Give Your Partner the Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift: Reduce Snoring for a Better Night’s Sleep
Darien, Ill. (PRWEB) February 12, 2014 -- A candlelit dinner, a dozen roses, a stroll through the park holding hands. These are all romantic gestures that can be wiped out the instant your head hits the pillow and the snoring begins. This Valentine’s Day, reduce snoring for a better night’s sleep and improved health.
“Snoring has serious effects, both on relationships and physical health, and couples need to address it before damage is done,” said Dr. M. Safwan Badr, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). “The biggest concern with snoring is that it’s a common symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a serious sleep disorder and risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and many other health problems.”
The AASM wants couples to be proactive in correcting this health- and relationship-threatening nuisance. If snoring is occasional, the AASM recommends the following tips to improve snoring symptoms so you, and your partner, can sleep in peace:
• Weight loss: Weight gain can make snoring worse, and may even lead to obstructive sleep apnea. Shedding pounds can help reduce or eliminate snoring for some people, and should be a top priority if you are overweight or obese.
• Positional therapy: For some, snoring mostly occurs while sleeping on the back. Try changing sleep positions to reduce snoring.
• Avoid alcohol, muscle relaxants and certain medications: These substance can relax your throat or tongue muscles causing you to snore.
If snoring is loud and frequent, seek out medical attention from a board-certified sleep physician who will conduct testing for a more severe sleep problem, such as obstructive sleep apnea. If this serious sleep disorder is diagnosed, the frontline treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, in which your airway is kept open by providing a stream of air through a mask worn during sleep. Additional treatments include oral appliance therapy or surgery.
For more tips and expert advice, the AASM invites you and your partner to participate in a “#StopSnoring” Twitter party at 3 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, February 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Participants can share “snore stories” and ask questions of sleep expert and AASM president Dr. M. Safwan Badr. To take this useful step in improving snoring, follow @AASMorg.
For more information, or to find a local sleep specialist at an AASM-accredited sleep center, visit http://www.sleepeducation.com.
About The American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is the leader in setting standards and promoting excellence in sleep medicine. With nearly 10,000 members, the AASM improves sleep health and promotes high quality patient centered care through advocacy, education, strategic research, and practice standards. For more information, visit http://www.aasmnet.org.
Lauren Platt, +1 (312) 565-4603, [email protected]
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