One of the most common factors that contribute to a person who snores is their weight. Typically, people who are obese have the most problems with respiratory symptoms during sleep. Even what seemingly may seem a small weight issue of 10-15 extra pounds may cause snoring. Although there are other factors that may contribute to snoring, if you’re overweight, weight reduction should be one of your chief goals.
To understand why, you must understand what physically causes snoring. During sleep, the throat relaxes and the tongue falls into the airway in the back of the throat causing a vibration in the soft tissue. Fatty tissue, chin folds and a very large neck, common in those that are overweight, are physical characteristics that can contribute to the snoring sound. Being overweight is linked to difficulties with snoring, regardless of any age. Weight reduction should be one of the chief goals of any overweight person who snores, because typically even the loss of a few pounds can reduce snoring.
However, there is no one solution to weight loss and management. There are vast differences in the human metabolism just as there are differences in anatomy. Weight loss programs are most successful when they combine a lower caloric intake with an exercise program. Since snoring can cause daytime fatigue, it’s often difficult at first for a snorer to get the energy up to start an exercise routine. With consistent effort, however, exercising can actually increase a person’s energy level throughout the day.
It is very important when beginning an exercise program, to start carefully and slowly at first because it is common for people to overdo it at first and become discouraged, or worse injured. It’s also important to get a green light from your physician first — he or she can start you on a program that is right for you.
You may find that you need to experiment with different approaches to dieting to discover what works best for you, since everyone’s metabolism is unique. Whichever approach you choose, commit to the long term for weight normalization, not just loss. The reason that most diets fail is that many dieters try to “force” weight off the body in an unhealthy or unnatural way. In other words, they focus on dropping pounds or losing weight rapidly, as opposed to normalizing their weight in a more natural way over a longer period of time. Sustaining a normal, healthy weight takes patience and a commitment to eating healthy and exercising regularly.
Weight loss reduces snoring in many people, sometimes stopping it completely. It also improves sleep and significantly reduces daytime sleepiness, allowing for a more productive waking day as well. To find out if your weight is a factor in your snoring, schedule an appointment today with the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center for an evaluation.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Stress of Snoring on a Marriage
Can snoring ruin a marriage? In my practice, I hear the complaints all the time. Since it is more common in men than women, wives often make the appointments for their husbands, or the husband will say “my wife made me come in.” Snoring can cause a couple who are normally affectionate and enjoy a healthy home life to become resentful of each other. The non-snoring spouse blames the snorer for causing them to be up all night, the snorer blames the non-snoring spouse for not being understanding.
The reason for resentment is understandable. Snoring can cause daytime symptoms that can wreak havoc on one’s waking life, and unfortunately, it is not just the snorer that suffers – the spouse can suffer just as much. The sleep loss associated with snoring impairs a person’s ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, reasoning, and mathematical processes. It can cause morning headaches, irritability, burnout and depression to mention just a few symptoms.
It is thought that more than forty million Americans snore every night and that 60% of men snore, and 30% of women. With all that snoring at night, couples are having a hard time sleeping together. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 53 percent of adults say they have relationship problems because of their or their partner's sleep disorder. The housing industry even seems ready to capitalize on this trend, with one survey predicting that by the year 2015, more than 60 percent of custom homes will have dual master bedrooms to be occupied primarily by snoring spouses.
In his book, "Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing," Paul C. Rosenblatt explores couples sharing their sleeping space, and it is a groundbreaking book in the field of sleep and relationships. For the book, Rosenblatt interviewed 42 couples, and examines how sharing a bed affects the couple’s relationship.
Many couples described that sleeping in the same bed is extremely important to them, because “it's a time for intimacy, pleasure and feeling comfortable together. During the time before drifting off to sleep, couples catch up on what's going on with one another, plan, make decisions, deal with disagreements and solve problems. For most couples, their time chatting in bed is the most time they have to talk with each other on a daily basis and that talk can be crucially important to their relationship,” Rosenblatt said."If couples don't have this time in bed, then they're in trouble.”
Although many couples know that it’s healthier for their marriage to share that time, sense of security and intimacy, many with snoring spouses are opting to go it alone in separate rooms for the sake of a good night’s sleep and a productive, healthy day.
If your marriage is suffering because you or your spouse snores, the answer to your problem maybe easier to solve than you think. The key is to understand that snoring is a symptom of a physical condition, such as sleep apnea, sinusitis, or nasal obstruction and it can be treated. There are many non-surgical and surgical treatments available to snorers today, dependant on the cause of the disorder. Sometimes snoring can be treated with changes in lifestyle, but when that doesn’t work, medical evaluation is necessary.
Help get your marriage get back on track, and start getting a good night’s sleep. Contact us at the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center to schedule your online appointment or call 212-873-6036 today.
-David O. Volpi, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S.,
The reason for resentment is understandable. Snoring can cause daytime symptoms that can wreak havoc on one’s waking life, and unfortunately, it is not just the snorer that suffers – the spouse can suffer just as much. The sleep loss associated with snoring impairs a person’s ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning, reasoning, and mathematical processes. It can cause morning headaches, irritability, burnout and depression to mention just a few symptoms.
It is thought that more than forty million Americans snore every night and that 60% of men snore, and 30% of women. With all that snoring at night, couples are having a hard time sleeping together. According to the National Sleep Foundation, 53 percent of adults say they have relationship problems because of their or their partner's sleep disorder. The housing industry even seems ready to capitalize on this trend, with one survey predicting that by the year 2015, more than 60 percent of custom homes will have dual master bedrooms to be occupied primarily by snoring spouses.
In his book, "Two in a Bed: The Social System of Couple Bed Sharing," Paul C. Rosenblatt explores couples sharing their sleeping space, and it is a groundbreaking book in the field of sleep and relationships. For the book, Rosenblatt interviewed 42 couples, and examines how sharing a bed affects the couple’s relationship.
Many couples described that sleeping in the same bed is extremely important to them, because “it's a time for intimacy, pleasure and feeling comfortable together. During the time before drifting off to sleep, couples catch up on what's going on with one another, plan, make decisions, deal with disagreements and solve problems. For most couples, their time chatting in bed is the most time they have to talk with each other on a daily basis and that talk can be crucially important to their relationship,” Rosenblatt said."If couples don't have this time in bed, then they're in trouble.”
Although many couples know that it’s healthier for their marriage to share that time, sense of security and intimacy, many with snoring spouses are opting to go it alone in separate rooms for the sake of a good night’s sleep and a productive, healthy day.
If your marriage is suffering because you or your spouse snores, the answer to your problem maybe easier to solve than you think. The key is to understand that snoring is a symptom of a physical condition, such as sleep apnea, sinusitis, or nasal obstruction and it can be treated. There are many non-surgical and surgical treatments available to snorers today, dependant on the cause of the disorder. Sometimes snoring can be treated with changes in lifestyle, but when that doesn’t work, medical evaluation is necessary.
Help get your marriage get back on track, and start getting a good night’s sleep. Contact us at the Manhattan Snoring and Sleep Center to schedule your online appointment or call 212-873-6036 today.
-David O. Volpi, M.D., P.C., F.A.C.S.,
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