Sleep Divorce? How a Sleep Apnea Appliance Can Save Your Marriage

Sleep divorce happens when a couple decides sleeping in separate rooms is the only option if one of you snores and disturbs the other’s sleep quality. Although it might seem like a practical solution, the physical distance of spending every night in different rooms can lead to emotional distance in your relationship.

We all know the importance of a good night’s sleep. It’s necessary to rest and recharge, so you’re ready to take on the day. Unfortunately, snoring is a common problem among married couples. Spending each night struggling to fall asleep and stay asleep affects not only your health but also your marriage.

Loud snoring is one of the tell-tale signs of sleep apnea. According to statistics from the American Sleep Apnea Association, approximately 22 million people in the United States suffer from sleep apnea. Fortunately, you and your partner can finally sleep better in the same bed when you treat sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy.

Common Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Before you can discuss the available treatment options for sleep apnea, you must first determine whether you or your partner has sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that causes a person to start and stop breathing repeatedly as they sleep.

The most common symptoms of sleep apnea include:

• Loud snoring
• Morning headaches
• Waking up with a dry throat or mouth
• Gasping for air during sleep
• Irritability
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Trouble staying asleep
• Difficulty paying attention while awake
• Episodes of stopped breathing continuously throughout the night

Oral Appliance Therapy

An experienced healthcare professional can diagnose your condition. If it turns out you or your spouse has sleep apnea, you might benefit from oral appliance therapy.

Oral appliance therapy involves a custom device the snorer can wear to reduce episodes of sleep apnea and snoring.

These four types of oral appliances are available based on a person’s needs:

• The EMA – The Elastic Mandibular Advancement (EMA) contains two individual trays made of vacuum form material held together with a strap. The strap can vary in flexibility and length. This device is comfortable and allows lateral movement of the jaw.
• Dynaflex Dorsal – The dorsal oral appliance can effectively minimize the occurrence of snoring in the wearer. The device contains two pieces with hardware that keep the lower jaw in place as the wearer sleeps.
• The Adjustable Herbst – The Adjustable Herbst contains hinged mechanisms on the upper and lower faces of the oral appliance. There are also advancement screws on these mechanisms for titration and advancement of the mandible.
• Respire Blue+ — The Respire Blue+ is a custom mouthpiece. This device is designed to have interlocking wings that help keep the airway open no matter which sleep position you choose.

Contact Silent Night Therapy

The professional team from Silent Night Therapy believes everyone deserves to sleep soundly every night. If you and your partner resigned yourselves to sleeping separately because you don’t think there’s a better solution, you should contact us immediately.

A sleep apnea appliance might be the remedy you’ve been looking for to save your marriage, as well as your quality of sleep. Call us at 631-983-2463 today for a free sleep consultation and learn about the options that are available to treat your or your spouse’s sleep apnea symptoms.