When it comes to snoring, studies show that the person with sleep apnoea isn’t the only one missing out on a good night’s sleep.
Sleep apnoea is often accompanied by loud snorts and snoring and recent worldwide studies show that the bed partner can wake up during the night just as often as the person with the actual sleep disorder.
In one study from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., researchers found that spouses of snorers woke up, at least partially, an average of 21 times an hour; nearly as often as the 27 times the snorers themselves were awakened. Often the awakenings are brief and not remembered however they clearly show up in a sleep test and are cause for unrefreshed sleep and tiredness.
A 2005 study from Finland studies the sleep patterns of 37 male snorers and their bed partners. Half of the bed partners reported being disturbed by snoring every night or almost every night and one third of the bed partners reported relationship problems as a result of the snoring.
Another study published in the journal Chest showed that doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz. tracked the spouses of 54 patients with sleep apnoea. Once the sleep apnoea and snoring were treated, the spouses’ quality-of-life scores surged more than those who received the actual treatment.
Often snoring is due to obstructive sleep apnoea, which is characterised by episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep, which leads to regular night-time awakenings linked with a number of health problems. For a problem that can cause so much tension between sufferers and their bed partners it is a relatively easy problem to fix. SleepWise Clinic provides solutions to stop snoring and is the only clinic in Melbourne specialising in Dental Sleep Medicine. Having successfully treated over 4000 patients with oral appliance therapy, SleepWise Clinic uses scientifically proven snoring and sleep apnoea treatments that are effective, safe and comfortable.
Contact us today to find out how we can help you and your partner get a better night’s sleep.
