When Power Snoring Exceeds a Power Saw

Think you've got it bad putting up with a snoring bed partner? Well, think again. This month a British woman has been recorded as one of her country's loudest snorers. Her snore is so loud that from a decibel standpoint, it's louder than a jet plane!

Impossible? Not at all. Though snoring rarely exceeds 85 decibels, sixty-year-old Jenny Chapman comes in at 111.6 decibels, which could drown out a spinning washing machine, diesel truck, and speeding express train.

People confuse decibels all the time, because they aren't "units" per se. A decibel is literally one-tenth of a bel - the number of bels (named after Alexander Graham Bell) being the common logarithm of the ratio of two powers. In other words, they measure a ratio of powers. Decibels do measure loudness, but it's best to think of them in terms of percentages because they aren't quantities of anything. Here's a list of common sounds and their associated decibels:

Decibel Level	Sounds
0	The softest sound a person can hear with normal hearing
10	Normal breathing
30	soft whisper
50	rainfall, refrigerator, large office
60	normal conversation
70	Some research suggests that any sound above this range can stimulate the nervous system
70 - 95	garbage disposal
75 - 85	flush toilet
80	doorbell, ringing telephone
80 - 90	blender
85	heavy traffic, noisy restaurant
110	car horn, baby crying, shouting in ear, power saw, leaf blower
120	thunder
170	shotgun
180	rocket launching from pad

So what can Jenny do to tone down the volume (and invite her poor husband back into bed who sleeps in another room)? She's been working on living a healthier life - cutting back on alcohol and food intake at night, and exercising more. Though snoring is a multi-factorial problem, studies have long proven that excess weight, alcohol use, and being too sedentary can trigger or exacerbate the problem. When Jenny manages to gain better control of her snoring, she won't just make her husband happy. But she'll also make herself happier. Less ferocious snoring means more restful sleep.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

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Andy Rooney on Sleep

dno1967 / CC BY 2.0

Yes, Andy, we do sleep about a third of our lives away.

And I agree, it would be nice to have a gauge on us to let us know when we need to get some shut eye or when we've had enough, much like a battery light that comes on to tell us it's time to charge a certain device for optimal use. Green means go. Red mean stop.

Earlier this month when Andy Rooney gave his classic spiel during the last segment of 60 Minutes, he talked about sleep. He doesn't quite understand why so many people have problems with sleep, especially since he "can sleep night or day, sitting, standing, or lying down" and he admits to falling asleep right at his desk or on a bus going across town. He can get along on 7 hours, and thinks that anyone who gets 9 hours or more is sleeping his or her life away.

Andy's quips were no doubt enjoyed by many. But a few big topics Andy failed to cover, though, are sleep's impact on:

• overall health;


• memory; and


• the ability to get things done (ahem, like work into your nineties and have the energy to go on television on a weekly basis).

But what about that "device" to tell us when we've had the perfect amount of sleep? Might I suggest:

• Signs of your battery is getting low: fatigue, sleepiness, low energy, need for caffeine, moodiness, inability to focus, difficult concentrating


• Signs of your battery has been charged properly: feeling refreshed when you wake up, having the energy to get through your day, not needing caffeine to stay awake, alert, and productive

Put simply: the body tells us when we need sleep. It's the "y" effect. When we're hungry, we eat, when we're thirsty, we drink, and when we're sleepy, we sleep - or at least we should. And I sense that Mr. Rooney knows that, alongside the other secrets to sound sleep. How else can he be so vibrant, focused, and productive at ninety years old?

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

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Pilot Fatigue to Blame?

If you learned upon landing that your plane's pilots had overshot the airport by 150 miles because they fell asleep at the controls, what would you feel?

Terrified?
Shocked?
Lucky?

I'd feel a mix of the above. In this week's latest hit to the airline industry, a Northwest flight to Minneapolis overshot its destination and pilot fatigue could be to blame. Of course, the pilots are saying they were in an argument at the time and that's the reason for the blunder (not that I'd like to see my pilots so distracted over a "debate" that they still overshoot the runway!).

Fatigue among pilots has been a recurring theme this year, punctuated earlier this year by the deadly crash near Buffalo that was partly blamed on fatigue (that crash was blamed on pilot error).

The Federal Aviation Administration is rewriting its rules that govern flight time for pilots and their required rest periods in order to reduce the chances of fatigue. It will be the first update to the rules in decades and will utilize research that wasn't available before.

