QUESTION: Do you know of any miracle technology that can solve the ancient problem of snoring? I love my husband dearly but losing sleep night after night causes me to become irritable and tense.
Moving him only stops the snoring for a few minutes and if I wake him he becomes angry because I disturbed his sleep! Please help me, I am getting desperate.
ANSWER: This isn't a question that I can address without including some serious considerations.
When a person sleeps, and muscles relax, the passage of air through the mouth and respiratory system can cause the soft palate to vibrate, and produce those atrocious sounds.
It may be embarrassing, but there are no pills to take, and the solutions depend upon some research into the cause of the problem.
If your husband is a bit overweight, into his later years, smokes, drinks or takes sleeping pills, he fits into the common pattern of snorers.
If this be the case, the solution may merely be losing weight, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, discontinuing the sleeping pills, and of course throwing the cigarettes away.
Try to make him sleep on his side, so that gravity can not affect the position of his tongue and pull on the muscles of the palate.
Sew something to the back of his pajamas; tennis balls seem to be remarkably effective in getting people to remain off their backs during sleep.
Of course, your husband may suffer from sleep apnea, a condition that causes people to stop breathing during sleep, and then awaken with a grunt and snort as they catch their breath.
This is a far more serious cause of snoring as it may lead to high blood pressure, abnormalities of heart rhythm, and even sudden death.
Listen carefully to his snoring.
If it stops for long periods, 20-25 seconds, and starts up again with a snort, sleep apnea may be the problem.
While surgery was once the only treatment, new devices which fit over the nose and force air through the passages, may now relieve your husband, the family and yourself from his regular and disturbing nightly serenades.
Don't be reluctant to have this important medical condition checked out by your own family physician who can counsel you further.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
