Elbowing and sleep apnea
If you are a peaceful sleeper who doesn’t snore, then you probably don’t have many experiences being elbowed at night by your partner. But if you do have a sleep disorder that is disruptive, like snoring or restless leg syndrome, then you probably have tested your partner’s patience at night. This can be especially true if you have a sleep disorder known as sleep apnea. In fact, it might be a good thing if someone were elbowing you at night. The University of Saskatchewan asked 124 patients about having a sleep study to see if their sleeping partner ever elbowed or poked them to stop snoring or wake them up because they had stopped breathing. It is unsurprising that asking these types of questions can help predict whether someone suffers from sleep apnea. This isn’t particularly shocking because most of us who have sleep apnea have not only been elbowed or punched at night but are usually told the next morning that our snoring, grunting, or gasping for air is ver...