05/04/2015 11:44
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Sleep apnea has pervasive effects on personality, cognition and overall health. When people in relationships have this disorder, they may encounter problems with communication and intimacy for these reasons. The situation is also bound to be difficult for any person whose partner has sleep apnea.
Changes Affecting the Relationship
Stricken with constant fatigue, individuals with sleep apnea remain in a fog no matter how much they sleep. Depression, accompanied by loss of interest in activities formerly enjoyed, can easily develop. Furthermore, hormone levels are reduced by sleep apnea and can make intimacy difficult or less pleasurable.
How Sleep Apnea Affects Partners
Partners of those with sleep apnea may feel helpless in their inability to change things for the better. On a nightly basis, the partner may also witness their loved one gasping for breath, causing the partner to worry incessantly. Cognitive problems affecting the sleep apnea patient may prevent successful communication and make the partner feel isolated.
Sleep apnea can clearly affect both people involved in a relationship if one of them is affected by the disorder. With treatment, the relationship may recover from the strain that sleep apnea has placed on it. Patients can learn more about how this disorder affects relationships at a consultation with our expert in sleep apnea treatment in Thousand Oaks.