Although we think of snoring as a man’s problem, awareness that women snore, too, is growing, and it’s nice to see some details of how women’s snoring can impact a marriage as well as men’s. In a recent feature, The Daily Mail looked at three different women’s snoring and showed how it was driving their marriages to the brink.
Snoring Leads to Arguments and Anxiety
The Daily Mail story looked at women aged 37, 43, and 60, capturing a range of experiences. These women have three different causes of snoring. The first suspects it is hereditary, based on the shape and structure of her sinuses, though worsened by recurrent infections. The second believes it is related to weight gain, tied to a second pregnancy. The third had no difficulty with snoring before menopause, which often increases women’s risk for snoring and sleep apnea.
The women do express similar concerns about their snoring. The younger two are finding that snoring is causing arguments that they had not had before. In all three cases, the couples often sleep apart to try to reduce the impact of snoring, but, although this helps them sleep better, it also leads to anxiety. All the couples worry that sleeping apart is impacting their intimacy. One expresses concern that snoring makes her look unattractive. Another notes that “After 17 years of marriage waking to an empty bed leaves me feeling fretful and insecure.”
The article shares views from the husbands as well, who talk about their attempts to be understanding and how they’re trying to make things work, but it is a challenge.
Help Is Available
Something that isn’t highlighted prominently in the article is that there are treatments available. The woman with sinus troubles is trying a nasal dilating spray, which is working somewhat. The postmenopausal woman was tested for sleep apnea, which is more dangerous for women but which she didn’t have, and then she has tried over-the-counter treatments, to no effect. There is talk about weight loss.
But none of the women have tried a professionally fitted oral appliance for snoring, which may be just what they need. Although not everyone responds to this type of treatment, it is highly effective for many people, and can dramatically reduce or even eliminate snoring.
To learn whether you can benefit from snoring treatment in Omaha, please call (402) 493-4175 for an appointment with a sleep dentist at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center today.
