My Partner has OSA
Michelle is the wife of our founder, Brian. She shares her experience as the bed partner of someone who had untreated sleep apnea and the difference it made for her once he got treatment.
A sleep apnea diagnosis and the accompanying treatment is often life changing for a person. What most people don’t know is that it is also life changing for their sleep partner. For me, it was years of battling the nightly snore-fest. I tried every trick in the book to try to drown out the sound. A loud fan, an even louder sound machine, and sometimes sleeping with my head at the end of the bed were my only solutions. I refused to leave the comfort of my bed and sometimes resorted to smacking him in the arm to get him to stop. I tried my best to not disturb my husband as he struggled to sleep soundly, many times lying awake worrying as he gasped for breath and twitched in his sleep.
Sleep apnea never crossed my mind, we were both young, barely into our 40’s. Sleep apnea was something my parents struggled with, not my husband. He just happened to snore, like every other husband on the face of the planet. What started to worry me was when it progressed from snoring, to also having other bizarre sleep disturbances. The twitching was often very violent and would wake me from a dead sleep. After a while, I told him that he seemed to be really struggling every night to sleep soundly, often waking with a snort and a gasp for breath. It took him quite a while to realize that what was happening while he slept was causing daily exhaustion and quite possibly other health problems.
As my husband began looking into sleep apnea, he discovered he may be a candidate for a CPAP. The thought of going to a sleep clinic to be tested was extremely daunting so he put off the testing for some time. Eventually he found a company who would do the testing at home, much like GEM SLEEP does, however he found the process of actually ordering and receiving his CPAP was arduous and not user friendly. After months of back and forth, he finally received his CPAP.
Admittedly, it took a bit of time for him to get used to the machine, however, I noticed an immediate improvement in his sleep behavior and I finally experienced a snore free night of sleep. When I say it felt life changing, I am not exaggerating. Getting a full night’s sleep is taken for granted by so many people and the partners of those suffering with OSA often experience more sleepless nights than the patient themselves. The tedious process of going from sleep test to sleep solution was the inspiration for GEM SLEEP. After years of poor sleep, he was finally experiencing the amazing benefits of the CPAP and he felt he could offer a better user experience to those who also suffer from OSA.
The CPAP sort of became a way of life here in our household. The beauty of a CPAP is its portability, if we travel, it comes with. Early last year, we took a night trip to Chicago and part of the CPAP was left at home. It is safe to say that neither of us slept well that night and we were incredibly grateful it was for only one night. The CPAP has made our travel much more enjoyable, being away from the comfort of your bed alone causes sleep disturbances, there is no need to add snoring to that equation.
As the spouse of someone diagnosed with OSA, I am incredibly grateful for how easy it has become to seek your diagnosis and treatment. If you are experiencing sleepless nights due to your partner’s snoring, take the time to talk with them about your concerns. Treatment for OSA is simple, it will significantly change the way you both sleep!
If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.
GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.
A sleep apnea diagnosis and the accompanying treatment is often life changing for a person. What most people don’t know is that it is also life changing for their sleep partner. For me, it was years of battling the nightly snore-fest. I tried every trick in the book to try to drown out the sound. A loud fan, an even louder sound machine, and sometimes sleeping with my head at the end of the bed were my only solutions. I refused to leave the comfort of my bed and sometimes resorted to smacking him in the arm to get him to stop. I tried my best to not disturb my husband as he struggled to sleep soundly, many times lying awake worrying as he gasped for breath and twitched in his sleep.
Sleep apnea never crossed my mind, we were both young, barely into our 40’s. Sleep apnea was something my parents struggled with, not my husband. He just happened to snore, like every other husband on the face of the planet. What started to worry me was when it progressed from snoring, to also having other bizarre sleep disturbances. The twitching was often very violent and would wake me from a dead sleep. After a while, I told him that he seemed to be really struggling every night to sleep soundly, often waking with a snort and a gasp for breath. It took him quite a while to realize that what was happening while he slept was causing daily exhaustion and quite possibly other health problems.
As my husband began looking into sleep apnea, he discovered he may be a candidate for a CPAP. The thought of going to a sleep clinic to be tested was extremely daunting so he put off the testing for some time. Eventually he found a company who would do the testing at home, much like GEM SLEEP does, however he found the process of actually ordering and receiving his CPAP was arduous and not user friendly. After months of back and forth, he finally received his CPAP.
Admittedly, it took a bit of time for him to get used to the machine, however, I noticed an immediate improvement in his sleep behavior and I finally experienced a snore free night of sleep. When I say it felt life changing, I am not exaggerating. Getting a full night’s sleep is taken for granted by so many people and the partners of those suffering with OSA often experience more sleepless nights than the patient themselves. The tedious process of going from sleep test to sleep solution was the inspiration for GEM SLEEP. After years of poor sleep, he was finally experiencing the amazing benefits of the CPAP and he felt he could offer a better user experience to those who also suffer from OSA.
The CPAP sort of became a way of life here in our household. The beauty of a CPAP is its portability, if we travel, it comes with. Early last year, we took a night trip to Chicago and part of the CPAP was left at home. It is safe to say that neither of us slept well that night and we were incredibly grateful it was for only one night. The CPAP has made our travel much more enjoyable, being away from the comfort of your bed alone causes sleep disturbances, there is no need to add snoring to that equation.
As the spouse of someone diagnosed with OSA, I am incredibly grateful for how easy it has become to seek your diagnosis and treatment. If you are experiencing sleepless nights due to your partner’s snoring, take the time to talk with them about your concerns. Treatment for OSA is simple, it will significantly change the way you both sleep!
If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.
GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.