Snoring affecting 1:5 Relationship – Things You Did Not Know About Sleep part 4
Forming part of a series of posts for your information if you have problems in sleeping, can’t sleep, sleeplessness, being awake during the night, difficulty in getting to sleep, awaking too early, having a busy mind, insomnia - for whatever the many myriad of reasons for sleep dysfunction.
Snoring – “unearthly noises”
Snoring affects some 15 million people within the UK. It has been estimated to have a detrimental affect on 1 in 5 relationships. Meaning that one person’s snoring keeps their sleep partner and other members of the family awake and everyone feels groggy in the morning.
Snoring can be linked to serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack. Snoring occurs when during sleep the muscles controlling the air ways relax, this narrows the airways. When we breath the soft tissues of the nose, throat and mouth vibrate, resulting in “unearthly noises” or snoring.
Snoring is the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping. In some cases the sound may be soft, but in other cases, it can be rather loud and quite unpleasant. Generally speaking, the structures involved are the uvula and soft palate. The irregular airflow is caused by a passageway blockage and usually due to one of the following:
- Throat weakness, causing the throat to close during sleep
- Mispositioned jaw, often caused by tension in the muscles
- Fat gathering in and around the throat
- Obstruction in the nasal passageway
- The tissues at the top of airways touching each other causing vibrations
- Relaxants such as alcohol or drugs relaxing throat muscles
- Sleeping on one’s back, which may result in the tongue dropping to the back of the mouth
There are some ‘over the counter’ preventative products (the auther, Linzi Martin, cannot comment or make any guarantee on their effectiveness) such as:
Mouth guard which prevents the tongue falling to the back of the mouth.
Moisture strips that are stuck to the roof of the mouth. This can apparently reduce the volume of the snoring.
Author, Linzi Martin’s personal comment:
Do note that there are also a number of natural remedies available.
When my partner makes nocturnal noises (it would be cruel to call it snoring) I find these ways seem to stop him straight, by all means try them out for yourself and WRITE A COMMENT :
1. I copy, duplicate his sound back to him
2. say ‘soosh’
3. place my hand lightly onto his shoulder or back or leg (anywhere)
Tip: buy your Sleep Well Eye Pillow Kit to improve your nap times, to soothe your eyes and mind. Available exclusively from the www.feelgoodzone.com site
Source: Linzi Martin notes taken from the BBC1 programme, 10 Things You Did Not Know About Sleep, aired 2 September 2010, presenter Kate Silverton (plus Linzi’s own thoughts).
Sleep Well Consultations available from Linzi Martin.
You should follow the link here to contact Linzi to book your appointment
