If you and your partner sleep in separate bedrooms because one of you snore, you're in a sleep divorce. Jessica joined Dr. Kandula on The Morning Blend to share her story of success after enduring a lifetime of snoring issues.
Transcript:
[Molly] Welcome back to The Morning Blend. It is estimated that one in four couples sleep in separate beds because of snoring. It is called sleep divorce, and many people won't talk about it. It is our continuing series, Sleep Well, Breathe Well with ADVENT. We're going to chat with one mom who knew she needed to change. We are joined now by Dr. Madan Kandula, Founder and CEO of ADVENT, along with Jessica, who said she'd been snoring since she was a little girl. Good morning to both of you.
[Dr. Kandula] Good morning.
[Jessica] Good morning.
Jessica's Lifelong Struggle with Snoring
[Molly] I'm so glad that you decided to join us with your story, Jessica, because I think there are so many people out there who share some of the same experiences that you've had. So tell us, when did you- because we talked about the fact that you were snoring, starting so young. When did you first really know that it was a problem?
[Jessica] Well, Molly, I remember snoring as a young child, and I was so embarrassed, I didn't want to sleep over at my friend's house. When I got to college, I certainly didn't want to sleep in the dorm, but it got worse when I got pregnant and I found that my husband was sleeping on the couch every night. And it it was like a sleep divorce.
[Molly] Yeah, for sure. I was thinking, well, maybe he didn't want to take care of the baby, so he's going to leave that to you.
[Jessica] No, this was actually when I was pregnant.
[Molly] Oh, when you were. Yeah. OK, there you go. It's such a sad thing to hear, Doctor, I wonder if this is something common.
The Commonality of Sleep Divorce and Snoring
[Dr. Kandula] Yeah, it's super common. I mean, as you said, a quarter of couples are in a divorce and sometimes they don't even know. And, you know, just like Jessica, many folks have airway issues and they've had them their whole life and they don't know that there's necessarily a problem until something from the outside, you know, reaches out and says, hey, this isn't right. And the reality is this is very, very common. And there are very simple solutions for most folks.
Jessica's Attempts to Solve Her Snoring
[Molly] Unbelievable that 50 percent out of the population snores. And I'm wondering, Jessica, did you try other things before going to ADVENT for your snoring?
[Jessica] Absolutely, I remember in high school trying the nose straps. I got a mouth guard, I would sleep nearly standing up because people told me it helped with snoring. And quite frankly, I honestly never knew that people would breathe through their nose.
[Molly] All right. It was like to you it just seemed normal to breathe through your mouth.
[Jessica] Right.
[Molly] So were you frustrated trying all these different things?
[Jessica] Well, I was totally frustrated, so I tried a wealth of different things and my husband was still sleeping on the couch. It got to the point where him being in bed, he had such a hard time sleeping because I was snoring so loud.
Finding a Permanent Solution at ADVENT
[Molly] So what happened then? So you ended up going to ADVENT were they able to deliver not just a solution, because it seems like you found some temporary solutions. Were you able to find something permanent?
[Jessica] Yes. So Dr. Kandula did a balloon sinuplasty and I'll say within a week of recovery, I was able to breathe with my mouth closed. Now, that's something that I had never experienced before.
[Molly] And then were you getting good sleep? And I have to know if your husband left the sofa and came back to bed, so you ended your sleep divorce.
[Jessica] Yes, most importantly, my husband is back in bed. I have more energy to play outside with my daughter. I can garden. I can breathe better. I feel so much better that I did this.
Dr. Kandula on Diagnosing and Treating Snoring Issues
[Molly] Aww, good for you. I'm so happy to hear that, Jessica. And Doctor, I want to hear about things you do to develop, to diagnose, to treat these issues and help find permanent solutions. But I also have to know personally, it's got to be gratifying to hear people like Jessica have their quality of life improved so dramatically.
[Dr. Kandula] Yeah. I mean, it's why we do what we do. You know, these individual stories, Jessica's story is poignant and real and true. And it's one of those things that's what drives me and drives us to do what we do. All that we do is deal with these issues. And, you know, really it's really try to understand each individual patient and trying to find the right pathway forward for them. There's almost always a pathway to get somebody where they need to be. And it's just a matter of really taking that first step, having trust and then us delivering on the promise to do our best to get somebody where they need to be.
The Importance of a Nasal-First Approach
[Molly] One of the things we've talked about with you before, Doctor, is this nasal-first approach. And Jessica mentioned that, wow, I can breathe through my nose, but how important is it to find the root cause and not just trying temporary fixes?
[Dr. Kandula] Yeah, I mean, the root cause is where it's at, The Breathing Triangle®, the nose and throat. That's where these issues lie. If you snore. If you have sleep apnea, obviously, if you mouth breathe, you've got a Breathing Triangle® problem. And we have to get to the root of that problem. The airway starts with the nose. If somebody's nose doesn't work properly, then they can't breathe properly. And that's going to definitively affect them day and especially at night. And so it's just sort of beginning at the beginning. It's taking that first simple step and saying, hey, is the nose working? Is it where it needs to be? And if it's not, can we do something simple to get it to work? And, you know, like Jessica, almost always there's something we can do to help the cause.
Jessica's Experience with Recovery
[Molly] Jessica, I have to ask you, for other people who want to consider this, how is the recovery?
[Jessica] So, quite frankly, we did this right before the holidays, and I was up within twenty four hours preparing for our holiday. So I would say if you're worried about recovery, if you're worried about not being able to get up and take care of your family, you have nothing to worry about. Within 24 hours, you're back on your feet.
[Molly] That is so great. Yay, Jessica! This is a lovely story to share. Doctor, thank you so much to both of you for joining us and sharing the story, because I think it gives people so much hope.
[Dr. Kandula] Thank you. Thank you.
[Molly] Absolutely wonderful to meet you, Jessica. You go, girl. All right. To end your sleep divorce, go to ADVENTknows.com to schedule online in just 60 seconds. Most insurances are accepted, no referral is required. And there are five southeastern Wisconsin locations. There's Wauwatosa Mequon, Oconomowoc, Oak Creek and Pleasant Prairie. They also have offices in Appleton and the Chicagoland area. Suffer no more.