Fed up with being banished from the marital bed, I went on a desperate search for a remedy for my cacophonous snoring. Was the solution right under my nose?
I am one of 15 million snorers in the UK – that’s 41.5% of the adult population. In fact, I’m one of the 25% of those 15 million who snore regularly and disturb their partners’ sleep. Some nights, while wife, daughter, cat and teddy bear are upstairs in one bed, I trudge sadly downstairs to the living room where I can snore without disturbing anyone.
“There is nothing more disturbing than lying there trying to sleep and all you can do is tune into your partner snoring next to you,” says Dr Ellie Cannon, a GP and campaign ambassador for a leading anti-snoring nasal dilator.
The fact that I snore is made more likely because of my sex. “Men are more likely to snore or have sleep apnoea than women,” says Pavol Surda, a consultant ENT surgeon based at London Bridge hospital. “This is because men have a larger space at the back of their throats as they tend to have larger airways. Moreover, males tend to have a higher proportion of fat around the neck, in soft palate and the upper part of the tongue.”
As we age, our tongue and throat muscles begin to relax and weaken, which can limit our airflow, causing us to snore. There is another option: “You can practise mouth and throat exercises to strengthen these muscles, which may help to reduce your snoring.” I’ve assiduously performed some throat exercises I found online, including saying each vowel out loud for three minutes a few times a day, sliding my tongue backwards, and pursing my lips. But despite these exercises, I still snored.
