Snoring

Citation

(2006), "Snoring", Health Education, Vol. 106 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/he.2006.142106dag.001

Snoring

Snoring can have an immense impact on the health and quality of life for the snorer, their partner and their family. After infidelity and financial problems, snoring is the third biggest cause of marriage breakdown. Snoring is usually accompanied by lack of sleep and this can have an impact in terms of daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, poor motivation, and higher stress levels. Being tired means that people will be less effective at work, and if they are driving they are a danger to themselves and other road users. The more serious form of snoring, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), has been associated with hypertension, increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, headaches and decreased sex drive. Although surgery can be used to help alleviate the problem of snoring, the internet is also available to help people cope with, and manage this condition.

The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Associationwww.britishsnoring.co.uk/

The web site of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association is an interesting mix of the academic and commercial. The main content of this web site is accessed through a drop down menu at the top of the home page. Topics include “What is snoring” “Why do I snore” “What can I do to stop”. There is also access to the “Online snoring shop” and “Snoring research”. The content that is available in each of these sections is largely text-based although there are a few interactive elements to make it more interesting. For example, in the section “What can I do to stop snoring” the user is presented with three animations illustrating a nose test, mouth breathing test, and a tongue test. By attempting to breath in the way described, the user can determine what type of snorer they are, and what the best remedy might be for them. There are many remedies on offer ranging from the relatively straightforward nasal dilators to the rather frightening sounding “Mandibular Advancement Device”. Being overweight can cause snoring and so the web site designers have provided a means of calculating body mass index by entering details of height and weight. Unfortunately although this works fine if your browser is internet explorer, it might not work with other browsers and it certainly does not work with the increasingly popular Firefox browser. From a self-help perspective, one of the more interesting offerings from this site is the 90 day snore-no-more plan. This plan, which can be accessed online, or can be downloaded as an Acrobat pdf file, is designed to take the user through a number of possible causes of their snoring. There are 11 different possibilities that are explored ranging from obesity through to smoking and the menopause. Some of the guidance offered is rather superficial, for example, under the smoking section, the advice offered is do not smoke before going to bed and if you want to give up seek the help of a hypnotherapist! Despite this minor criticism, most of the advice offered, and especially that dealing with snoring itself, is sound and based on good research.

The more academic part of this web site was a little disappointing. Under the heading of research there are a number of articles in pdf format, but they all appear to be from the same “journal”. What the user finds here are not journal articles as such, but rather a series of leaflets headed “Sound Asleep”. While the content of these leaflets is fine for most lay users, referring to it as “Snoring Research” is probably something of an exaggeration.

The online shop is certainly well stocked and although some of the products, for example petroleum jelly, could probably be purchased more cheaply at Boots or Superdrug, many of the more exotic devices and remedies would be much more difficult to find on the high street.

BUPAhttp://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/snoring.html

BUPA describes itself as a “global health care organisation” though most people probably associate the name with health insurance. What many people may not realise is that as well as providing various health services, via the web site, BUPA provides health information factsheets that can be freely accessed. There are literally hundreds of these factsheets available, each summarizing a different illness or medical problem. The factsheet dealing with snoring can be accessed online or downloaded as a pdf file. It is also available in a printer friendly version. With the exception of a single diagram showing the main tissues involved in snoring, the content is all text. There are no links so the user will have to scroll through all the text to find what they are searching for. The content starts by giving an overview of what snoring is and who is likely to be most at risk. Sleep apnoea and its more serious consequences are then dealt with before moving on to treatments. A self-care action plan is provided based mainly on maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise. Although little detail is provided users are advised to look at the other factsheets dealing with these topics. Unfortunately there are not any links provided to these factsheets and so the user will have to search through the A-Z listing. Other treatments that are discussed include medicines, CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) and LAUP (laser assisted uvulopalatoplasty) a relatively new technique that appears to have tremendous potential. Although BUPA is a health company, there is no attempt to sell the user any of its products or services. There are links to BUPA health insurance and health checks but the user can choose whether or not to follow these links.

Overall, while not a particularly inspiring web site, the content is adequate and presents the main points in a clear and succinct manner.

