HEALTHWATCH

health &FAMILY

DID YOU KNOW? Around 30% of women regularly snore, compared with 40% of men.

WHAT TO DO WHEN SNORING IS DISRUPTING YOUR SILENT NIGHTS LOSING sleep?

Snoring –it’s the night-time behaviour no-one likes to admit they do even though it really isn’t that unusual. “Nearly everyone snores occasionally,” says sleep expert Dr Carmel Harrington, “and the older we get the more we snore.” This is especially true for women, who are more likely to start snoring after menopause, when lower levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone reduce your ability to breathe during sleep. You may not even know you do it. “While some women snore like troopers, others go undiagnosed because they snore so quietly,” Carmel says. But even the sweetest of snores can disrupt your sleep. And a regular lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, heart disease and metabolic disease. “Snoring truly is a sleep disorder because we’re meant to have enough sleep to wake up feeling energised.” And yes, your sleep can be equally “disordered” when it’s your partner’s snoring that keeps you from getting the rest you need. Either way, here’s what you need to know about snoring and when to seek help for the sake of your health. UNDERSTANDING SNORING “Whether or not you snore comes down to a combination of things including the muscle tone and structure of your upper airways,” Carmel says. As your body relaxes during sleep, so too do the muscles in the roof of your mouth, tongue and throat, which form your upper airways (also called the upper respiratory tract). “When your airways aren’t open enough, air can’t pass through smoothly.” This results in laboured breathing, which causes the surrounding tissue to vibrate and make that dreaded sound. Men have a much louder and deeper snore because of the shape of the upper airway around their larynx [or Adam’s apple]. But other physiological factors don’t discriminate by gender –you might just have narrow internal passages in your face. Having narrow upper airways means your muscles have to work much harder so you’re more likely to snore. It’s exactly the same reason why you snore when you have a cold or a sinus infection, when inflammation can make the airways smaller. The first sign that snoring might be affecting your health is if you feel fatigued when you wake up. If you’re getting eight to nine hours’ sleep a night but

Snoring is often joked about, but unsettled sleep can affect the health of you and your partner.

you’re exhausted the next day, talk to your doctor. He or she will want to know if anyone else has noticed your snoring and how it sounds. They’re particularly interested in whether you ever stop breathing then gasp for air because this can indicate a more serious condition called sleep apnoea. TRY LIFESTYLE TWEAKS Even if your snoring isn’t related to apnoea, lifestyle changes may still help put a stop to the snoring, improving your body’s nightly cycle of rest and repair. One of the easiest ways to reduce snoring is to avoid sleeping on your back.

Losing weight can also reduce snoring, especially if you carry extra weight across your abdomen, chest and neck, which puts pressure on your airways to close up. Avoiding sleeping tablets and certain analgesics can make a difference too.

“Any medication that’s a muscle relaxant can definitely cause snoring,” Carmel cautions. “Likewise, limit your alcohol intake before bed because this affects muscle tone in your upper airways.” Other proactive measures include learning singing or a woodwind instrument, which can help strengthen the muscles in your upper airways. You may also like to try using a humidifier in your bedroo –your body doesn’t like th o m e

If you’re losing sleep because of a partner’s snoring, something has to change.

WHEN SNORING BECOMES A MORE SERIOUS PROBLEM

indicates sleep apnoea but when snoring is accompanied by brief periods when you’re not breathing, that sudden decrease in oxygen in your body causes you to wake up quickly.

Called hypoxia, this can happen hundreds of times a night as your body fights desperately for breath, even if you never completely wake up. “With sleep apnoea, the upper airways are completely closed off so no air is getting to your lungs,” Carmel says. “This in turn puts the body under a lot of stress and it nflammatory proteins, which can lead to developing cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes.”

If you’re worried your snoring might be a sign you have sleep apnoea, see your GP and consider getting a referral to a sleep expert.

Treatment options include wearing a specially fitted mouthguard that shifts the jaw forward to keep your airways open, or even a medical mask attached to a pump that forces air through the nose to stop the back of the throat from collapsing. di i

upper airway to be too dry so it might start producing more mucus, narrowing airways. And if you’re looking for a push to quit smoking, giving up tobacco can reduce inflammation in your upper airway. IF YOUR PARTNER SNORES Telling a loved one your health is suffering because they’re snoring can be tricky. “A lot of people are resistant to being told they snore,” Carmel says. “I always tell my patients, ‘You’ve got to take back your l ’ slee p.’ B ecause not sleeping can make you more likely to develop a range of issues, including depression.” While some people may take offence at the suggestion that their snoring is disrupting their partner’s sleep, others may be unaware of how bad it’s become and happy to seek a solution. While earplugs can help if your partner occasionally snores, Carmel says sleeping elsewhere is the best solution. If you’re exhausted because your partner is snoring, then you may need to sleep in different rooms.

This could actually help rather than hinder your love life. “Both women and men can lose their libido due to lack of sleep,” she adds.

“This is a good reminder that your sleep is very important and without it your health can really suffer.”