How CPAP is linked to your marriage life
Untreated sleep apnea can have a lot of negative consequences on your body, but it can also affect your marriage. Sleep apnea restricts your body from getting necessary oxygen during sleep, and left untreated can present as horrendously loud snoring.
According to researchers, around 40% of married couples sleep in separate beds – and some even sleep in separate bedrooms. Sleep deprivation can lead to extreme marital dissatisfaction and divorce. In fact, married couples that suffer from sleep apnea have an incredibly high divorce rate, which is why researchers at The Sleep Disorders Center at Rush University Medical Center wanted to see if CPAP treatment could help.
Study findings on CPAP and marital happiness
Researchers studied 10 couples – the male counterpart in each couple had previously been diagnosed with sleep apnea. They found that there is some clinical evidence suggesting poor sleep and deprivation – as a result of excessive snoring and tossing and turning – was putting a huge strain on marriages. One patient’s snoring was causing his wife to wake up over eight times an hour.
However, once CPAP treatment was administered to treat sleep apnea, participants had improved:
- Daytime sleepiness
- Marital satisfaction
- Nighttime sleep efficiency
After the husband underwent CPAP treatment, the wife’s quality of life measure shot all the way to a 7 from a measly 1.2. In short, CPAP treatment saved their marriage.
How to stay compliant and improve your partner’s sleep
By now you’re wondering – how can I make sure my CPAP is treating my sleep apnea correctly, both for my health, and my marriage? There are a few ways to ensure your CPAP is giving you the best CPAP therapy possible – and to let your partner sleep better too.
Here are 4 tips for CPAP compliance and sleeping in the same bed again:
1. Make sure your supplies are fresh so they don’t make extra noise.
Untreated sleep apnea can be loud, but so can old supplies and machines. Even worse, poor CPAP therapy can make you irritable as well, causing undue stress on you both. When your supplies are old, the therapy will become less and less effective. Because this happens slowly and over time, most folks end up not noticing it.
Eventually this leads to over-tightening that can cause pain, marks, and loud mask noises. The less comfortable your CPAP supplies are, the harder it is to stay compliant and get your CPAP benefits. You can avoid this by replacing your supplies with fresh ones regularly on the recommended, insurance-backed schedule.
Your CPAP supplies could be yours for $0! Allow us to check with your insurance provider for you to find out what is covered (for free!). Click below to get started:
Are your supplies due for a replacement? Check out our standard insurance replacement schedule below:
2. Use the quietest machine that meets all your needs.
Your pressure needs vary through the night as you sleep. Newer CPAPs are auto-titrating, meaning they adjust to your needs breath-by-breath to give the most effective pressure needed. On top of perfecting the pressure, they have automatically adjusting comfort settings to keep you compliant every night of the week. ResMed’s AirSense 11 Auto CPAP also offers:
- Humidification: 7 levels of humidity and an optional heated tube ensures you don’t dry out
- EPR: Expiratory Pressure Relief reduces pressure upon exhale, avoiding high pressure mask leaks
- AutoRamp: Starts your sleep therapy at a low pressure so you fall asleep more comfortably
- Humidification: 7 levels of humidity and an optional heated tube ensures you don’t dry out
- EPR: Expiratory Pressure Relief reduces pressure upon exhale, avoiding high pressure mask leaks
- AutoRamp: Starts your sleep therapy at a low pressure so you fall asleep more comfortably
Upgrade to the AirSense 11 today for just $399 down and 0% APR! Just add to cart below.
3. Keep your supplies clean to avoid illness.
Once you’re on CPAP therapy and sharing a bed again, you’ll want to keep it that way. CPAP illnesses are big barriers to compliance, and getting sick can make using your CPAP very uncomfortable. That’s why keeping your mask and hose clean can be the difference between intolerable and effective CPAP therapy. The Lumin makes cleaning easy with:
- Simple and Quick: Lumin kills 99% of bacteria in a one-touch 5 minute cycle
- UV Technology: specialized UV-C light source targets harmful bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungus
- Complete compatibility: No adapter needed
- Simple and Quick: Lumin kills 99% of bacteria in a one-touch 5 minute cycle
- UV Technology: specialized UV-C light source is targeted to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungus
- Complete compatibility: Lumin fits all major mask types and humidifier chambers
Save $70 when you buy the Lumin today! Just add to cart below with code LUMIN70 applied automatically.
4. Use a mask that is quiet and doesn’t cover your entire face.
Finding the right mask for your face can be frustrating. For an enjoyable shared bed experience, smaller, quieter masks are preferred. Masks like the Evora Nasal Mask will let you see your partner without too much apparatus blocking your vision, and will stay quiet through the night. The Evora also boasts:
- Minimal and comfortable design: Soft-knit headgear delivers support with less contact on the face
- Freedom to move: Unique compact seal and flexible breathing tube keep mask securely in place
- Quiet experience: Designed with directional exhaust holes to minimize noise and draft
- Minimal and comfortable design: Soft-knit headgear delivers support with less contact on the face
- Freedom to move: Unique compact seal and flexible breathing tube keep mask securely in place
- Quiet experience: Designed with directional exhaust holes to minimize noise and draft
Save $25 on the Evora today! Just add your size to cart below and code EVORA25 applies automatically.
Don’t miss out on your insurance coverage! Find out if the Evora is covered today:
Sources:
- “Sleeping Together: A Pilot Study of the Effects of Shared Sleeping on Adherence to CPAP Treatment in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.” Cartwright, Rosalind. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine 4.2 (2008): 123-27. American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 15 Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Oct. 2013.
