Waistlines continue to expand – and snoring is held responsible.

According to recent data this is happening despite obesity having appeared to be reaching a plateau. Extensive research suggests that the average adult waist size increased by more than 1in (2.5cm) between 1999 and 2012 but figures for obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI) changed little over the same period.

Factors such as snoring causing a lack of sleep are getting the blame and in all, 25% of the UK population now suffers from some form of sleep disorder that results in excessive daytime sleepiness.

Very accurate figures from the USA show that the average male waist size is now 40 inches, and 38 inches for women – and the UK is rarely far behind.

Current UK figures estimate that there are now around 15 million snorers and one third of these are women. The female percentage of the total is also growing. In addition, research reveals that two thirds of partners normally only manage between three and five hours sleep a night usually because those sharing a bed with a ‘simple’ snorer can have to endure noise which can reach as much as 100 decibels.

Many women are now admitting to having a ‘simple’ snoring problem for the very first time.Are you a woman and do you snore? If so, we would like to hear from you or your partner to hear your different viewpoints.

So-called “simple” snoring is much more common than obstructive sleep apnoea, but it can be more difficult to treat. There are plenty of adverts in newspapers and on websites for devices ‘guaranteed’ to stop you snoring! But do they work? The answer is probably not. The only stop snoring device approved by medical experts is the mouthpiece, or oral appliance, sometimes called an MAD – or a mandibular adjustment or advancement device to give it the correct full title.

The mandibular device eases the lower jaw forward onto the upper jaw, so that there’s more space at the back of the throat and breathing is easier. Simple things like losing weight, not drinking alcohol or taking sedatives 4 hours before going to sleep can help. There is little evidence to show that surgery – which was in vogue about 10 years ago – actually works.

Snoring occurs when the soft palate tissue at the back of the throat relaxes too much, obstructing the entrance to the throat. As air tries to pass through, the soft palate vibrates and produces the snoring sound.

The problem may get worse with age but one of the main causes is size and body shape. People with short wide necks are most prone to snoring because the muscles around their windpipe can’t support the fat around it when the person is asleep. As a general rule, anyone with a collar size of 16.5 inches or more is likely to snore.

Other snorers may have poor muscle tone in the tongue and throat, with muscles that are too relaxed and so contribute to snoring. It may be due to large throat tissue. Children with large tonsils often snore. It could also be an obstructed nasal passageway. People with blocked noses often snore.

But it can be stopped – a simple oral appliance will do that immediately for most people, bringing you a wide range of health benefits, better rest, and if this is combined with a simple weight loss programme then great results can be achieved by anyone.

A much healthier life follows when you start to use a mouthpiece.

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Men and women finally agree about snoring – it’s worse than anything

A new survey published this week has revealed that snoring, leaving the toilet seat up, and hogging the duvet are among the top ten worst habits of couples living together in today’s society.

One of Britain’s largest property companies has recently published the findings of some special research that they have conducted among couples, both married and living together, in order to discover each other’s opinions on their partner’s worst habits.

For both men and women, the number one annoyance is Snoring.

This is something that we might expect to hear from a woman as snoring has long been regarded as a serious male problem, leading to sleeping apart, and also being the third most common reason for divorce.

It’s new however to hear this criticism of women in respect of them snoring. Changes in lifestyle have caused this and many women now suffer from snoring, and at a much younger age. They are eating differently, drinking more, exercising less and as a result they are generally carrying more weight than they used to which is one of the primary causes of snoring. In addition, they actually are more aware and concerned, and readily own up much more. Many more women now seek Stop Snoring solutions as a result.

Here’s what they thought about how they irritated each other, other than a lucky third who didn’t have a single complaint – as yet:

Women’s top 10 complaints about living with their partner:

  • Snoring
  • Leaving clothes on the floor
  • Leaving the toilet seat up
  • Not doing the washing up
  • Hogging the remote
  • Leaving lights on
  • Leaving wet towels on the floor
  • How rubbish their partner is at cooking
  • Taking too long to get ready in the bathroom
  • Playing computer games

Men’s top 10 complaints about living with their partner:

  • Snoring
  • Taking too long to get ready in the bathroom
  • Leaving lights on
  • Leaving clothes on the floor
  • Leaving hair in the shower drain
  • Always on social media
  • Not doing the washing up
  • Hogging the duvet
  • Never taking the bins out
  • How rubbish their partner is at cooking.

The great news is that snoring can be easily stopped rather than letting it deteriorate and even cause a divorce, or worse still result in some serious life-threatening health problems such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular related illnesses, and many others that are related to it.

All you need to do is wear a simple mouthpiece at night when you sleep – and the snoring will stop. Peace will reign in the household again. You’ll sleep better and feel better too. Harmony prevails.

SleepPro make a range of highly rated oral appliances that are medically approved, and have a 98% success rate, including one especially for women.

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Fat Tongues now blamed for snoring

If you are regularly in trouble with your partner or family for noisy snoring then you may now have a new excuse. According to this week’s press, if you can’t stop snoring then it may be because your tongue is just too fat.

They were quoting a recent study that had monitored a number of people who were either overweight or obese. A main effect of this was to make them have tongues that are fatter than average, and as a result this caused the throat to be blocked, or closed during the night when they were asleep. The increased tongue fat made it much more difficult for the throat muscles normally used to position the tongue away from the airway.

If this happens to you, the repetitive blocking of the throat interrupts the oxygen supply, causes loud snoring and makes you gasp for air. These events can happen as many as 60-80 times an hour in chronic cases.

It’s already known that being overweight or obese increases the risk of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which leads to heavy repetitive snoring because the airway becomes blocked, but until now, it was thought that a larger neck was mainly to blame.

However, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States say that piling on the pounds can also cause a fat tongue – which may well be the culprit. The researchers found that obese people with OSA had a much higher percentage of tongue fat – especially at the base of their tongues – which made their tongues larger overall.

Dr Timothy Morgenthaler, President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine said doctors should look at tongue size when screening for OSA.

He said: ‘Tongue size is one of the physical features that should always be evaluated by a physician when screening obese patients to determine their risk for obstructive sleep apnoea. The scientist added the study might provide an explanation for the link between obesity and sleep apnoea and said that screening to identify fat tongues may help diagnose the condition.

In severe cases of OSA, the brain jolts the body awake, causing the airway to reopen. The person may wake up repeatedly but without knowing it, increasing their heart rate and blood pressure and preventing deep sleep. Long term, sleep apnoea is already linked with a number of chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression.

Dr Morgenthaler added ‘Effective identification and treatment of sleep apnoea is essential to optimally manage other conditions associated with this chronic disease, including high blood pressure, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke and depression.’ All these conditions are regularly associated with OSA.

The study has just been published in the specialist journal Sleep.

Figures for the UK estimate that around 5% of middle-aged men, and 3% of middle-aged women suffer from OSA, with the equivalent figures in the North America being significantly higher, but the majority of people ignore their snoring and other symptoms and it goes dangerously untreated.

Generally sleep apnoea goes undiagnosed for a long time. It can’t be detected during a routine Doctor’s appointment, and there’s no blood test to diagnose it. In fact most sufferers don’t even know they have it because it occurs during sleep: usually the person who does know you have it is your partner, or family member.

Most cases can now be treated by use of a simple mouthpiece worn at night. These are called MAD’s (Mandibular Advancement Devices). These devices attempt to bring the lower jaw forward, thus opening up the airway in the back of the throat. They are worn only during sleep.

Oral appliances such as the SleepPro Custom have been demonstrated to be highly effective – especially in patients with mild to moderate sleep apnoea (between 5 and 30 events per hour) and it is highly recommended.

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