How Sleep Apnea Could Be Affecting Your Relationship
You’ve probably read a lot about how sleep apnea can affect your health, from increasing your chances of heart attack and stroke, to shortening the length of your life. And you’ve probably also read about how sleep apnea can affect the rest of your daily life, from how you feel to your success at work.
But as you navigate your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis, it’s also vital to remember that this sleep disorder doesn’t just affect you and your health, it also affects the people around you, first and foremost your romantic partner or spouse. While you may think you can live with the symptoms and consequences of sleep apnea, your husband or wife might be struggling more than you know.
Snoring and relationships
In many cases, the first person to discover you have sleep apnea is your spouse or partner—because they are the ones who hear you struggling to breath at night. But while they are likely extremely concerned for your health and wellbeing, they are also likely suffering, too.
Instead of one person with a lack of sleep and daytime drowsiness, with sleep apnea, there are two.
That means two people who may be irritable during the day. Two people who are suffering from memory issues. Two people who are too tired or too depressed to engage in helpful behavior, appreciation, or sex.
Snoring can also breed resentment between partners—being frustrated with a lack of sleep by persistent noise can cause frustration, irritability, and even red-hot anger in your partner. This resentment and frustration can grow if their partner refuses to seek treatment or solve the problem.
Sleep Apnea and Erectile Dysfunction
Studies have found a strong link between untreated OSA and erectile dysfunction. In fact, between 50 and 70 percent of men suffering from sleep apnea also suffer from some form of erectile dysfunction.
What’s the link? First, a lack of sleep can cause testosterone levels to drop. In addition, daytime sleepiness and fatigue can simply make it difficult for your body to function correctly.
In addition, sleep apnea can cause health problems that are closely tied to erectile dysfunction, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Treating the root cause of these issues, which can be sleep apnea, can help treat erectile dysfunction, too.
Sleepiness, fatigue, and irritability
Perhaps the most serious side effect of sleep apnea for relationships is the irritability and anger that can emerge from someone who is not getting enough sleep, night after night, with no respite. People who suffer from moderate to severe sleep apnea can suffer from everything from short tempers and outbursts sadness and deep depression. These feelings could be taken out on a spouse—or a spouse could feel alienated by them.
People with untreated sleep apnea may also simply be too tired to be good partners. They might not have the energy or mental capacity to help out around the house, engage in childcare, or show appreciation for others.
Sleep apnea sufferers may also be forgetful and suffer from cognitive impairments due to their lack of restful sleep—an issue that could translate to forgetting important dates or responsibilities in a relationship.
Daytime fatigue and active lifestyles
People suffering from OSA and not seeking treatment may also simply not have the energy or mental clarity to engage in their life in a meaningful way. This means everything from listening attentively to a spouse to inviting them out for a game of tennis or to go on a walk around the neighborhood. So many people with sleep apnea get their lives stolen from them due to daytime fatigue and drowsiness that they can’t be the person they want to be, and can’t be the partner they want to be, either.
Rescue your relationship with a permanent sleep apnea solution
Many people with diagnosed OSA turn to the CPAP machine to save their health and relationship. But for a large percentage of people, the CPAP either doesn’t fit into their lives or doesn’t solve their issues of daytime drowsiness and other damaging symptoms.
At Surgical Sleep Solutions, we offer a permanent, one-time surgery to qualifying patients that allows them—and their spouse—to breathe easy and enjoy life. To learn more, contact us today.