Does that make me feel better the next time I fly?

A little, maybe. Trouble is, it can be hard to legislate such rules. And sometimes fatigue over a series of poorly slept nights can catch up to you days later. In other words, you could have a sleep-deprived weekend, feel okay on Monday but be a zombie on Tuesday when you're expected to perform - and the lives of countless others are in your hands.

I've written about shift workers a lot in the past. But those who have jobs that put the lives of many others at stake should be scrutinized to a much higher degree. If it's that easy to fall asleep at the controls of an airplane - without the airplane knowing (or its numerous flight attendants!), then I say, let's invent something that can keep check on that. With all the gadgets we have at our disposal today, can't we find one that can alert the crew on a flight when its captain has nodded off?

Just a thought. Now that would make me feel safer in the skies.

Sweet Dreams,

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

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The Secret to a Happy Marriage (and Healthy Self): Separate Beds? I Doubt it!

This topic is always popular: sleeping in separate beds for the sake of getting restful sleep and enjoying your partner even more as a result.

• Have you ever been awakened by your bed partner? (snoring, thrashing, moving around)
• Have you ever been the unintentional recipient of a battle by your bed partner in the middle of the night? (hit or punched as your bed partner physically plays out his dream without even knowing it)
• Have you ever gotten better sleep in your partner's absence?
• Have you ever slept on a couch because you couldn't get the sleep you needed in the same bed as your partner?
• Have you ever thought about sleeping in separate beds on a routine basis?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you're not alone (well, maybe you are alone now sleeping soundly in your own bed).

In 2005, the National Sleep Foundation began reporting on this trend in separate sleeping beds. A survey then showed that 23 percent of married Americans sleep alone, an increase from 12 percent in 2001. Glamour magazine also reported on a survey of builders and architects who predict that double master bedrooms will soon be the norm.

Then there's the report by British sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley at a recent conference that has lots of people talking on the Internet: married people suffer 50 percent more harmful sleep disturbances if they share a bed. And this does not bode well for the sufferer of poor sleep, as it can cause depression, heart disease, stroke, lung disorders and accidents.

No doubt about that. He could have just summed it all up by saying bed partners are hazardous to your health!

But I think this is a bit one-sided. I am not questioning the validity of his results, but there are some serious advantages to sleeping with a bed partner.

• In many cases this is the time for intimacy, from cuddling to sex, and it usually occurs in bed. Sure you can have "dates" for this, but how do you say "Honey I love you, thanks and Bye!"
• Sometimes this is one of the best times for communication. If you have been running around all day, and not had time to "catch up" with your partner, this is usually the best time to do it. Of course large emotional discussions are best out of the bedroom, but just everyday catching up is fine.
• While I can't put my finger on it, the mere fact that you are physically close to someone, feels like (no pun intended) it has a positive effect on any relationship. Think about what you are saying to someone when you refuse to sleep next to them.
• There is also one research study from Australia that shows men sleep better when they are sleeping next to someone.

Okay, so the separate bed thing may not be for everyone. But if you have a bad bed partner, and the last time you got a good night's sleep was when you were alone in your bed, then it may be time to look at this situation. Here is what I suggest:

If you are concerned that your bed partner may have a sleep disorder, a visit to a primary care physician and/or sleep specialist is the place to start to rule out potentially serious disorders like sleep apnea, periodic limb movement, or restless leg syndrome, or any other health issue that could be interfering with their (or your) sleep.

• If it is snoring that bothers your sleep, consider ear plugs, a sound machine, or some type of anti-snoring device.
• If it is their movement that bothers your sleep, consider a new mattress that reduces motion transfer.
• If they get up in the middle of the night and disturb you, consider two beds in the same room, or a mattress that reduces motion transfer.
• If they have a different schedule, consider scheduling changes, eye masks, book lights, etc.

Or, in the very least, opt for a bigger bed. You may be surprised by how well today's mattresses can accommodate two very different sleepers.

Here is what I know to be true above all else:

I have saved more marriages as a sleep specialist than I probably would have as a marital therapist, just by getting people back in bed, sleeping together!

Sweet Dreams.

Michael J. Breus, PhD
The Sleep Doctor™
www.thesleepdoctor.com

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• Sleep Disorders: Member Discussion
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