Talking to Your Bedmate About Snoring

Middle of the night fight. Because snoring is a frequent problem in relationships, an unfortunate scene plays out each night in bedrooms across the country: Your bedmate snores. You poke them. You try to roll them over. Maybe you resort to earplugs.  In the worst case, you leave the room. Some say it’s like a fight in the middle of the night - but it’s a battle where no one wins. Snoring is a leading cause of resentment in marriages and can contribute to failed or broken relationships. In fact, 23% of couples ultimately sleep in separate rooms.[1] This doesn’t have to be you.

Snoring is like second-hand smoke. Snoring does more than create tension in a relationship. It creates lifestyle issues for both you and your bed partner. Lack of sleep caused by a bedmate’s snoring can result in less energy during the day, mood swings, irritability, diminished sex drive and reduced productivity at work. If these consequences aren’t bad enough, snoring can also lead to serious health problems. A snorer is at greater risk of developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke. Those who don’t sleep well get sick and stay sick longer than those who sleep soundly. Not to mention, lack of restful sleep can make you gain weight and experience bouts of short-term memory loss.  Knowing this, you owe it to yourself and your bedmate to talk about a solution.

Tips on talking with your bedmate. Still, it can be difficult to talk to your bedmate about snoring.  It’s not something they can control and it can be a sensitive subject.  Here are some tips that may help you start a dialogue:

• Appeal to their emotions.  Let your bedmate know in a non-confrontational way how much their snoring is affecting you and your relationship.  It may also be a cause of embarrassment in social situations, like traveling on a plane or on overnight trips with friends.  Don’t forget to mention that snoring can pose serious health problems down the line.  It’s not a condition that should be taken lightly.  Snoring affects the quality of your life, your relationships and your health.  Ultimately, you both would be happier if the snoring was alleviated.
• Explain that simple solutions exist. Your bedmate may not realize their snoring can be easily treated.  Medical technology has come a long way in recent years, and your partner may no longer need to choose between an ineffective or inconvenient remedy, like nose strips or CPAP, and painful invasive surgery.  Simple, virtually painless and life changing solutions do exist.  Invite them to see for themselves how simple and effective the solutions can be by viewing our patient testimonials.  An hour of time invested at our center could change both of your lives for the better

[1] www.sleepfoundation.org