For millions of people, snoring is a common occurrence. They get into a deep sleep and begin to exhibit the common signs of snoring. For some, snoring can be extremely loud, often referred to as “chainsaw” snoring, and for others it is mild.
Does your partner’s snoring keep you up at Night?
Snoring can lead to huge interruptions in sleep for a partner. The partner cannot fall asleep or is woken up by the snoring noise from the partner. This can lead to conflict between partners and reduced intimacy. The problem can sometimes force the partner who can’t sleep to move to a separate room, creating a wall of separation between the couple. Partners cited snoring as the main reason for sleeping in a separate room or on the couch. Often, this is the woman relocating in the relationship, as twice as many men snore as women.
In a recent study by the University of California – Berkeley psychologist showed that a lack of sleep makes people become more selfish. They tend to prioritize their needs over their partners’ needs, and that can lead to people engaging in more conflict with the partner. This can, in turn, cause major disruptions in the relationship.
Unfortunately, there are no set rules on the etiquette of how to solve the problem of snoring. To start, the couple needs to have a gentle conversation about the problem. Some have been known to record the snoring partner, letting them realize the extent of the problem. Neither partner should place blame on the other. The goal should be to solve the snoring issues.
Once the problem has been established, however, psychologists and family counselors have developed a few simple guidelines on dealing with a snoring partner. To start, a sleep study should be conducted. While some snoring is not a problem, snoring can be a sign of a larger medical condition such as sleep apnea. A sleep study can determine if the person is experiencing a light, non-harmful amount of snoring or if the snoring could lead to serious medical problems like a stroke or heart attack.
If snoring has become a major and on-going issue, sleep monitoring is key to understanding the individuals sleeping patterns in order to receive proper analysis and treatment.
At home sleep monitoring allows individuals to get a full picture of their sleeping patterns and behaviors from the comfort of their own bed. We stress the importance of at-home sleep monitoring because a sleep study at a clinic (known as a polysomnography) will only show a small snapshot of the user’s sleep. In addition, individuals may not sleep the same in a sleep center as they would normally sleep at home. A sleep study at home will also be less expensive in the long run in comparison to paying to have a sleep study conducted at a clinic.
The Plex® Sleep Scanner is a new product from Somnology that is comfortably worn around the sternum. The Plex® monitors breathing patterns, pulse, and oxygen levels during sleep using medical grade sensors to provide accurate and comprehensive measurements of the user’s sleep behavior and breathing patterns. Integration with Somnology’s App SomnologyMobileDoc makes it easy to access and share data with a doctor. The Plex® was developed by Dr. Melissa S. Lim, a board-certified sleep specialist and practicing pulmonologist for 17 years, along with a team of developers and engineers. The Plex® goes beyond gathering data. That data is then pushed out to our secure cloud-based servers and run through Dr. Lim’s proprietary scoring methodology to give the individual useful information based on their sleep.
If the snoring is not a medical concern, the couple has several options. They are:
Wear earplugs — Earplugs can reduce the amount of noise heard from snoring that a person experiences from a partner at night.
Gently tap and shake them — This will stop the snoring in some people.
Ask your partner to roll over — A partner can often fall asleep when the partner snores in the opposite direction.
Ask the snoring partner to wear breathing strips — These have been shown to reduce snoring in some people.
A customized mouth guard — Some doctors recommend customized mouth guards for people with mild sleep apnea.
Start a weight loss program — A small amount of weight loss can lead to a significant reduction in snoring.