Your snoring partner is more than a pain in the ass

Having a partner who snores is said to have far worse health implications than previously expected, it was claimed today.

For the snorer themselves, it can be an early sign of allergies, or weak throat muscles for example. Accorging to Bupa, the main cause is the narrowing of the air passageways, which then vibrate and create the snoring noise.

To hear snoring emerging from the one we choose to share a bed with can be noisy, irritable, and a major cause of a lack of sleep. But doctors now claim that this lack of sleep and this additional noise can actually increase blood pressure, a known risk factor for stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and dementia.

It appears that most things will these days result in high blood pressure. Typical…

After the issue was exposed, research was released in regards to the noise pollution put upon houses nearby airports. The research found that “the noises penetrating the bedroom had the same effect as those emanating from the neighbouring pillow. Blood pressure went up in direct relation to noise loudness.”

This appeared slightly far-fetched. Although research has been carried out and now evidence is available to support the fact that noise disrupts sleep, how much can we possibly control what our ears go through in the evenings?

Although most people had already worked out that "unwanted noise = bad night’s sleep", many websites and blogs have quickly jumped on the bandwagon to promote products to improve one’s nightly rest.

ThatsNews blog suggests the product Snoreeze, “provides immediate and long-lasting relief” whereas a more sceptical blogger acknowledges that “Snoreze not only stops you snoring, it also knocks you out completely.” Whether he thought this was a positive/negative effect, was unfortunately left to our imagination.

The day after the research was published, the World Medical Guide released a Snoring Scale Score, [Shown below] in order to guide sufferers of snorers (or more likely, it will be the snorer’s partners who suffer) on what help they should be getting depending on how severe the problem is.

Partners gave the patients a score of 0 for never, 1 for one night per week, 2
for two to three nights per week, and 3 for four or more nights per week, based
on whether snoring affects the partners' relationship; whether snoring causes
the non-snoring partner to be tired or irritable; whether the partners have to
sleep in separate rooms because the snoring is so disruptive; whether the
snoring is loud; and whether, when the partners sleep away from home, the
snoring affects people nearby, in hotels, campgrounds, and the like.

Of course, if the problem is affecting your life, it should be investigated and hopefully, solved. However, it appears as if many are scraping the bottom of the barrel to constantly provide new figures and promote new health products, which may in the long run, not be as effective as claimed. A Stop Snoring Blog exlpored this, stating "Stop snoring treatments are widespread. Some are cheap and others expensive. It’s big business. However, the vast majority of sufferers can stop snoring with simple changes."

Valid point. Perhaps purchasing ear-plugs is too much of a simple answer for the 21st century?