Don't put up with a partner's snoring
Sleep deprivation can seriously affect people's moods, physical health, performance at work and even relationships.
We've enlisted the help of Dr Myles Black, ENT surgeon at The Private Clinic of Harley Street to provide you with tips on how to get those perfect eight hours that we need and look forward to.
There are a number of practical steps that everyone can try to help get a good night's sleep and Dr Black shares his expert advice in the causes and treatments for snoring, plus much more;
1) Eat at the right times and exercise. Eating heavy meals late on in the evening can disrupt sleep as the stomach has to work to digest the food, which can keep you up. Eat early and maybe have a light snack before bed if necessary. A five minute brisk walk during the day will also work wonders, but try not to exercise too heavily in the evening, as this stimulates the mind and body and again makes it difficult to sleep.
2) Avoid alcohol close to bedtime. Our sleep is much more likely to be disturbed once we’ve had a drink or two. Alcohol acts as a relaxant, which means we can fall asleep easily, but the second half of sleep will be badly disrupted by frequent waking and difficulty getting back to sleep.
3) Change bedding at least once a week and hoover regularly. Excess dust and other tiny particles can lead to irritation in the nasal passage. The body’s natural response to this is to create more mucus to block the nasal passage, which can greatly disrupt your breathing, and make it more difficult to sleep soundly.
4) Avoid spicy foods. Spicy food can lead to acid reflux, and in a number of studies this has been shown to interrupt sleep.
5) Invest in a decent pillow. You don’t want one too large or too soft, so buy a relatively firm pillow, and use just the one at night.
Stay on your side. Sleeping on your side has shown to help overall health, especially to ease back problems and snoring. To avoid rolling onto your back, (and the constant elbow in the ribs from a partner asking you to roll over,) one trick is to sow a tennis ball in to the back of your pyjamas or T shirt. This will ensure you stay on your side all night long.
6) Rule out sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is a disorder whereby an individual stops breathing periodically as they sleep. In severe cases this can happen 30 times or more in an hour, and each pause in breathing can last for a few seconds or even minutes. This can be a serious condition, and therefore you should discuss with your GP if you suspect you may have it. There is no cure for the condition, but the symptoms can be controlled with a CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) device which can be provided by the NHS.
7) Find out the root cause of your partner’s snoring. A partner’s snoring can be one of the main culprits of disturbed sleep. It can be caused by a partially blocked airway in the throat, a partially blocked nasal passage, or by an offset palate. You will have no hope of alleviating the symptoms if you don’t know what is causing your nocturnal rumblings. Talk to your GP, and if they can’t help then seek the help of an ENT specialist.
Once you know whether you are a nose, throat, palate or ‘combination’ snorer (a mixture of two or all three), then you stand a better chance of dealing with your symptoms. Some over the counter products may help certain individuals, but obviously if you are a nose snorer, then there will be no point in buying a throat spray. Equally if you are a throat snorer, don’t waste your money on nasal strips!
Look in to permanent solution options to ease snoring. As well as applying all the above tips to the snorer, there are some treatment options out there that may be able to stop the nightly snoring nightmare for good. There is a non-invasive laser treatment available to help clear the airways in the throat and another laser technique which can help to open up the nasal passage. With the airways cleared snoring can stop altogether. The treatments are carried out under local anaesthetic and take less than half an hour to complete.