Many couples are missing out on sex and sleep because of their snoring partner. In some cases, the noise can reach 90 decibels - equivalent to a train passing by.
Many partners find it so unbearable they have to sleep in a separate room to get a decent night's sleep.
But snoring problems can wreak even more havoc on a partner's health. Exposure to nighttime noise, whether you're awake or asleep, can raise blood pressure, increasing risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and even dementia.
Not only is the long-suffering partner affected - the snorer also pays a price.
Snoring can be a sign of a condition called sleep apnoea, where breathing stops several times an hour in sleep.
If this happens, you automatically wake up as the drop in your blood oxygen rouses your body to start breathing again. But the sleep/arousal cycle is repeated during the night so you get up feeling unrefreshed and continually tired.
Why do we snore?
The unmistakable noise happens when floppy tissue at the back of the throat blocks the upper air passages. Turbulent airflow creates quite violent vibrations of the soft palate, the mouth, nose and throat. It's caused by...
- Obstruction by the tongue if it drops back
- Small or collapsing nostrils
- Damage to the septum inside the nose, say from a sports injury
- Congestion caused by catarrh
- Large, floppy soft palate or uvula
- Enlarged nasal bones in the nostrils and nasal polyps
Five ways to stop
(1) Lose excess weight. If you have a collar size of 16in or above, you may not have the muscle tone needed to keep the airway open enough to allow normal breathing at night, so it's more likely to vibrate, causing snoring.
(2) Stay off the booze. Alcohol causes nasal irritation, increasing airway resistance.
(3) Stop smoking. At least before bed. Smoking irritates nasal cavity and throat linings, causing swelling, catarrh and cutting airflow.
(4) Keep airways open. A blocked nose or collapsing nostrils encourage mouth-breathing, which may lead to air vibrating on the soft tissue at the back of the mouth. Try nasal dilators from pharmacies.
(5) Prevent obstructions. A mouth guard helps stop your tongue falling back in your mouth.
