Snoring is a very common problem – in fact, 1 out of 2 people are thought to snore at some point in their lives. That means that chances are, you or your partner is likely to be the snorer in your relationship at some point or another. Although snoring is very common, that doesn’t mean that it is something to be taken lightly. In fact, one partner snoring loudly can cause a great deal of stress for both partners – the snorer can wake themselves up and the non-snoring partner can get continually woken up throughout the night, causing both to have a broken night’s sleep. Lots of broken night’s sleep causes sleep debt, which in turn can cause a number of health problems.
Therefore, it’s important to treat the snoring at the root rather than to simply mask the snoring with things like earplugs. Blocking the noise out means that you don’t get to the root of the problem – you’re just masking it. Feel free to use earplugs whilst you’re getting treatment for snoring, but try not to rely on them as a way to block out snoring sounds – instead, use them as a stop-gap measure until you have treatment. Equally, try not to separate and sleep in different rooms. Getting into the habit of sleeping separately can have a real negative effect on a marriage and can cause all sorts of tensions and negative feelings between the two of you. Instead, try to work on curing the snoring together, rather than apart, and feel confident in the fact that you’re working as a couple to conquer the snoring.
The first thing you need to think about when trying to prevent snoring is to establish whether you’re suffering from any other symptoms other than the snoring. If it is just snoring, plain and simple, you’ll be able to use a number of at-home stop-snoring products. If you’re also suffering with cessation of breath, fatigue, irritability, feelings of confusion and sickness and feeling un-refreshed even after many hours of sleep, you could have a medical disorder such as sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea can have a hugely negative impact on your life and actually makes you more likely to die from any cause than if you were not suffering from sleep apnea. Speak to your doctor if you are dealing with more symptoms other than snoring and expect treatment with either a mandibular advancement device, which is like a mouth guard, a CPAP mask and machine, which is a device that blows positive pressure down your airways to keep them open, or surgery, which can include removal of the tonsils or adenoids or removing some of the soft palate.
If you are dealing with snoring, work together to find a treatment that suits both of you. Sometimes some of the most successful stop-snoring devices are the most simple – for example, there is a product available called ‘stop snoring strips’, and they are small sticky strips that attach to the bridge of your nose and keep your airways open. There’s also a product known as a stop snoring chin strap, which goes over the top of your head and under your chin to keep your mouth closed during sleep, forcing you to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth. Other at-home treatments for snoring include wedge pillows, which tilt your head in such a way that your airways remain obstruction free, as well as sewing a tennis ball into your sleep wear so that you are forced to lie on your side rather than your back, eliminating the chances that you’ll snore. You should also look to lose weight and quit smoking if either of those are a problem for you as they are both known causes of snoring.