Every one of us knows someone who snores. You probably do it yourself. I know a couple who have separate rooms to enable a good night’s sleep due to one of them snoring (in this case it is the woman). However, men are more likely to snore than women as their passages are narrower.

Snoring is the sound made when the soft palate and other tissues of the mouth, nose and throat (upper airways) vibrate because there is a blockage somewhere along the airway. This can be due to a number of factors, so the first step is to find out whether the cause can be fixed.

Here are some common causes of snoring:

Weight – Having excess fat and poor muscle tone can contribute to snoring. Even just carrying extra weight around your neck can create a partial blockage that can result in snoring. Exercising and losing weight might be all you need to do to end this snoring and the many sleepless nights.

Age – From middle age onwards, muscle tone in the throat diminishes and the throat gradually narrows. There is not much you can do about getting older. However, throat exercises a few times a week, such as repeating vowel sounds out loud and moving your jaw from side to side, holding it on each side for 30 seconds at a time, can help.

Alcohol, smoking and drugs – Drinking, smoking, vaping and use of some drugs, including tranquillisers, can increase muscle relaxation in the throat, which in turn, can lead to an increase in snoring.

Sleep posture – When you sleep on your back, the flesh around your throat can block the airway.  If you tend to sleep on your back, try to train your body to sleep on your side, preferably in the recovery position. Therapies to help combat snoring also exist.

Surgical interventions generally have a poor success rate and also have persistent side effects

Singing – Snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (where the muscles in the throat become floppy during sleep, causing an obstruction that makes the sufferer temporarily stop breathing) can result from weak muscles in the soft palate and upper throat (pharyngeal muscles). Serious singers can improve the tone and strength of their pharyngeal muscles by practising certain vocal exercises; this might be a useful technique for snorers too.

In a randomised controlled trial carried out by the Royal Devon & Exeter National Health Services Foundation Trust in the UK, 127 chronic snorers, or sleep apnoea sufferers, were randomly assigned to either a programme of self-guided singing exercises, based on three CDs, lasting about 20 minutes a day for three months, or no controls at all.

The results showed that the daily singing exercises, which strengthened the tone of the throat muscles, reduced the severity, frequency and loudness of the snoring, while also improving sleep quality. No such changes were seen in the control group who did not carry out the exercises.

The CD box set is Alise Ojay’s Singing for Snorers and comes with an explanatory booklet from www.singingforsnorers.com.

Anti-snoring devices – A device called the SnoreMender was effective for treating snoring in a small controlled study of 25 men and one woman conducted by Danish dental surgeon Natashia Ingermarsson-Matzen. In her study, 91 per cent of the participants succeeded in reducing their snoring by at least 50 per cent and 78 per cent of them stopped snoring completely.

The device is made of medical-grade dental thermoplastic and is free of latex, silicone, phthalates and bisphenol A; it can be easily shaped to fit the wearer’s mouth by being twisted and tweaked as necessary (by the wearer or by the dentist).

However, some people should not be exposed to the pressure of wearing such a device (those with loose teeth or periodontal disease). So those considering this type of therapy should consult their dentist initially to discuss whether the device is suitable to be placed in their mouth at night. Any nasal congestion should also be addressed before trying it out.

SnoreMender is available online at www.snoremenders.co.uk, while a similar device called SnorBan can be purchased from www.snorban.co.uk. All should be checked with your medical practitioner before use.

Alternatively, a simple chinstrap, on its own, was shown in a case report to improve snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea too. This proved to be as good, or better, than continuous positive airway pressure. This type of treatment is when the sufferer has to sleep with a mask strapped to their face and is attached by a hose through which air is delivered to the snorer, or apnoea sufferer. This is not a popular therapy, as the equipment is cumbersome and requires a significant amount of hygienic attention. Around 20 per cent of users end up just abandoning the therapy.

Finally, there have been surgical interventions for serious snoring. The procedures generally have a poor success rate and also have persistent side effects, such as prolonged pain and injury to the mucous membranes of the soft palate, uvula and the mouth. They have made it difficult to swallow and a constant feeling of a ‘lump in the throat’.

kathrynmborg@yahoo.com