Let’s start with something pretty simple - snoring is not normal, EVER….. 

Snoring is not a normal part of ageing. Snoring is not normal if you are overweight. Snoring is not genetic. Snoring isn’t something that you, and your family just have to put up with…..  

Snoring IS a really big sign that you are not breathing correctly……. 

How many of your friends snore, or have a partner who snores? Probably most of them, if you asked…..

Every, single person that snores (or has sleep apnoea) is breathing poorly all day, setting them up for a night of sleep that inevitably fails to provide the restoration and regeneration that a good night’s sleep does. Over many months and years, this undoubtedly leads to chronic health issues and crippling fatigue - this is the elephant in the room.

What is snoring?

“Snoring” describes noisy and uneven breathing during sleep. Usually snoring occurs on the inhalation and is caused by vibration of the soft tissues in the nose and throat. The level of noise created by snoring can vary from a soft purr to something more like a semi trailer using its brakes. Very loud snoring can be measured at 90 decibels (a noise level hazardous to hearing). 

Around 40% of the adult population snores at least occasionally and for those aged over 40, this figure jumps to 60%..... Let’s just think about the fact that that means more than half of those people aged over 40 are snoring.

While men are more likely than women to snore, more than 30% of middle-aged women do habitually snore! More and more of our children are snoring - this is an alarming and frightening fact that has massive implications on their capacity to concentrate and learn, to grow, to fight illness and most importantly to enjoy life. It may start out as a cute little snuffly noise during the night, but it should be an alarm bell when it happens more often than not.

Are snoring and sleep apnoea the same?

In a nutshell NO…. Snoring is most definitely a risk factor for developing sleep apnoea though, and as snoring becomes more severe, it usually transitions into sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is different to snoring as it is a condition where breathing actually stops for more than 10 seconds at a time, more than 5 times per hour during sleep. A person suffering from sleep apnoea can have their sleep disrupted hundreds of times in a night, totally preventing them from entering into the deep, restorative sleep stage. Initially these disruptions are very brief and are not remembered the next day, however the quality of sleep is so poor that the sufferer will not feel well rested and night after night of such poor quality sleep will most certainly start to take their toll.

Partners of people with sleep apnoea will describe a very obvious pause in the breathing, followed by an abrupt resumption that repeats hundreds of times through the night.

Keep an eye out for my article that delves a little deeper into Sleep Apnoea in coming weeks.

So snoring is noisy, but does it really matter?

Every single one of us knows a shocking snorer - the person you do not want to be paired with on a weekend away, the person you definitely don’t want to go camping with, the person you have all laughed at when they have fallen asleep on the couch during the footy, snoring!

But have you considered that snoring is associated with some really significant health issues? There is a very high incidence of chronic snoring among men who suffer strokes, heavy snoring is linked to high blood pressure and heart attacks….. Snoring is not a joke.

Once snoring progresses to sleep apnoea, the health risks increase dramatically - high blood pressure, heart attacks, depression, obesity, stroke, angina to name a few. Can you really take the risk? If you snore, or someone you love does, maybe it’s time to stop ignoring the elephant in the room and sort it out.

Why do we snore?

The way that we breathe during the night, is a reflection of the way we breathe during the day. When we breathe well all day, we set ourselves up to breathe well during the night. Someone who breathes well, will fall asleep quickly, sleep the whole night without waking, move around minimally during the night and wake fully refreshed after around 7 hours of sleep. These people will have an overnight resting HR of around 40 beats/minute.

On the other hand, someone who breathes poorly during the day will usually be breathing 2-3 times as much air as they need. These people take a while to get off to sleep, wake multiple times through the night, drink water through the night, toss and turn a lot and wake feeling thirsty and totally unrefreshed. Because their body systems are working so much harder, they will have a resting HR well above 60 beats/minute. This number alone should ring serious alarm bells about how “unrestful” this type of sleep is and how damaging this type of sleep is on your long-term health.

Read more here THE 5 MOST COMMON BREATHING MISTAKES

The true cost of snoring

While I have already mentioned the serious measurable health risks associated with snoring, it is harder to put a value on the other outcomes of snoring. Driver fatigue is becoming recognised as a serious consequence of both snoring and sleep apnoea - some studies have determined these people are up to 7 times more likely to have a road accident! The poor concentration, loss of mental acuity, focus and reflexes that increases the risk of traffic accidents obviously also affects job performance across all industries - sleep deprivation is a serious health issue.

The partners (and family) of chronic snorers will often describe fragmented sleep, irritability and concentration issues. The impact of snoring on a relationship is significant - snoring is the cause of much tension and often leads to couples using separate bedrooms and can ultimately be the catalyst for relationship breakdown. It simply doesn’t have to be this way - snoring is treatable and reversible.

Snoring can be treated, and not with a mask!

We have all seen the ads on tele for the Sleep Apnoea CPAP masks - I am not surprised that so many people choose to live with their sleep apnoea rather than attempt to sleep wearing a mask or mouthguard. The intrusive and overwhelming nature of these treatment methods makes them unappealing at best and simply unsustainable. But these are not the only ways to achieve a quiet, restful nights sleep. 

If snoring and sleep apnoea are so clearly linked to the way that you breathe, then there is no doubt that changing the way you breathe will dramatically affect your snoring and sleep apnoea. People who snore every night, are breathing 2-3 times the amount of air they should be breathing. Changing the way these people breathe during the day, changes the way they breathe at night, every, single time. No mask, no mouthguard, no mouth tape required. It really is that simple.

While the subject of snoring can be a bit of a laugh, the effects on the health and wellbeing of the snorer, not to mention the partner and family of a snorer, are no laughing matter at all. The elephant in the room here needs to be acknowledged, taken seriously and shown the door, so that these people can return to enjoying a peaceful, quiet night’s sleep.

 Breathing well allows your body to run efficiently and to thrive.  Breathing well is a pleasure and will allow you to achieve so much more with your life.  Breathing well will affect how you sleep, how you focus, how you enjoy life and how you turn up for those who are important to you. 

If you snore, let’s talk about how we can turn it around.  If you are ready to take control of your breathing and take control of your life, let’s get started!