Snoring can put you in a terrible situation. Every night, your partner’s snoring keeps you from sleeping; no matter what you do, they won’t be quiet. So, what can you do to eliminate snoring and finally get a good night’s rest again?

This situation is known as secondhand snoring–where your partner snores and your sleep is affected. At The Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center, we’ve helped many people in exactly your situation. Here are some tips that can help.

Remain Calm

First, remaining calm when talking to your partner about their snoring is important. We know this is easier said than done, but it’s worth taking the time and effort to calm yourself before snoring discussions. Otherwise, your conversations on the subject will likely escalate angrily, and you’re unlikely to achieve your goals. 

One thing that helps many people stay calm is realizing that snoring also affects your partner’s sleep. They might look like they’re sleeping soundly when snoring, but the truth is that snoring is the sound of their body struggling to breathe. This struggle keeps them from getting truly restful sleep–they might be waking up hundreds of times a night, even though you–or they–might not know it. 

So, although you might be angry that you’re not getting enough sleep, remember that they’re probably not, either, and they’re likely as irritable as you are. You will only agree on this issue if you remain calm and do your best to keep your passions under control.

Mention the Snoring

Now that you’re ready to discuss the issue calmly, it’s time to bring up the snoring. Your sleep is too important to let the problem continue without a solution. In addition, their snoring is affecting their sleep and health, so it’s best to find a solution that addresses snoring at the source rather than just finding a solution for you, such as earplugs or sleeping in another room.

Encourage a Sleep Apnea Test

When you talk to your partner, encourage them to get a sleep study to test for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a potentially deadly condition, and snoring is one of its most noticeable signs. The louder a person snores, the higher their risk of sleep apnea. Plus, sleep apnea treatment will also resolve snoring so you can both finally sleep in peace–and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing they’re getting the treatment they need. 

Let your partner know that it’s easy to get a sleep study. Most people can take the sleep study in the comfort of their bed. This is inexpensive compared to going to a sleep lab for testing. Plus, it’s highly accurate for most people.

Encourage Snoring Treatment

If your partner has sleep apnea, they will hopefully see the importance of getting treatment. They will see many treatment options, including CPAP, oral appliance therapy, and more. However, if your partner doesn’t have sleep apnea, they might think that they don’t need treatment for their simple snoring. If they don’t, it’s up to you to help them understand why snoring treatment is essential.

Ideas to Persuade a Snoring Partner to Get Treatment

How can you convince a reluctant partner to get snoring treatment? It can be challenging, but here are some ideas that might help. You can use these ideas at any point where the discussion starts to bog down or escalate into unproductive conflict.

I Care About You

Always frame discussions about snoring with this idea. Tell your partner you want to address snoring out of love for them. Even if protecting your sleep is your key goal, it’s relevant–you can’t love them if lack of sleep is sapping your energy and empathy. 

Your Snoring Is Real

Especially early in snoring discussions, your partner might want to dispute whether their snoring is real or as bad as you say. You can resolve this dispute with proof. These days, it’s easy to document snoring: many phone apps are available that will record and score snoring. 

Don’t record your partner in secret, then confront them with the recording. This leads to conflict and may make them reject the evidence. Instead, get your partner on board with measuring their snoring. Even let them pick the app and use their phone to make the recording. That way, they know that the evidence is accurate and trustworthy.

Snoring Treatment Works

Your partner might object that snoring treatment doesn’t work. They may even have tried several over-the-counter remedies with no success. Tell them that over-the-counter snoring remedies are ineffective. To truly work, snoring treatments should be designed specifically for the snorer. We can present them with testimonials of snoring treatment so that they can see how much of a difference snoring treatment can make. 

Snoring Affects Your Sleep

Let your snoring partner know that their snoring is affecting their sleep and yours. It will probably help them feel more rested and energetic if their snoring is treated.

Snoring Affects Your Health

Even if they don’t have sleep apnea, their snoring is likely still affecting their health. Reduced sleep can affect their health in many ways, but snoring has its own health effects. One of the biggest dangers is that snoring contributes to atherosclerosis–hardened arteries. Snoring vibrates your throat, and this causes injuries in the carotid arteries, which carry blood to the brain. The injuries scar over, which becomes the start of arterial plaque. This plaque can break off and travel to the brain, causing a stroke. 

Snoring Affects Your Work and Play

If your partner isn’t sleeping well, they won’t have the energy for the things they need and want to do during the day. Snorers are more likely to doze off at work or while driving. They can have performance issues at work and are at an elevated risk for workplace accidents. 

In addition, their low energy can make it harder for them to enjoy the things they used to love in life. They may want to refrain from engaging in hobbies or recreational activities. 

Getting snoring treatment can give them the energy they need daily. 

Snoring Affects Our Relationship

It’s important to stress that snoring is affecting your relationship. When you’re not sleeping, you are more irritable and less compassionate. You also don’t have the energy to do fun things together, and you can’t help but blame them if they’re keeping you awake. 

Snoring is a significant contributor to couples breaking up, including divorces.

Protect Your Sleep

Finally, if you can’t convince your partner to get their sleep treated, you need to do what you can to protect your sleep. Here are some things that people try to get sleep despite a snoring partner:

  • Earplugs
  • White noise
  • Sleeping in another room

How well these different solutions work for you will vary. If you can’t manage to sleep with a snoring partner and they won’t get snoring treatment, then you might have to move out.

We’re Here to Help with Snoring

We know things look bleak right now, but there are ways to get good sleep when your partner snores. If you can convince them to come in to get started on a sleep study, we can take it from there. You and your partner can sleep deeply and quietly in no time. 

Please call (402) 493-4175 or use our online form today to request an appointment at the Advanced Dental Sleep Treatment Center in Omaha.