Snoring ? Couples Wake up to Medical Assistance

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 2
Unaware of the fact that frequent snoring is a prominent symptom of sleep disorder, a number of individuals are still reaching sleep medicine experts these days, courtesy the annoyance caused due to the spouse’s loud snores in the middle of the night which “just do not seem to go away” in most cases.
Handling problems of sleep disorders in the city, at least five cases are reported at their clinic every months in which affected individuals bring their spouses for treatment to get rid of the disturbance caused to them due to their partner’s frequency of snoring. While it is myth in our country that snoring is an indicator of sound sleep, a majority of the people continue to believe in it. Yet, what we have found is that frequent snoring by either of the partners has been affecting the peaceful sleep of the other partner. This seems to have become a perpetual problem in a significant number of households. In most cases, couples choose not to sleep together in the same bed. What magnifies the problem is that ordinarily the snoring partner is totally ignorant about his/ her snoring habit and fail to realize that it is disturbing the partner’s sleep. Sleep disturbance arising out of snoring is causing couples to have a hard time sleeping together. Also, sleep apnea is a disorder that has often resulted in accidents in the night when those at wheel doze off,” he said.
This problem is diverse but very few cases actually reach us, mostly, the cases are referred to us from neurologists, psychiatrists and even ENT experts. Apart from patients even all doctors need to identify the symptoms to refer them to sleep medicine experts.
If snoring is causing sleep disturbances and daytime symptoms such as excessive sleepiness, headaches behavioural changes such an irritability, poor performance and difficulty in concentrating, its underlying pathology should be investigated.

Other common sleep disorders
•Insomnia: Difficulty in falling asleep and waking up too early.
•Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Loud and chronic snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness and morning headaches.
•Parasomnia: Walking while asleep, sleep terrors and nightmares.
•Restless leg syndrome: Irresistible urge to move the limbs
•Circadian rhythm sleep disorder: Continuous or occasional disruption of sleep pattern.
•Bruixism: Grinding of teeth during sleep.

WATCH OUT IF YOU…..
• Sleep for more than 7 hours yet wake up tired and groggy
• Need more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.
• Snore loudly
• Excessive sleepiness during the day
• Fall asleep while driving or sitting idle?
• Experience frequent awakenings during sleep
• Walk/ talk in sleep
• Have leg jerks in sleep