More than 15 million people snore, so as National Stop Snoring, Revel looks at ways to
keep up the peace...
Pneumatic drill, freight train or a swarm of angry bees - whatever is sounds like, snoring
is the bane of many of our lives.
Who can forget Danielle and Cleo's desperate plea to Big Brother to put a stop to Ken
Russell's guttural droning? Or David Gest's infamous grunting in the jungle, so
recognisable it's been made into a mobile phone ring tone?
People living with snorers can lose up to two hours sleep a night. Worse still, there's
evidence it can destroy marriages, wreak havoc with your sex life, lead to lethargy and
even accidents.
According to the Private Clinic, over 10 million male and nearly five millions female
snorers in the UK are putting their relationship at risk due to sleep deprivation. In the
US, snoring is even considered grounds for divorce.
Dr Yves Kamami, a consultant at the clinic, says: 'Snoring can have a hugely damaging
effect on people's lives, relationship, and health.'
The good news is that, although snoring isn't something that can be stopped at will or
'cured', it can be successfully controlled.
The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association sell a variety of anti-snoring
products,
such as nasal strips and dilators, as do most chemists. But it doesn't work, there's
always surgery.
'People don't realise how easy it is to treat,' says Dr Kamami. 'LAUP, a laser treatment,
is a life-changing form of surgery that takes 15 minutes under local anaesthetic.'
What is snoring?
Snoring is the noisy breathing that occurs mainly as a result of partial obstruction of
the air passages and the vibration of the soft tissues of the palate and uvula, the
small fleshy lobe hanging down at the back of your throat, or within the nose during
sleep. It happens during shut-eye if there's insufficient muscle tone to prevent the
airway tissues vibrating.
What causes snoring?
It's down to a physical abnormality of some sort, fat neck or a double chin, there's
an increase in snoring because the fatty tissue squeezes the airway and prevents
air from flowing in and out freely. Other causes range from blockage at the back of
the tongue, a crocked nose, or collapsed nostrils. But those who smoke and drink are
also more likely to snore because muscles in the throat relax more than usual.
Who's at risk?
It's common misconception that only men snore, but the split is unequal 25/50, women
to men. Perhaps due to the fact that men tend to put weight on round their necks
and waist, while women pile on the pounds round the burn and thighs.
How can be treated?
First you have to discover what type of snorer you are. Does the noise come from your
nose, open mouth or is it due to your tongue flopping to the back of your throat? If it's
your nose, try nose strips, which open up the nostrils. If it's your mouth, try a throat
spray, which lubricates the airways, or a moulded piece of rubber, like a boxer's mouth
guard, that forces the mouth open.
At the other end of the scale, a last resort is surgery that removes nasal polyps,
straighten wonky noses and cut out floppy soft-palate tissue to stop it vibrating.
Laser surgery stiffens the palate to reduce vibration, while somnoplasty uses radio-
frequency energy to shrink the soft palate tissue rather than cut it out.
To make an appointment call 0800 599 9911
or fill this form
To request a brochure click here
ADDRESS
98 Harley Street, London W1G 7HZ
Nearest Underground stations are: Regent's Park, Oxford Circus, Baker Street and Great
Portland Street
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St.James's Building, 79 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EJ
Nearest British Rail Station: Oxford Road
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FAX: London Fax: 020 7409 7854 - Manchester Fax: 0161 236 5094
EMAIL: data@theprivateclinic.co.uk
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