snoring has persisted for about a week or two, you should consider seeking professional help. If all home remedies have failed to bring your sleep back to normal, we advise that you go and see a Doctor. If you snore loudly and heavily at night, run to your Doctor’s office. Additionally, if you fall asleep during the day at inappropriate times (during a class, while driving, while crossing the road, while cooking, etc.) there is definitely a more serious problem going on.