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Cut out that discordant sound

Snoring is more than a nuisance. It can result in serious health problems

Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone. This is one of the eloquent and humorous statements made by the author, Anthony Burgess on not so funny a problem that has destroyed many a marriage bed. The emergence of this problem is not recent, but exists from time immemorial. The fact is, for many `snorers' awareness of this problem is confined as being a nuisance to their spouse who is kept awake by the sound of snoring. They do not know much about the consequences of snoring, which are multiple and serious as the increased risk for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular problems.

Reasons for snoring

Snoring may be due to a very mild nasal obstruction caused by allergies or sinus conditions, with nil or insignificant airway obstruction or apnoea (cessation of respiration). Ninety five per cent of patients are known to have the features of loud snoring. Some forty five percent of normal adults snore at least occasionally and twenty five percent are habitual snorers. The problem of snoring is exceedingly seen in males and obese persons and it usually grows worse with age.

Snoring is caused by a physical obstruction of the free flow of air through the passages at the back of the mouth, nose and throat while the person is sleeping. At the back of the mouth, one has the collapsible portion of the airway where the back of the tongue and upper throat meet the soft palate and uvula. This physical obstruction occurs when the muscles of the palate, the uvula and sometimes the tonsils relax during sleep and come into contact with each other. These structures then act as vibrating noise makers, when the air moves across during breathing, usually during inspiration.

Snoring can be the result of a number of medically diagnosable physical-anatomical conditions. These include poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue, excessive bulkiness of the throat tissue, a long soft palate and/or uvula, nasal or nasal spectrum deformities and/or nasal airway obstruction. Severe snoring can also be one symptom of obstructive or central sleep cessation of respiration (apnoea), both of which are serious medical conditions requiring medical treatment.

Understandably, snoring tends to be a problem for both the snorer and the person who shares the bed. Sleep patterns of both may get disturbed or altered and both may suffer from deprivation of sleep. When a person is sleeping, he/she does not have conscious control over the snoring behaviour. Because it is controlled by the unconscious, this part of the mind needs to be addressed to modify the unconscious behaviour. Hypnosis can be used to give the unconscious the information it needs to solve the problem.

Majority of people snore

Very often, we may hear from the sleep partner that when he/she snores, he/she is woken up when poked. Then he/she moves into another position and stops snoring for a while and then it begins again.

To solve the problem, he/she is poked again. In such cases, the snorer can give the unconscious mind permission to be aware of to having the snoring sounds.

Also, suggestion is given to the unconscious mind that he/she will change the body position to interrupt the snoring, without disrupting the sleep pattern (hypnotic suggestion). About 20 per cent of the middle-aged population snore during night; which not only leads to appreciable inconvenience to the partners, but also affects their own health and performance during the day.

When spouses or partners usually give history of loud, intermittent snoring or apnoea, it can be considered as a useful diagnostic tip. Most patients happen to be men and about half of them are at least about thirty per cent more than their ideal body weight.

Obesity is believed to cause the syndrome by the fat in the neck squashing the upper airway.

It is worthwhile remembering that the syndrome can also occur in thin people. Snoring occurs at all ages but most commonly in late middle age.

Do you snore?