It’s the bane of light-sleeping partners across the country. Returning home after a skinful, it’s easy to feel guilty when you wake up to a tired spouse. But what causes your midnight rumblings, and how do you put them to bed? With the help of The Private Clinic at Harley St’s Dr Yves Kamami. And us, of course.

The types of snoring

Gathering intel is your first step in the war against the snore. Snoring can be differentiated into four types depending on the blocked passageway:

– Nose snorers suffer from a partially blocked nasal passage
– Throat snorers have a partially blocked airway
– Palate snorers account for 80% of snorers, with an elongated or thick soft palate at the back of the mouth
– Combination snorers are a mixture of two or all three.

Size matters

One of the biggest causes of snoring is being overweight, making noisy sleepers a symptom of an increasingly unhealthy population. “This excess weight often gathers around the throat which, even in small amounts, can contribute to restricting the airway,” says Dr Kamani. If you’re looking for tips to banish your snoring, there’s never been a better time to start shifting pounds.

Pour decision making

Ever wonder why your partner claims your bed-ridden rumblings are much worse after a few pints? Dr Kamani explains alcohol is a relaxant, which causes the muscles in your throat to soften, creating an airway obstruction.

Chicken Snorema

Booze may be out, but what about the accompanying curry? Forget it. “Eating spicy food could cause acid reflux, which could make your snoring worse,” says Kamani. The US Snoring Centre in Dallas found that acid reflux causes sinus problems, coughing and chest pains at night because acid and undigested food particles travel back up through the airway when lying prone, causing blockages that create snoring problems. Turns out that night out with your mates isn’t going to wait until morning to take its toll on your body.

Back to back

Even sleeping on your back can cause your tongue to roll backwards, blocking your airway further. It’s the reson your partner is right to roll you onto your side.

Dust a minute

A blocked nasal passage may also be a product of your environment. We’re not talking hayfever, it’s your filthy room that’s to blame. “Dust can irritate the nasal passage, causing the body to create a barrier of mucus blocking it,” says Kamani. “When we are asleep our only option then is to breathe through our mouths, increasing the likelihood that we will snore.”

Preventions and cures

Luckily, there are ways to minimise your chance of a night spent snoring, helping you sleep both soundly and sound-free.

Start winding down your drinking after 6pm if you know you won’t be sleeping alone. This gives the relaxant effect of booze time to wear off.

You’ll also have to give up smoking (which will do a lot more than quiet you down after dark). “Smoking causes mucus to build up and can make breathing more difficult,” says Kamani.  

Small tweaks to your sleep environment can have a big impact, too. Change your sheets at least once a week and vacuum regularly to avoid clogging your nasal passages with dust. Next, stack some pillows behind you to keep you sleeping on your side.

Over the counter products can help, but this is where it pays to identify what kind of snorer you are: nose snorers can avoid the throat spray, and throat snorers should ditch the nasal strips. The British Snoring & Sleep Association have an interactive test to ID your passage problems so you can hone in on the root of your noise.

Combine these lifestyle tips and your sleeping habits will no longer be registered on the richter scale. Now everyone – not just you – can enjoy a good night’s kip.

Around 20 million Brits suffer sleepless nights because their partners snore. But help is at hand. To mark National Stop Snoring Week, Dr Yves Kamami – ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) surgeon at Harley Street’s The Private Clinic – reveals the best ways to put a stop to those tiresome night-time growls…

1. GIVE YOURSELF A BOOZE CURFEW

Alcohol relaxes the muscles of your tongue which can lead to narrowing of the airways, ultimately resulting in snoring. So don’t have your last drink too late into your evening and it will help you enjoy a silent night.

2. DON’T GO SPICY AFTER LUNCH

Spicy food can result in acid reflux from your stomach and in a number of studies, this has proven to increase the likelihood of snoring. So keep the spicy dishes for lunchtime and stick to safer meals in the evening.

