Tested - new ways to stop snoring

Getting a good night's sleep with a snorer - impossible? © Stockbyte

According to the NHS almost half of Britons are snorers. Does that mean the other half are decamping to the sofa night after night in a desperate attempt to get a good night’s sleep?

If you share your bed with a snorer you’ll be familiar with that scenario. If you are a snorer you’ll know all about waking up alone and feeling guilty about something you have no control over.

The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association - BritishSnoring.co.uk - defines snoring as "a coarse sound made by vibrations of the soft palate (the back of the roof of your mouth) and other tissue in the mouth, nose & throat (upper airway)." It is caused by turbulence inside the airway when you breathe in.

The turbulence is caused by a partial blockage that may be located anywhere from the tip of the nose to the vocal chords – often this is caused by muscles relaxing as you sleep which allows tissues to vibrate or collapse causing an obstruction.  Snoring can originate from your nose, the back of your throat or even your tongue. Regardless of where you or your partner snores from – there is no cure.

But before you start sound-proofing the spare bedroom, there are effective ways to manage snoring that could make it possible for you to share a bed and get a good night’s sleep.