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Stop Snoring

It sounds like a neighbour doing some late night drilling, but it is in fact your snoring bed partner. Act now before snoring ruins your sleep - and your relationship.

Although seen as a joke, and almost always denied by the snorer ('Well, I can't hear anything') snoring can be a serious issue between couples. Not surprising when you consider that loud snoring costs sleeping partners an average of one hour's sleep a night.

Snoring is the noise of tissues vibrating as air tries to flow through a blocked breathing passage. The sound can vary from an almost soothing whisper to an astonishingly loud noise that can be heard throughout the entire house. Don't waste time trying too many treatments, though - it's much more useful to find the cause of your snoring and tackle that. This checklist should help.

Are you overweight? Find out by checking your Body Mass Index (BMI). You can do this by dividing your weight (kg) by your height squared (m). If your BMI is greater than 25 you are overweight. If your BMI is greater than 30 you are obese. Another measure is your collar size - over 16.5 inches and you're likely to snore because the muscles around your windpipe can't support the fat around it when you're asleep. In all these cases you need to lose weight - even a small loss can improve symptoms.
Do you smoke or drink? Cigarette smoke irritates the lining of the nasal cavity and throat causing swelling and catarrh.If the nasal passages become congested it's difficult to breathe through your nose because there's less airflow. And because congestion gets worse with each cigarette, the more you smoke, the worse your snoring. Even passive smoking can cause chronic inflammation of the nose and throat passages, thus increasing the risk of snoring. Until you give up don't smoke for at least 4 hours before bed. Drinking triggers snoring as it reduces the tone of the muscles that keep the upper breathing passage open. So keep to the limit and avoid drinking just before bedtime.
Do you breathe through your mouth? Open your mouth and make a snoring noise. Now close your mouth and try to make the same noise. If you can only snore with your mouth open then you are a 'mouth breather'. You'll probably wake up with a dry mouth and sometimes a sore throat because of the strain of snoring. When we breathe in through the nose the air passes over the curved part of the soft palate in a gentle flow into the throat without creating unnecessary turbulence. When we breathe in through the mouth, however, the air hits the back of the throat head on and can create enormous vibrations in the soft tissue. Try to breathe through your nose - and ask your pharmacist for gadgets (such as chin strips) that help keep your mouth closed. To help clear your nose, put a few drops of eucalyptus on your pillowcase.
Are your nostrils too narrow? Looking in a mirror, press the side of one nostril to close it. With your mouth closed, breathe in through your other nostril. If the nostril tends to collapse try propping it open with the clean end of a matchstick. If breathing is easier with the nostril propped open (try both sides), you may need something to open your nasal airways. Small or collapsing nostrils can prevent you from breathing through your nose. This encourages mouth breathing, and it's the air hitting the back of the throat that causes the snoring noise. Try nasal strips which you place on the outside of the nostrils to stop them collapsing.
Do you sleep on your back? This can cause snoring as it allows the flesh of your throat to relax and block airways. Also the fatty tissue around your neck can add pressure on the airway. Sleep on your side, if possible. A well known trick is sleeping with a tennis ball sewn into the back of your pyjama top.


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