Conference quark::human_relations-v1

    St. Joseph's Hospital here in Nashua has a "Sleep Disorders Clinic"
    which deals with snoring problems, among others, according to
    a flyer I got in the mail.  If that's not convenient for you, 
    perhaps your local hospital may know of a program which is closer.
    There may be a simple medical remedy for your snoring.
    
    				Steve

    Try keeping a fan on or the radio low, that will lull you to sleep!!!
    
    Good Luck!
    
    
    Lynne :-)

    Hi,
    
    My husband snores *severely* and in his case it's related to sleep
    apnea - he literally stops breathing several times a night, and in
    trying to take a breath again, starts of with an explosively loud
    snoring noise, which continues for some time. (Concurrent with the
    snoring, he has difficulty getting a rested feeling from his sleep, as
    this problem interrupts REM sleep.)
    
    We were at a loss as to what was going on, until we had him evaluated at a
    sleep disorder clinic (U.Mass Med Ctr, Worcester, MA) and they
    identified the problem. In his case, loosing some weight helped
    (there's a correlation with overweightedness), forcing him to sleep
    only on his side (by propping with pillows) helped, but ultimately we
    had to go the "separate bedrooms" route, because even with a lesser
    number of snoring incidents, he's still *very* loud about it.
    The clinic also said there were other options available, such as
    surgery on the soft palette and a breathing mask he could wear at night
    which does something to the pressure of the air he takes in. He chose
    not to pursue those options.
    
    The foregoing probably doesn't sound terribly optimistic! I'd recommend
    that you do be checked by a sleep clinic, especially if you have any of
    the symptoms of sleep apnea (i.e.stopping breathing, not feeling rested
    after a full night's sleep, or the loud, explosive snoring as you  try
    to take your breath in again).
    
    Good luck! 
    
    

    I used to have a sister-in-law that had a real problem with snoring
    and like you her marriage was in jepordy. Her husband really loved
    her, but his health was starting to fail due to exhaustion. She
    attended a sleep disorder clinic in San Jose where they talked to her
    about some amazing facts. They indicated that they could help her
    snoring problem with some relatively minor surgery. They also said
    that this was the cause of her cronic weight problem as well.
    Apparently, since she was always tired fron not getting a good nights
    rest, she naturally compensated her energy, or lack thereof, by eating
    more. After the surgery she lost 100# and thier marriage is stronger
    than it ever way mostly because both of them finally had the energy to
    be more active and happy. (Yes, it talks energy to be happy) 
    
    I got all this third party, so I am no expert, but it is worth checking
    out.
    
    

    
    You're not alone... I snore like the dickens and get ribbed about it
    by friends when I go camping or sleep over at someone's house.  My
    snoring doesn't bother me... I can't hear it, but I know others have 
    been disturbed by it.  I've been advised by my doctor that it's
    probably a mild form of sleep apnea as well.  I also have numerous
    allergies, which in certain season's, adds to the volume I snore at.
    
    There were two very good points made in the previous replies, the first
    being weight.  Although that's not an exclusive reason for snoring it
    definitely has an effect.  The second was the position you sleep in.
    You will find that you snore your loudest while on your back and your
    chin is closer to your chest. If you must sleep on your back, prop a 
    pillow under the back of your neck so that your head is tilted back and
    your breathing passage is clear.  I personally recommend sleeping on
    your side with a pillow proped between your knees... you'll find it 
    comfortable and may be surprized how well rested you are the next day.
    
    I also strongly recommend NOT drinking alcohol... Although in this case
    I can't honestly say I practice what I preach. 8)  I snore the loudest
    after a night shooting pool.  
    
    Finally, my past girlfriend and the woman I'm dating now both found
    that rubbing a small circle on my back or chest (depending upon my 
    position) stops the snoring long enough for them to drift off and
    doesn't wake me up.  
    
    Good Luck!
     

    
    I snore if I sleep on my back - if it's bothering my husband he just
    makes a fist of his hand and pushes it under my shoulder.  That makes
    it uncomfortable for me and I roll on to my side (where I don't
    snore).  I don't wake up either!
    
    Sam
    

    Having been diagnosed with having Sleep Apnea and my doctor
    recommending against the surgery I decided to try the CPAP (Continuous
    Positive Air Pressure) machine.  It's a light weight unit, very
    portable (I travell a lot) and provides me with  GREAT night sleep.  I
    haven't experienced the weight loss that others have indicated after
    getting better sleep but I know I have a lot more enery and do a lot
    more things that I never did before (I used to be in bed by 8:30-9:00
    now I'm up through the 11:00 news).
    
    There's more on Sleep APNEA in the medical notes conference.

    Something to try inthe meantime.....  My father had a bad snoring
    problem, the doctor said it was something to do with the way his
    throat, neck muscles, and jaw were developed.  To correct it, the
    doctor told my dad to stand with his back against the wall, to force
    the spine and as much of the back area to touch the wall as possible
    (It can be uncomfortable but you don't do it for long.) Hold his head,
    with the neck pressed flat against the wall, as straight as possible
    and relax the jaw muscles letting his jaw hang open.  He had to do this
    for 15 minutes a day.  After three weeks, his snoring stopped.  The bad
    news is that after the snoring stopped he had to do the same three
    times a week to maintain whatever muscles and so forth were affected or 
    he would go back to snoring again.  Now, since my mother died he
    doesn't worry about it anymore, and snores to his hearts content. 
    Unfortunatly, it makes visiting him a bit rough sometimes.  
    
    Anyhow it helped him with his snoring, and it didn't cost as much as
    surgery (in his case surgury wasn't the answer).  
    
    Hope it helps.
    
    Skip

    I have sleep apnea.  The snoring gets worse with increased weight or
    alcohol in the evening.  I snore loud enough that I can sometimes wake
    myself up with the snoring,not to mention the gasping on occassion. 
    Sleeping on my side helps most times unless I have a cold or sinus
    infection.  I am reluctant to consider rhino-pharyngo-palatoplasty (the
    surgery that might help) cure my condition.
    
    Sleep apnea, BTW, comes in two basic forms obstructive and
    neurological.  Obstructive can be helped with surgery.  I don't know
    what can be done for the neurological variety, but suspect there may be
    drugs that can help.
    
    The best advice has been given, get it checked out at a sleep clinic.
    the second best is separate sleeping quarters.
    
    My favorite cure (since I usually don't snore when sleeping on my side)
    is to make spoons with the person I am sleeping with 8-)
    
    jimc