Are You Sleeping with a Hippopotamus on a Harley-Davidson?
Does someone you love and find attractive during the day turn into a rhinoceros with a chainsaw every night while you’re trying to rest? Is your partner’s snoring keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep? Do you find yourself tired and grumpy during the day, even angry, although you know they can’t help it? Is there a way to resolve the situation?
According to Judy McGuire in Today, “In order to save your sleep—and possibly your relationship—we polled some sleep and snoring experts to find out how one can successfully live with a sleeping one-man-band with the help of tennis balls (yes, tennis balls) a video camera and a little bit of Zen.
Attitude Adjustment
“Try not to see the sound as the annoying noise of someone snoring. Instead, think of it as the sound of someone you love breathing,” suggests an entry on WikiHow. Anyone who has ever tried to get some shut-eye while the person next to them blasted nose trombone is rolling their eyes right now, but Joy Martina, Ph.D and co-author of the upcoming book “Sleep your Fat Away,” says that learning to embrace the snore isn’t so far-fetched. She suggests hypnosis can help the non-snoring partner actually find the sounds soothing rather than infuriating. “Most people like sleeping next to the sound of waves,” she says. “The snoring also comes in waves. So through hypnosis, you can give people the suggestion that every time they hear their spouse snores, it lulls them into deeper sleep.”
Roll Them Over
“Some people only snore when they’re on their back,” says Robert Turner a counselor at the Rose Sleep Disorder Center. “So there are lots of mechanisms for keeping people off their back.” Some of these mechanisms include a shove in the night, but you can also sew a tennis ball into the back of a T-shirt to discourage back-sleeping.
The next three remedies that Ms. McGuire suggests are:
Slim Down, Open those Passageways, or try Separate Beds.
To read the details, click here. Finally, she suggests:
Let’s go to the Videotape!
“Though you might be afraid to try recording your otherwise attractive partner in a very unattractive moment, according to the article here, “Dr. Westwood (Dr. Andrew Westwood, an assistant professor of clinical neurology specializing in sleep disorders at Columbia University Medical Center) says it can be quite helpful. “I have a couple patients who’ve done that, and then if they can hear themselves and the dramatic noises they’re making, it can frighten them enough to get help.”
Speaking of getting help. . . .
One thing that every expert polled agreed on, was that if you are sleeping with a chronic, loud snorer, it’s imperative to get them evaluated for sleep apnea, which can lead to heart problems, strokes, diabetes, and a host of other unpleasantness. Besides snoring, there are other issues such as drowsiness during the day, irritability, and lack of focus…Because when it comes down to it, all the tennis balls, affirmations, and nasal strips in the world won’t make as much of a difference as nipping the sound at its source. Westwood has seen it hundreds of times in his studies. “We’re like relationship counselors,” he laughs.”
To read the details of Ms. McGuire’s seven suggestions for returning your rhinoceros to the cuddly creature they really are, click here.
To get Sleep Apnea diagnosed and treated (and maybe your relationship along with it!) in the Portland area, Call Dr. Valachi, at 971-271-7478.
Stop Snoring, Sleep Better, and Live Longer!
The Dental Sleep Apnea Clinic can help you and your partner find relief from sleep apnea. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.