Is Snoring Ruining Your Sex Life?
Snoring may be the butt of many light-hearted jokes, but those who suffer the consequences of loud and excessive snoring know it’s more than a silly nuisance. Severe snoring, like the kind associated with sleep apnea, can break up a relationship, or at least send it to separate rooms. In an article for WebMD, Dr. Andrew L Riles states that the connection between snoring and a lack of intimacy is clear, but treatments can help.
Sex and Snoring
The obvious obstacle to a great sex life is sleeping in separate rooms. If snoring has driven the couple apart in the name of a good night’s sleep, keeping the fires of sexual intimacy flamed is naturally going to be more difficult. However, the relationship between snoring and your sex life is more complex than the sleeping arrangement:
- Snoring caused by sleep apnea can leave the snorer chronically tired due to oxygen deprivation through the night
- The partner of the snorer may suffer from sleep deprivation and be too tired to enjoy healthy sexual relations at the end of the day
- Males with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) may actually produce less testosterone according to sleep expert and surgeon Dr. Paulose
- Medications for high blood pressure and other ailments caused by sleep apnea may reduce sex drive and cause erectile dysfunction in men
- The stress that snoring places on a relationship may lead to depression or resentment for one or both partners, making emotional intimacy more difficult
Make the Fireworks Fly
There are several steps you can take to resolve the problems associated with snoring, and get your sexual relationship back on track. Start with a medical evaluation, including a sleep study. A CPAP mask may be the best treatment for patients who’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea. According to research cited by WebMD, sleep apnea patients treated with CPAP noticed a decrease in daytime fatigue and an increase in sexual energy.
Other solutions include weight loss, avoiding alcohol and other sedatives, smoking cessation, sleeping on your side and using a more supportive pillow.
A great sex life isn’t the only reason to seek treatment to stop your snoring. New studies by researchers at the Henry Ford Hospital have found a connection between snoring and cardiovascular disease. Snoring and sleep apnea cannot only ruin your life, left untreated they can ruin your health.