Over the holidays, my family along with two other families traveled to the beautiful Eastern Caribbean. It was a magical time of warmth, connection and fun. If you’ve never slept on a boat, I urge you to try it at least once. Many of us in the group were lulled into deep sleep as the ocean rocked us back and forth.
Unfortunately, for others in the group, their sleep was disrupted by their cabin mate’s snoring. SNORING!!
More than once, at dinner time the wives and children would complain of the husband's/father’s snoring. Teenagers told us how they would grab pillows or anything close to them and throw it at their dads during the night, wanting just a little bit of relief. The wives said they would shake the men by their shoulders, trying to get them to move and roll over. As this was feverishly discussed over our meal, the men sat there without any defense of their actions. I mean, how can anyone defend the fact that they snore? It’s something you don’t have any control over. As the one who snores, you know it’s disruptive for everyone in the cabin, you feel bad about it, and yet it’s not something that you can do much about. Right?! There’s not much you can do about it?
While on the ship, my own husband was snoring more than I’d heard him doing for months. It wasn’t until we were back home that I realized what the difference was. After a long day of travel, unpacking bags and getting started on large piles of laundry, I was ready to crawl into bed for the night. I hit the memory setting on my adjustable base, made a slight adjustment to my husband's head with his base and proceeded to fall into a deep sleep. I only heard ONE small snore from my husband all night!
What was the difference? On the ship, we were sleeping on flat beds. They were fairly comfortable, but different from the sleep systems we have at home. At home, we have mattresses that cradle our bodies on top of adjustable bases that allow us to find the ultimate comfort position. Adjustable bases are motorized bed frames that elevate the head and/or feet areas of the mattress. The adjustable base is a game changer! By lifting your head a mere 12% you give yourself the ability to open your airways. Your head, neck, and lungs have more space. That space allows the air passing through your airways room to flow. You see, if you’re sleeping on a flat surface and just add more pillows, it will adjust the neck, but not the airways. Plus, adding more pillows will often cause more neck pain than its worth. The adjustable base works better because it raises the whole head and back region.
Here are 4 ways that adjustable beds reduce snoring:
Elevation - Alleviates pressure on the airway and nasal passageway.
Distributes weight more evenly - reduces pressure off the neck and upper body.
Ergonomic Positions - allow users to elevate head and feet to a position that is comfortable for back or side sleeping.
Compatible with Anti-Snoring Devices and CPAP machines - Using an adjustable base with an anti-snoring device or CPAP is an additional tool to help get deep, restful sleep.
If you’re sleeping next to someone who’s snoring is keeping you awake at night, I urge you to try an adjustable base. They're not magic and won’t completely reduce all snoring, but they give significant relief. I’m thankful to have this technology in my home, helping both my husband and I get the much needed restoration we need.
