Conflicts over snoring are an everyday occurrence, across the country and across Seattle. It’s all too common for a husband’s snoring to cause a wife to want to sleep in another room, and even if she does, fighting may persist.
In some cases, the fighting may lead to violence, as in the story of an Arkansas woman who is being held on charges that she stabbed her husband while he slept after a dispute over his snoring.
A Fight over Snoring Leads to Stabbing
In this instance, the wife had been trying to do something about her husband’s snoring for a while. She had shared on Facebook and Twitter that she was trying to get treatment for him, but it seems he did not get the recommended treatment.
The charges state that on the night in question, the couple again fought over his snoring. She went to sleep with one of their children in another room. For some reason, the wife awoke in the middle of the night, and, perhaps bothered by his current snoring, she went to the kitchen and got a butcher knife.
She began stabbing her husband as he slept, and managed to stab him several times before he got the knife away from her. She punctured his spleen and lacerated his liver by stabbing him at least four times. The man’s teenage sons then came and helped protect him until police arrived.
When interrogated by police, the woman initially claimed that an intruder had broken into the home. She later admitted to police that she stabbed him and hid the knife, though she is now pleading not guilty to charges of attempted murder. The husband has filed for divorce.
Although her trial is currently scheduled for June, a judge has stated she might not be mentally fit and has scheduled a hearing to determine her competence.
How Snoring Disputes Escalate
Although snoring fights don’t often end in violence, they do often escalate out of control. The problem with fights over snoring is that neither party is actually in a good place, mentally, to have a rational conversation about the issue.
Sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on your brain’s ability to think clearly, causing you to make poor decisions and be quick to anger. Studies show that couples are more likely to fight after one or the other partner has gotten poor sleep, and when it comes to snoring, neither partner is getting good sleep. The non-snorer may complain about the snorer keeping them up, but snorers aren’t getting good sleep. Snoring is a sign that your airflow is restricted, which means you’re getting less oxygen. It may even be sleep apnea, where breathing is cut off completely many times a night.
As a result of poor sleep, couple can say and do things they will both regret later.
Are You Mentally Fit?
If you are fighting with your spouse because they snore, it’s time to stop the fighting–and the snoring.
Dr. Lance Timmerman can help you get a snoring treatment that will remove the source of conflict and put you both in a better place for resolving other issues. To learn more, please call (206) 241-5533 to schedule an appointment at our Seattle office today.
