And it will boost your heart health while reducing your risk for common conditions, like obesity and Type II diabetes.
But there’s one area of your day-to-day life where sleep apnea treatments can provide an extra boost. Researchers have just unveiled a study: treating OSA can also “treat” your love life.
A Study on OSA and Love Life
JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery published a recent study on this topic. Researchers decided to take a closer look at how treating sleep apnea can improve a couple’s sex life. And the results were certainly promising.
In the study, the researchers enlisted more than 180 men and women who had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They wanted to find out if libido improved after getting treatment.
About half of the participants sought no treatment for their sleep apnea. Meanwhile, the others regularly treated their OSA over the course of the year.
After a year’s time, the researchers then provided the study’s participants with an in-depth questionnaire about their love life. As a result, the study found that on a scale from 1 to 5, the folks who were treated saw an improvement in their sex life by roughly .7 points – or a little less than 20%.
Also interesting, while both genders that underwent treatment reported an uptick in their libido, it was the women who saw the biggest improvement. In fact, the quality of love life was roughly 9 times greater for women than it was for men after treatment.
This is one of the more recent studies to take a detailed look at sleep apnea and how it affects a person’s libido and love life. But it’s certainly not that surprising for doctors and researchers who have examined the condition for years.
Treat Yourself and Your Partner: How OSA Inhibits a Healthy Love Life
For couples, the loud snoring and restless sleep can lead to less quality time in the bedroom. This is because one partner suffers through the noise while the other remains restless all night long.
Therefore, the improvements that naturally come with treating obstructive sleep apnea easily carry over to our love lives, as well.
After just a few weeks or even days of treating sleep apnea, most patients notice higher energy levels, a boost in mood, and more stamina. Before treatment, all sorts of activities were difficult during a prolonged period of sleep deprivation.
When we’re sleep deprived, it’s hard to focus on anything besides the need for sleep. So finally having a good night’s rest easily translates to a life with more energy all around.
Do you want to enhance your love life and the quality time you spend with your partner? Start with getting diagnosed and treatment for your obstructive sleep apnea.
Treating your OSA will make the bedroom a quieter and more peaceful environment for your partner (especially if you are prone to loud snoring). Most of all, it can lead to a happier and more energized relationship in more ways than one. So don’t hesitate to take the first step!
Do you want to talk to your partner about their OSA but need some tips on how?
When it comes to some of the more obvious side effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it’s often the patient’s partner that suffers. OSA can cause loud snoring, restless nights, and loud gasps of breath, which the snorer may not be aware of, but which will affect anyone who is remotely nearby.
Because of this fact, it’s often a loved one who first notices a sleeping problem, and who starts the conversation about getting tested and treated for obstructive sleep apnea.
It’s not always the easiest topic to tackle, simply because millions of Americans who snore don’t search for treatment (not realizing it is sleep apnea). But it’s an important discussion nonetheless, simply because OSA is associated with so many other life-threatening sleep risks.
Have you noticed an issue with your spouse or partner’s sleep, and want to encourage them to get diagnosed and treated for obstructive sleep apnea?
Here are a few things to keep in mind.
How to Start the Conversation
Do the research.
It’s always smart to have facts and information on hand when starting any conversation about obstructive sleep apnea. These facts can include professional data, as well as your own observations.
Pay attention to your partner’s sleeping habits and how they are particularly concerning or unusual. And be sure to report side effects or symptoms usually found with obstructive sleep apnea. Morning headaches, all day grogginess, the need for frequent naps, and irritability are some examples.
Obviously, you’re talking to your spouse or partner about obstructive sleep apnea from a place of love and concern, and it’s essential to make sure that fact is crystal clear.
Explain how obstructive sleep apnea is affecting you both, and how it has the potential to affect you down the road.
In the short term, neither of you are getting quality rest, (especially if loud snoring is involved). And in the long term, your loved one is at a much higher risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, and a number of other potentially deadly health conditions.
By making it clear that you want your spouse around for as long as possible, you can emphasize the health risks while demonstrating that you’re coming from a place of genuine love.
Have a solution ready.
So why do many folks who think they have a sleeping issue never see a doctor?
It is because they are concerned that treatments are expensive, uncomfortable, and completely inconvenient.
But with multiple modern advancements, this is no longer the case!
Contemporary treatments for sleep apnea, such as oral appliance therapy, are often covered by insurance. And they consist of just a small and comfortable oral device that can fit into your pocket.
Make it clear it’s a team effort.
When it comes to you or your partner’s health, you’re in this together!
Make sure your partner knows that you’ll be there every step of the way, from the initial diagnosis to months after treatment begins.
By making it clear that your loved one’s health is as important as your own, you can tackle obstructive sleep apnea as a twosome. And you both can enjoy a good night’s rest!
Do you or a loved one suffer from sleep apnea? Don’t hesitate to contact Alaska Sleep Clinic today.
Are you ready to get on the road to better sleep and better health all around? Alaska Sleep Clinic is ready to help you improve your sleep AND your life.
