Snoring is not just a romantic inconvenience — there is evidence that snoring is a warning sign of other health risks.
A 1987 study published in the BMJ Journal of Clinical Research showed that if a man was a snorer, it could potentially show that he had a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
It can also have an impact on day-to-say life. Snoring causes poor quality sleep, meaning you're more likely to feel sleepy during the day, according to ENT surgeon Mike Dilkes' website. It can also cause sleep apnoea, which means your body doesn't get enough oxygen at night, which can cause high blood pressure, insulin resistance, loss of concentration, and even fatal heart attacks.
According to The Telegraph, Dilkes recommends an exercise regime which can help reduce the level of noise snorers make, or even stop it altogether. For those who have slept with a noisy partner, any reduction in sound levels would be a welcome relief.
Dilkes' workout is split into three exercises, which all focus on a different part of the mouth, neck, or tongue.
- The first is the tongue curl, which, as its name suggests, involves curling your tongue backwards towards the soft palate — the soft bit on the roof of your mouth. Then you bring it forward to touch the back of your upper teeth.
- The second is mouth stretches which involve opening your mouth as wide as you can and saying "ahh" for 20 seconds.
- The third part is an exercise for the lower throat, where you have to stick our your tongue as far as possible, take a deep breath, and make a high-pitched noise for 30 seconds.
The whole regime should only take about five minutes. As you can see it's not exactly a quiet exercise, so you might want to find somewhere private to give it a go.
Dilkes told the Telegraph that snoring as you get older is often a symptom of loss of muscle tone in the mouth and neck. In these cases, the workout can be really helpful.
Other causes of snoring are obesity, excessive drinking, and smoking. Twice as many men as women snore, according to the NHS, and about 40% of these men are over 30.
The exercises might not be as effective for people who suffer from conditions like nasal injuries or enlarged tonsils, who may require surgery. However, it's worth giving them a go, because they could reduce the noise levels of your snoring.
"Hopefully exercising your throat will become something people do every night after brushing their teeth," Dilkes told the Telegraph. "Plus, if your wife sees that you are making a real effort, she is more likely to cut you some slack."
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