Snores come in many varieties: there’s the snorter, the whistler, and of course the freight train. But all of them have a common denominator – they keep their partners awake. A National Sleep Foundation survey showed 23% of married Americans sleep alone, an increase from 12% in 2001. I wonder how many married Americans opted to sleep alone because their partner snores. Below is a way to overcome snoring for a better night’s rest for you and your partner.

Snoring
According to Sleep Expert and Select Comfort’s Vice President of Sleep Innovation and Clinical Research, Pete Bils, nearly forty-five percent of adults snore on occasion and about 25 percent snore habitually. It’s a problem that can affect both the snorer, and the partner. It’s more predominant in people who are overweight. Exercise and weight loss can make quite a difference. It’s also exacerbated by alcohol use or relaxants taken near bedtime, so avoidance of these can lead to improvement.  Sleeping on one’s back also contributes to the problem. A somewhat softer mattress and a carefully fitted pillow designed to encourage a better sleeping posture have helped many. Or use a pillow that promotes natural head and neck alignment to open the airway. Actively dealing with allergies, colds and other respiratory problems may also help reduce snoring. There are more invasive remedies including dental appliances that hold open the airways, and various surgeries to correct defects in the affected areas of the collapsed air passage.* If your partner’s snoring keeps you up at night, try going to bed first and have your partner come to bed later. This will allow you to fall into deep sleep while your surroundings are quiet.
 
*Snoring accompanied by a cessation of breathing for prolonged periods of time could be an indication of a more serious issue, such as sleep apnea, and should be discussed with your physician.

What does your partner do that keeps you from getting a restful sleep? Please share it as a comment here, on Beds.com , on the Sleep Number Facebook page, or on Twitter @SleepGeekPete & @SavvyFrugalista.

Plus, check out this 50% coupon from Sleep Number in honor of President’s Day:

 
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Content provided by Sleep Number. No compensation was provided for this post.  Sleep Number / Select Comfort was featured in Shake The Salt’s 2009 Holiday Gift Guide.

Written on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Filed under Uncategorized.
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