Sawing logs all night with a partner can test your sanity – and your relationship. Sleep deprivation is linked to irritable moods, reduced focus, weakened immune systems, diabetes, and mental health issues. Your relationship suffers when sleep is interrupted. A partner’s snoring can cause frustration and resentment between them.
Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, found that couples have more serious disagreements after a bad night’s sleep. In Psychology Today, clinical psychologist and sleep specialist Michael J. Breus writes that the person kept awake may grow resentful of their snoring partner.
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As a result, snorers often feel guilty, ashamed, and helpless. Even the most loving couples can feel isolated and irritated by these feelings. Your partner’s snoring may indicate an underlying health issue (more on that below), so it’s worth having them evaluated by a doctor. Here are sleep experts’ tips for sleeping with snorers.
Differentiate Your Bedtimes
Our partner may go to bed while we’re sleepy, resulting in difficulty falling asleep. A snorer can make sleeping even more difficult and frustrating if you listen to them snoring while waiting in vain to fall asleep. – Jade Wu, Duke University School of Medicine behavioral sleep medicine specialist.
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Wind Down At Night With A Routine
Dim the lights one to two hours before bedtime and limit the use of electronic devices. Fall asleep more easily when the temperature is lower. To minimize the disruption their snoring may cause, get into bed and fall asleep before them. – Dr. Anita Valanju Shelgikar, neurologist, sleep medicine specialist, and director of the sleep medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan.
Take Your Partner To The Doctor
Sleep apnea, a more ominous sleep disorder, can sometimes be associated with snoring. Consult a sleep specialist. Sleep specialists can literally save lives. – Dr. W. Christopher Winter, neurologist, sleep specialist, and author of The Sleep Solution.