Although snoring is more common in men and overweight individuals, it can affect anyone. As you age, the tendency to snore increases, and it can have drastic effects on you or your partner’s sleeping habits. Snoring disrupts your sleep and ruins your sleep quality. Also, from a psychological standpoint, snoring can put a strain on relationships.
Snoring and Relationships
If you or your partner snores, the sounds may wake the other person up, disrupting a restorative and restful sleep. This can cause irritability, stress, unhappiness, and all of those negative factors can put strain on a relationship. On a physical level, snoring can cause a varying number of ailments and problems on its own; psychologically, the effects can be just as traumatizing, if not more so.
Snoring is a treatable problem and ignoring it will only let an easy-to-remedy problem turn into a larger, psychological issue at home.
Don’t let snoring ruin your relationship. Couples that can sleep and relax in the same bed together have been shown to have a better waking relationship. Sleeping in separate beds or different rooms adds strain to the relationship by taking away from quality time spent together.
Snoring Causes
- Overlong Uvula – When the soft palate is longer than normal, it obstructs the small opening that connects the nose and the throat. Typical breathing vibrations are louder, resulting in snoring.
- Bulky Tissue – Overweight individuals have more tissue in their throat, which can ultimately cause snoring.
- Obstructed Nasal Passageways – If you have a deviated septum, a cold or allergies, your nasal passageways aren’t clear; the nasal tissues vibrate and you may notice an increase in snoring.
- Relaxed Throat or Tongue – During deep sleep, after taking a sleeping pill or consuming alcohol, the muscles in your throat or tongue may relax too much, obstructing the airway.
- Health Risks
- Interrupted Breathing – Throughout the night, you may experience interrupted breathing, lasting anywhere from a couple of seconds to a few minutes.
- Inadequate Rest – Snoring can lead to drowsiness the next day, a lack of overall energy, and an inability to focus.
- Heart Strain – Those that suffer from snoring have been shown to have higher blood pressure, which can lead to an enlarged heart and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Snoring Remedies
- Sleep on Your Side – Turn over or completely change the position that you normally sleep in. This will keep your tongue from relaxing and settling against your throat.
- Exercise – Thin and overweight individuals both snore. However, if you gain weight and you notice that you begin to snore, losing the weight may help. This isn’t a fix-all solution for every person that snores.
- Skip the Alcohol – Alcohol consumption relaxes the throat and tongue muscles, resulting in snoring.
- Open your Nose – Try breathing strips or a hot shower to keep your nose open.
- Drink Water – By staying hydrated, your nasal passageways will maintain proper fluid levels which will help combat any obstructions.