People often take sleep issues lightly, when in fact they should pay attention to the symptoms. Sleep problems, no matter how minute they may be, are often symptoms of other health problems. The more you pay attention to your sleep problems, the better you can understand the underlying causes.
Sleep problems can also cause additional issues. Insomnia, for instance, could make you less functional during the day. You are less sharp and unable to maintain focus over an extended period of time. This harms your productivity quite severely.
In this article, however, we are going to focus on one question. Is restless sleep (and other sleep problems) affecting your relationship? Let me cut to the chase. The simple answer to that question is YES. Here’s the long answer.
Extra Tension
Issues like restless sleep and snoring can be very bad for your relationship; yes, sleeping with your mouth open is a problem too. When you sleep with the person you love the most and you disturb (well, annoy) that person all night, every night, tension will start to affect the relationship sooner or later.
That tension isn’t harmful when it gets released regularly. Your partner may even be more proactive in helping you deal with your sleep problems like snoring and restlessness. However, this isn’t the case with every couple.
Most partners will choose to stay silent and do nothing, even though they are disturbed by your sleep problems. Tension builds up inside and goes unnoticed; it turns into a ticking time bomb that can explode and ruin your relationship at any moment – and with the smallest trigger.
Lower Quality of Sleep
If you are restless in your sleep, you are not getting a good enough sleep in the evening. Also, your partner isn’t enjoying his or her sleep either. Lower sleep quality means you are not getting the full benefits of sleeping at night.
Your body isn’t regenerating and repairing damaged cells optimally. Your mind isn’t completely switched off. Even worse, you may find yourself feeling tired when you wake up from a bad sleep. Imagine your partner feeling the same way too.
Again, this isn’t an issue that impacts you immediately, but the impact of restless sleep will start spilling into your everyday lives. You will lose focus often, feel tired more quickly, and start to lose your ability to stay productive for longer.
Active Steps to Take
Fortunately, there are things you can do to regain your ability to sleep well at night. You can return to enjoying good and refreshing sleep at night by first acknowledging that you have a problem. Talk to your partner and get insights on how you sleep at night.
Dig deeper into the issue and understand the underlying cause. For example, you can wear a smart tracker to monitor your sleep pattern. When connected to your mobile app, modern activity trackers can measure your movement and record other metrics while you sleep.
Start searching for solutions once you have identified the common sleep problems you have. If you snore, for instance, you can use anti-snoring strips to help you breathe better when you sleep. Using a memory-foam pillow and a good mattress helps too.
For more severe issues, don’t hesitate to consult a doctor. For instance, you may have a sinus infection or nasal polyps affecting your breathing when you sleep. Seeing a doctor allows you to deal with the underlying health issues and not just the sleeping problems.
Improving the quality of your sleep means improving the quality of your relationship. Your partner will certainly appreciate your eagerness to get better and healthier. In fact, your relationship will be stronger than ever with your sleep problems eliminated.
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
