It’s the unwelcome nocturnal occurrence which blights millions of lives. But a hi-tech treatment can help. Katie Baldwin met a man who took this drastic step to tackle his snoring.
A LONG aeroplane flight - for many a chance to catch up on sleep.
But not Craig Mulhern. For his snoring was so bad that not only would he worry about what it would sound like to other passengers, it would also wake him up.
Now, almost five weeks after having laser treatment to treat his snoring, it is about 50 per cent better. With another three weeks until it heals properly. Craig is hoping it will improve even more. Craig,38, had snored for as long as could remember.
“When my mates went to to university, I used to go and stay with them,” he said. “Afterwards they used to basically say ‘don’t come back’ because I had kept everybody awake.”
Snoring happens when parts of the nose and throat vibrate as the snorer breathes. At night, muscles relax and the airways vibrate more, so snoring is more likely.
Disruptive
Often the cure from a disturbed partner is simply a sharp prod to make the snorer turn over, as sleeping on the side often stops or much reduces the problem. But for some people, snoring can become much more disruptive.
Craig, from Ackwprth near Pontefract, said it had a huge effect on his relationship. His partner Lisa Savage had even been forced to sleep elsewhere because she couldn’t get any rest.
“Lisa has got out of bed before now and gone into the spare bedroom,” Craig said. “She’s had to wear earplugs.” Lisa said she’d never heard anyone snore so loud. “It was very hard to get a good night sleep and I was constantly waking him up just to stop him from snoring,” she said.
As well as the worry of falling asleep where other people could hear, Craig had even disturbed people in other rooms before.
He said it got to the point where ha had to do something. “I just started looking things up on the internet, he said. “I had tried those sprays and things you stick on your nose - they didn’t make any difference.”
Through his research on the internet, the independent financial advisor discovered laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP, carried out by The Private Clinic.
This non-invasive treatment is done under local anaesthetic and involves using laser to reshape the uvula, which hangs at the back of the throat, and remove the excess tissue which vibrates to cause snoring.
It was developed by Dr Yves Kamami and takes a few minutes to complete.
Craig initially had a consultation in Leeds with nurse advisor Kate Hill, who travels around the country seeing patients for this type of problem.
“At least eight out of 10 people that I see, their snoring is so bad they are sleeping in separate bedrooms,” she said. “It’s a shame that people leave it so long. I see people every day whose relationships have finished. “Some book separate hotel rooms when they go on holiday. “I’ve seensome ladies who have declined career changes because they are so frightened to go away and stay over and potential colleagues hear them snore.”
For the one in 10 patients who go to their GP feeling tired all the time, often that is caused by snoring, she said.
In Craig’s case, he said he was told he was the “worst case scenario”.
Not only was his uvula enlarged, he also had a blockage in his nose as it had been broken at some point in the past.
Kate explained: “When people go to sleep, it’s a narrowing in the airway. Rather than patients being asleep, often they are struggling to get air down and waking themselves up with the snoring.”
After being told he was suitable, Craig travelled to London for his treatment although The Private Clinic also carry out the procedure in Manchester.
The pioneer of the treatment, Dr Kamami, carried out the procedure which took about 40 minutes.
After-effects
During this patients sit with their mouths open, singing a note. Under local anaesthetic, the laser is used to shape the uvular.
Kate said this was a huge improvement on the previous way of doing the op, which involved a general anaesthetic and would mean several days in hospital and a painful recovery for patients.
Craig says the only after-effects of his treatment have been a mild sore throat and the feeling of a lump in the throat, which disappears as the area heals and tightens.
And nearly five weeks on, he has already noticed the difference in his snoring.
“I’m told by Lisa there’s probably a 40-50 per cent improvement so far,”he said. And they both feel better for having a good night’s sleep.
“Lisa is alight sleeper and she has to get up early for work and she was having really disturbed sleep all the time,” he said.
“I was also waking up and I definitely feel a bit fresher.” Lisa added: “Now his snoring has improved - it’s not quite as loud and there are times during the night when he doesn’t snore at all.”
“The team explained that when you are having a good night’s sleep, there are long-term benefits.” These can be huge, Kate added.
“If patients are not sleeping and they are feeling tired, it can be related to memory problems. We also know patients that snore are more likely to have high blood pressure and more likely to have heart attacks and strokes.”
Craig is hoping his risk has now been reduced - and he and Lisa can finally get some snore-free sleep.
Snoring
- As many as 25 per cent of the UK population are habitual snorers
- In some cases these nocturnal rumblings can reach 90 decibels - as loud as a passing train
- Snoring has many adverse side-effects including daytime tiredness, increased irritability, and lack of libido
- It has also been linked to serious health problems such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and an increased chance of stroke. It can also have a very detrimental effect on relationships and has even been cited as a reason for divorce.
Source: Yorkshire Evening Post
