Once the honeymoon is over, you might find that life with your spouse is a little different than you expected. Some new married couples experience intimacy issues, particularly in the bedroom. One of the most contentious revelations that come with getting married is when two people move in together and it turns out that one of them snores. Snoring can significantly impact the sleep of someone who has never shared a room with anyone before, and the result can be an early start on trying to negotiate the difficulties of married life. When there’s a lack of sleep involved, couples may experience more fights than before. When the bedroom becomes associated with frustration from loud snoring, this frustration may spill over into intimacy issues.
If your new marriage has brought to light a snoring program, these helpful tips can help you deal with snoring as newlyweds.
Remember: Snoring Is a Health Issue
It also gives you a good place to start with considering snoring treatment options. The snorer can talk to their doctor about the issue and be referred to a sleep doctor. If you have a snoring problem that your significant other has brought to your attention and you don’t seek treatment, you’re telling your partner that you don’t really care about them. Show them how much you care by seeking treatment to benefit both of you. Unfortunately, there have also been a number of domestic abuse cases linked with snoring in marriages like this man who beat his wife over snoring.
Pick a Treatment Option That’s Good for Both of You
If sleep apnea is part of the problem, then treatment is a must. For some couples, CPAP is a godsend. For other couples, the CPAP machine is intrusive, interfering with intimacy and making bedtime something of a horror. It may even be as disruptive to sleep as snoring.
If you’re one of these couples, oral appliances are a silent, unobtrusive intervention for snoring and sleep apnea. It’s important to choose a treatment that works for both partners. With the right treatment, you won’t have to worry about snoring ruining your sex life or annoying your partner every single night.
Engage Lifestyle Changes Together
If it turns out that it’s just snoring and not sleep apnea, there are many lifestyle changes you can engage in that can help reduce or eliminate snoring. By doing these together, it can make it seem even less like the snorer is being persecuted. The benefits of many of these lifestyle changes can be felt by both partners and will make you a happier, healthier couple. It might even be beneficial to engage in couple’s therapy. There have been studies that going to therapy can improve the success rate of using CPAP.
Don’t Try Running Away from the Problem
It’s becoming more popular for married couples to sleep apart, and that’s fine, but running away from your problem won’t help. It’s important that you be able to resolve your problems together. And snoring can often be heard from anywhere in the house, so running away might not even let you sleep.
Practice Good Conflict Resolution Skills
How well you handle this snoring conversation may be a predictor of how well your marriage will work. Building intimacy in your new marriage requires a lot of hard work. With that in mind, remember:
- Allow each person to talk freely, and make sure you’re genuinely listening.
- Admit fault freely, and don’t bring up wrongs by the other partner to excuse your fault.
- Both partners should be willing to make sacrifices for the sake of the marriage.
- Try not to anticipate problems–going to bed expecting to sleep poorly can often make it so.
Many conflict resolution guides also say, “Don’t go to bed angry,” but in the case of snoring, it’s not going to bed angry that’s the problem, it’s waking up angry. In the middle of the night. Several times.
At the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center, we are dedicated to marital harmony and we will do all we can to help you both sleep peacefully through the night. Please call (402) 493-4175 for an appointment with an Omaha sleep dentist today.
