Snoring is one of the biggest threats to a happy married life. Does your bed partner snore loudly? Are you sleeping in Separate bed rooms ? If so, then you are heading for trouble. Snoring leads to frequent disruption of sleep for both bed partners and marital distress. This common problem may have more influence on the marriage than most couples think.
Snoring sound occurs when air does not flow smoothly through the air passages, or when the soft tissues or muscles in your air passages vibrate due to air turbulence. As you fall into a deep sleep, the muscles in your tongue, throat and roof of your mouth (soft palate) relax because of lack of tone. This muscle relaxation causes your throat tissues to sag. As you breathe, the sagging tissues narrow your airway and vibrate or flutter, creating the sound of snoring. The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration and the louder your snoring.
Snoring affects 45 per cent of the population from time to time and an estimated 25 per cent of people are habitual snorers. While 30-40% men snore, 20-30 % women do snore.
Snoring and sex life
Snoring is not a romantic subject. It is matter of ridicule and joke. The person snore doesn’t know that he or she is snoring; the partner is the one suffer most. The couple’s marital satisfaction will be affected by loud snoring.
There is decreased sexual drive in loud snorers, due to reduced testosterone level produced in man who has sleep apnea and snoring. The brain gets reduced oxygen level. It is interesting that people who snore have sexual intercourse less often than others. More than a quarter of snorers hardly ever have sex. Approximately 60% of snorers sleep separately with their spouse. Male snoring is a common problem within marriages that requires much more attention. It has been estimated that couples who struggle with sleep apnea and snoring have a high-divorce rate in western world, but not yet in India. It may happen in the future.
What can be done to save your marriage?
While making lifestyle changes should be the first step in treating your snoring, these measures are not always effective. If that is the case, you might want to consider a form of surgery called laser-assisted uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (LAUP). This relatively new procedure has been found to stop or reduce snoring in most people.
LAUP (Laser Surgery) involves removal of excess tissue from your soft palate and uvula with a small, hand-held laser-CO2 laser in my clinic. The operation makes your airway larger, so vibrations are decreased. The procedure is performed under a local anesthetic and takes about 30 minutes. Depending on the severity of your snoring, you may need more than one session – some people may need up to 3 or 4 sessions before their snoring is cured. If you need multiple treatments, they will likely be spaced four to six weeks apart.
In general, this surgery does not have serious side effects and you can continue your regular activities immediately after the procedure. Some people may have a sore throat for about one week.
Coblator surgery, Harmonic Scalpel Surgery are the new tools in adition to conduct the same operation, perhaps less pain than Laser surgery.
But remember,No Gain without pain.
Depression
Many of the snoring patients get depression, distress, frustration, anger, and continue to deterioration of the marital relationship.
So, what can you do if your partner snores?
First, convince your partner of the seriousness of the problem. Not only to your relationship and to your own well being, but to theirs. Get help; go to a surgeon who specializes in treating snoring related problems.
Whatever you do, don’t suffer alone. Thousands of people like you are suffering and understand your problem and are able to help. There are very famous snorers in history who are your respectable friends- Napoleon, Winston Churchill, Roosewelt, Queen Victoria and many more. Roosevelt died from sleep apnea, it seems.
Seperate bedrooms.
Fact– about 60% of snoring couples end up sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Why Black widow spider kill her mate?
Joke– Why does female black widow spiders kill their males and eat them after mating? Answer- To stop him snoring before he starts!!!!
Sexual cannibalism, typically is the label given to the situation where, usually after copulation, the female ingests the male.