Embarrassing Problemswww.embarrassingproblems.co.uk/snore.htm

This web site is always good for those million and one things you never knew about... in this case snoring. For example, did you know that there are 15 million snorers in the UK, that Churchill and Mussolini were both famous snorers, and that primitive man thought that snoring was useful because it frightened away predators at night. In about 12 percent of snorers the noise is so loud it could result in arrest for disturbing the peace! Having dispensed with these interesting little gems the user can get down to explore the main content of this site. Starting with “What causes snoring” the content explains in simple terms the main causes of snoring. Two diagrams are included to help with the explanation though they are of little practical use.

The second section “Is snoring dangerous” might appear a little worrying but the content focuses on sleep apnoea and the dangers of excessive sleepiness that may result. There is a simple test provided to find out if you might be suffering from this problem. This Epworth Sleepiness Scale asks the user to rate how likely it is that they would doze off in a range of different situations, for example, watching television or in the car while stopped for a short while. The test is not interactive but it is short enough not to require this.

The third section deals with self-help. The usual advice on losing weight, giving up smoking, avoiding alcohol and so on are all included. There is also a suggestion to deal with snoring caused by sleeping with an open mouth. Take a ladies stocking and bind it tightly under the jaw and over the head, tying it on top of the head with a reef knot. Not sure about this, I think this might be taking self-help just a little too far!

Following on from the self-help section there is a link where the user can find out what their dentist and doctor might be able to do for them. The medical procedures are described in some detail and tend to involve various ways of burning away part of the soft palate with all the discomfort that that might include. Reading about these frightening medical procedures makes you appreciate just how serious snoring can be for those people afflicted with the problem.

Finally a contacts page provides links to other organisations that offer information on this problem. Unfortunately only two are provided and one of those was not working which this makes this section of the web site the most disappointing.

I Just Want to Sleepwww.ijustwanttosleep.com/

This web site from the USA presents the user with a whole new scenario for the prevention of snoring. The problem is defined as due to a weak tongue which falls to the back of the mouth during sleep and thus causes snoring. The solution therefore is obvious, the muscles in the tongue must be strengthened through exercise. The package that is being sold on the web site is a book and a DVD that teaches the user how to exercise their tongue, a sort of oral Jane Fonda. This is serious stuff, a whole set of exercise routines for the tongue are provided. Examples of these can be seen in the demos, which provide short video extracts from the DVD. Needless to say the web site has “proof” that the exercises work, as well as testimonials from satisfied customers. Compared with the frightening surgical procedures described above, parting with the $63.97 that it costs for the DVD, might seem quite cheap at the price!

On a more positive note, one topic this web site deals with that the others have not, is the problem of snoring in children and the impact that this can have on their lives. Children who snore tend not to sleep well and are therefore prone to tiredness during the day and this can have quite serious consequences in terms of education. It is surprising that some of the more mainstream sites have not mentioned this important point.

Put an End to Snoringwww.putanendtosnoring.com/index.html

This web site is another import from the USA and is characterised by the “in your face” style. Unlike the above, the section dealing with the causes of snoring is rather more conventional. The interactive questionnaire that is included identifies the snorers typology. The first type is the Socially Incorrect snorer, i.e. the person whose snoring does not bother themselves, but does bother other people. There is also the SOS snorer, whose snoring is actually a sign of a more serious medical problem. The not-so-silent-killer type is suffering from sleep apnoea and is therefore a danger to themselves and others. For these different types of snorers different remedies are available and it is the remedies section of this web site that is probably the most interesting. Different web sites tend to focus on particular approaches to treatment. This web site uses a scattergun approach and offers a very wide range of treatments including hypnotherapy, homeopathic remedies as well as pillows and some of the more conventional treatments. The web site does point out that it does not endorse any of these remedies, which really means buy this product if you like but we can not guarantee that it will do you any good! From a marketing point of view this is quite a good strategy as it means the web site can offer any form of remedy and therefore be attractive to a much wider range of customers. This might not be entirely ethical, but in the absence of anything resembling an internet watchdog, who is looking and who cares anyway.