October 14, 2020 4 min read

Snoring affects approximately 57% of men, 40% of women, and even 27% of children, and it’s safe to say that snoring is not just an annoyance. In fact, there are many ways snoring can interfere with both your mental and physical health. Since snoring is more than it seems, it’s a good idea to be aware of the possible side effects. The more knowledge, the easier it is to detect snoring effects early on and treat them properly. So, here are some of the different ways snoring can affect your everyday life. 


Sleep

Since this issue occurs while we sleep, you can expect that it has significant consequences for our sleep quality. Oftentimes, these unconscious sounds arise due to over-relaxed muscles in and around the throat. While yes, being relaxed at night typically offers ideal resting conditions, an excessive amount of muscle relaxation can lead to snoring and irritation throughout the night. 


Sleep is important for our overall health. Any disturbance can alter that entirely. For those who snore, some common snoring effects on sleep include choking, headaches, irritability, and restlessness. Sometimes, those who have these problems can wake up and not even know it. These are called micro-awakenings and are often associated with snoring. If you’ve dealt with any of the above symptoms during your snooze, best to seek solutions that completely eliminate snoring or at least reduce it enough for quality night’s rest. 


Daily Routine

If you’re a habitual snorer, it’s likely that you felt sleepy during that day. People with this problem often say they feel sluggish, drowsy, and fatigued while they’re out and about. This can significantly interfere with the quality of their work, relationships, and physical activity. Although these effects do not solely stem from snoring,snoring solutions have proven to solve a variety of daytime drowsiness issues. If this problem persists or is left untreated, worrying effects include cognitive decline, consistent headaches, and memory loss. 


Affected partner

Multiple studies show that people who sleep with someone that snores are more likely to be resentful, restless during the day, and even have less sex. Let’s face it, it’s not just your bedmate that’s upset. For the snorer, it can lead to feelings of shame, embarrassment, and helplessness. 


One of the most common results of a partner’s snoring is a “sleep-divorce,” which means sleeping in separate bedrooms. Sleeping apart is quite common, in fact, recent studies indicate that anywhere from 25% to 40% of couples sleep in different bedrooms. Yes, snoring is a likely culprit but other reasons for sleeping apart include different schedules and preferred environment preferences. 


Blaming yourself is never the right course of action to take if the snoring seriously affects your spouse. The best course of action to take for those disruptive sounds is to simply talk about it. Communication is always key and even if it results in sleeping in separate rooms, know that it’s more common and manageable that one might think.


Mental Health

Snoring can have a lot to do with feelings of anxiety and stress. Not getting enough quality sleep commonly results in tiredness throughout the day that can lead to heightened feelings of anxiety, which can then turn to a decline in confidence, and so forth.


A lack of sleep tends to introduce more production of cortisol - our stress hormone. Basically, the more sleep distractors such as snoring, uncomfortable environmental, and air quality the more likely you’ll be stressed. To add on, an abundance of studies show that poor sleep is often associated with depression, anxiety, and alcohol use. Our mental health should be prioritized higher up on our “reasons to find snoring solutions” list. After all, if we’re fixing our mental health, we’ve gotta start simple - and that could be as easy as using an anti-snoring mouthpiece.


Physical Health

Unfortunately, those who gain weight are more likely to form snoring patterns. When we gain weight, fat grows all over our bodies, including around our throat and chest area. This is a common, if not the most common reason as to why people snore. To make things worse, poor sleep increases the amount of insulin in our systems, which promotes fat storage. Weight gain can be both a cause and symptom of snoring. It’s the unsettling reality, but a good reason to find fixes for snoring and irritated sleep! 


Generally, the physical effects of snoring are well-known, but here are other lesser-known effects this problem can have on our bodies:

  • Risk of strokes for longer-term snorers
  • Sleep apnea linked heart disease
  • Arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm)
  • Injury due to broken sleep quality
  • Nocturia (loss of bladder control)
  • Less sexual satisfaction

Snoring is incredibly common, but can have some significant consequences. Finding asnoring solution means you’re taking care of your physical health, mental health, and in many cases, the health of your relationship. 


References

  1. https://www.sleepscore.com/much-less-sleep-get-snore/
  2. https://www.alaskasleep.com/blog/snoring-signs-causes-risks-health-condition
  3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/sleep-newzzz/201412/how-keep-snoring-hurting-your-relationship
  4. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/snored-to-death-the-symptoms-and-dangers-of-untreated-sleep-apnea-2017021311159
  5. https://www.cerebra.health/blog/7-ways-their-snoring-is-affecting-your-health/
  6. https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/eleven-health-risks-snoring/



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