How To Help Your Snoring Partner

Snoring can affect the relationship of any couple. It seems to be one of the most common problems in the bedroom. 

If your partner snores, not only your relationship suffers, but your sleep will be affected as well. Lack of sleep can make you less productive at work.

Based on a national survey by Leger Marketing in April 2008, two thirds of Canadian adults (73% of women and 58% of men) admit they have a snoring partner.

Those bedroom blasts can have a variety of repercussions. In the survey, the non-snoring spouses stated that they lose between 1 and 3 hours of sleep a night because of a restless sleep. This is possible based on the fact that the sound of snoring typically measures 60 to 90 decibels. You can equate that to a jackhammer breaking up asphalt on the road.

When your partner is not getting sufficient sleep, he or she will experience daytime sleepiness, irritability, and difficulty with memory and concentration. Obviously, the work productivity will drop. Plus more  bickering between the spouses which will lead to a more stressful home environment.

Furthermore, snoring can ruin a couple’s sex life. In the survey, 20% of women who have snoring partners reported to have less desire to have sex. They blamed it on snoring. Another reason for low sex drive is that 25% of Canadians slept in another room because of their partner’s snoring.

Regardless the frequency of snoring, and its widespread impact on sleep, moods and relationships, most people treat it as a not-so-silent epidemic. This is true as approximately two-thirds of Canadians have failed to take any action to stop snoring.

They try to ease the effect of their partner’s snoring by resorting to popular tactics such as kicking, elbowing, or poking the snorer. It is only effective because the snorer momentarily wakes up. However as a solution, it is nothing different that putting a pillow over your partner's face. In reality, you can adopt certain measures to curb your partner's snoring. Among them are losing weight and changing sleeping positions.

Of course, you can try other simple strategies to make your life easier if you happen to be the non-snoring spouse.

• Get a bigger bed if your room is big enough. You will find it easier to sleep if your snoring partner is 20 inches away rather than if both of you are just two inches away. 
• Drown out the sound by putting on headphones when getting ready to bed. Or wear earplugs. With headphones, select sleep promoting music or sound to help you fall asleep.

Usually, the snorers do not know how bad the problem is, or minimizes it. The only time they seek medical help is when their spouse give them an ultimatum. So this where the non-snoring partner play the pushing role for a solution.

Snoring is not just about sleep. Just to let you know that it can be treated and corrected either with medical attention or remedies that you can try on your own.