3. SAY NO TO THAT SLICE OF CAKE

Being overweight is one of the most common causes of snoring. The more you weigh, the more likely you are to snore. But losing just a couple of pounds, if you are relatively trim, can have an impact on how often and how loudly  you growl.

4. FIND YOUR OLD TENNIS BALLS

If you snore, sleeping on your back is a bad idea so try to sleep on your side. Sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pyjamas is a sure but extreme way to prevent yourself from rolling over.

5. CHANGE THOSE SHEETS

To avoid excess dust and other particles from building up and blocking the nasal passages, change your sheets once a week and vacuum regularly. If you do this, you may well find that your breathing improves and your snoring is significantly reduced.

6. QUIT THE FAGS

Sorry but the cigarettes have to go. Smoking can enlarge tissue in the nose, called turbinates, which makes breathing more difficult, and increases the chances of snoring. Kick the habit now.

7. GET LASERED

Night-time growls could mean an issue with your nose and throat palate or a combination. Talk to your GP about your snoring or consult an ENT specialist. Throat snorers could have non-invasive laser treatment to help clear the airways on the soft palate in the throat. A similar treatment can aid “nose-snorers” by opening up the nasal passage.

WE’VE ALL experienced the exhausted frustration from a disrupted night’s sleep.

The loud, abrasive and exasperating sound of someone snoring nearby is enough to make your blood boil.

Snoring is often the source of late night arguments and a contributing factor to marital disharmony.

According to the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, snoring is air turbulence vibrating the structures in the upper airway.

It can range in sound from 50 to 100 decibels, the equivalent of a pneumatic drill, which explains its comparison to ‘sawing wood’.

Snoring is often to blame for fatigue during the day, but this nocturnal habit has a host of health hazards that some may not be aware of.

High blood pressure and increased risk of stroke are among the risk factors for regular snorers.

But there are ways to prevent the dreaded habit, aside from a swift jab in the ribs, according to ENT surgeon at The Private Clinic of Harley Street, Dr Yves Kamami.

Below Dr Kamami, who is also an expert in the causes and treatments for snoring, shares his top tips for reducing the raucous sleep sound.

1) Limit the booze

We are much more likely to snore if we’ve had a tipple before we go to bed. This is because alcohol relaxes the muscles of your tongue which can lead to the narrowing of the airways, ultimately resulting in snoring. Avoiding that pint of beer before going to bed could therefore help to silence your snoring throughout the night.

2) Stop smoking

Smoking can enlarge tissue in the nose, called the turbinates, which makes breathing more difficult; both of these side effects from smoking are likely to increase the chances of snoring. Kicking the habit won’t just improve yours and your partner’s sleep at night, but it will also improve your overall health dramatically.

3) Avoid spicy food

Spicy food can result in acid reflux from your stomach and in a number of studies this has proven to increase the likelihood of snoring. If you’re unsure why you snore and like to indulge in an Indian takeaway at the weekend, why not test the theory?

4) Find the right sleeping position

If you’re prone to snoring, sleeping on your back is a bad idea. If you’re fed up of being jabbed in the ribs throughout the night by your partner, try to sleep on your side. Sewing a tennis ball into to the back of your pyjamas is a sure way to prevent yourself from rolling over. Extreme? Yes. Worth it, for a good night’s sleep? Absolutely.

5) Get to the root of the issue

There are different reasons why we snore. It could be an issue with the nose, throat, palate or a combination of two of three of these things. Unless you diagnose which of these is causing your snoring you will have no hope in correcting your night-time growls. Talk to your GP about the route of your snoring or, better still, consult an ENT specialist.

6) Find a permanent solution

If you’ve tried everything but your snoring persists, don’t despair as there are treatments available which can significantly reduce levels of snoring. For patients whose snoring is being caused by the throat, a non-invasive laser treatment could  help clear the airways on the soft palate in the throat. A similar treatment, meanwhile, can aid ‘nose snorers’ by opening up the nasal passage. Treatments such as these are carried out under local anaesthetic and take less than half an hour to complete.