You can save your partner’s life just by listening to them sleep

It may sound a bit scary, but observing your partner while they sleep can actually benefit their health.

Luckily, you don’t have to stare them intensely to save their life – you just have to listen.

first

An expert explains what you should hear as snoring a lot.

Speaking to The Sun, Dr. Verena Senn, sleep expert at Emma sleeps says that while it is often characterized simply as an annoying habit, heavy snoring can be a serious problem for many people.

“Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder whereby the upper airway becomes completely or partially blocked during sleep, resulting in decreased blood oxygen levels and fragmented sleep,” she explains. .

“As well as daytime sleepiness and fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and impaired performance, sleep apnea has been identified as a risk factor for other clinical outcomes such as hypertension. , cardiovascular disease and stroke.”

Sleep apnea is a sleep condition that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and restart while you are asleep.

The main symptoms are feeling very tired, having trouble concentrating and mood swings, NHS speak.

Dr Senn says that sleep apnea can often go undetected because it can happen without the patient knowing it.

“Therefore, sexual partners can play an important role in recognizing this serious disease so that it can be treated.

Milder forms of sleep apnea can be treated by maintaining a regular sleep routine, losing weight or quitting smoking, she adds.

There are other signs to look out for when it comes to sleep apnea, and experts say that if the snoring is really loud – then you should see your GP.

Many people don’t know that they snore at night – except for those who wake up gasping for air because there’s not enough air circulating.

Watching your partner stop breathing, gasp, and snore is not normal and it’s something to see a specialist in.

People with obstructive sleep apnea will often also experience high blood pressure due to the body’s stress.

When you stop breathing during sleep, the nervous system activates and raises your blood pressure, releasing stress hormones that will also increase your blood pressure over time.

In addition to sleep apnea, Dr Senn said there are other sleep disorders that can cause health complications.

JET LAG

She said that a common sleep disorder in people who often travel long distances is jet lag.

Jet lag occurs when circadian rhythms or body clocks (our natural and internal sleep-wake cycles) are temporarily disrupted by time zone changes – this is more common when traveling back home. east, she explained.

“When our circadian rhythms get out of sync with our new environment, we can experience headaches, stomach problems and trouble sleeping at night as well as sleepiness during the day.

“Jet lag is quite common and most have experienced or can recognize the effects of jet lag.

“As a general rule, it usually takes one day for each time zone crossed to adjust.

“For example, traveling from London to New York, you cross 5 time zones, so it will take about 5 days for your body to adjust properly.”

Dr Senn says one way to combat the effects of jet lag is to resynchronize your circadian rhythms more quickly by exposing you to bright sunlight throughout the morning and also day.

INSOMNIA

If you have trouble sleeping in general, then you may have another sleep disorder.

Senn says about 30% of adults suffer from insomnia, which is when people struggle to fall asleep.

This is often broken down into two categories, she said, Insomnia-onset, which is difficulty falling asleep, and Maintenance Insomnia, which is difficulty falling asleep.

“Common triggers include emotional anxiety and distress or anxiety.

“This emotional stimulation leads to an overactive sympathetic nervous system that controls the body’s fight-or-flight mechanism, releasing the stress hormone cortisol and making it extremely difficult for our bodies to rest.” rest and go to sleep.”

Treatments for insomnia include medication, psychotherapy, or behavioral therapy.

Medications such as sleeping pills should always be used in consultation with a doctor as people can develop a dependency and often do not see the expected results because sleeping pills disrupt natural sleep.

Talk therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, focus on addressing worries or problems that may be causing insomnia and may be a more effective long-term solution for many people, Dr. Senn added.