MELVIN Switzer recently figured in Book of Records as the world's loudest snorer. Melvin, a 250lb dock worker, emits a snore of 88 decibels, which is equivalent to the noise of a motorcycle being revved at full throttle. Melvin's wife is deaf in one ear and sleeps with her good ear pressed to the pillow. One can only surmise as to the reasons why she continues to pass her nights in the same room, let alone in the same bed, with the mighty Melvin.
Relatively little research has been carried out on snoring. Conventional medical opinion has held that, in almost all cases, it is a relatively harmless activity. However, surveys conducted within the past decade have consistently shown a puzzling correlation between snoring and disease. Much more research will be necessary in order to decide whether snoring is bad for your health There have been many fanciful ideas to explain why people snore and, even to this day, the matter is not entirely clear. An early 19th century medical opinion claimed that snoring was necessary to clear the throat of mucus. A colourful psychological theory held that men snored in a subconscious intent to punish their wives. A kinder psychological theory claimed that snoring men were unconsciously reliving experiences of primitive man who made loud aggressive noises around the camp fire, designed to frighten away savage beasts.
Physically, the snoring noise seems to be made by the vibration of membranes in the soft palate of the mouth and in the pharynx (the airway that leads from the mouth to the oesophagus). These membranes relax during sleep and are made to vibrate as air passes over them. I have a tendency to snore lightly when sleeping on my back. On occasion I have awoken from sleep in this position to find myself snoring. I have noted with surprise that the process is absolutely effortless.
I can feel the small vibrations that emit the noise and there is a surprising disproportion between this small easy movement and the volume of sound that comes forth. The snoring quickly stops when it becomes conscious of being observed. I have consciously attempted to reproduce this relaxed snoring but without success.
What proportion of the population snores? One has to be careful when designing surveys to answer this question. Many snorers are unaware that they snore. Others are aware of the problem but reluctant to admit it. I remember being kept awake an entire night in a Dublin hotel by the occupant of the adjoining room, a salesman, who was a champion snorer. I mentioned it to him the following morning at breakfast but, in apparent sincerity, he claimed he had never snored in his life.
He was lucky that he hadn't slept in an adjoining room to John Wesley Harden, the 19th century American outlaw. Under similar circumstances, Harden is reported to have burst into the snorer's room and silenced him with a gun.
Surveys of the population based on the direct question - "Do you snore?" indicate that snoring is a minority habit - 7 per cent to 40 per cent of the population. However, this is a gross underestimation for the reasons outlined above. More sensibly designed surveys ask the question - How many members of your family snore? Such surveys show that snoring is very widespread. In one Canadian study, 86 per cent of wives reported their husbands to be snorers and 57 per cent of husbands reported their wives.
Overall, surveys have consistently shown that about half the adult population regularly snores. The prevalence of snoring increases with age up to the seventh decade, and then it declines.
If there is any danger associated with snoring, it is a small one and is experienced by a great many people. However, about 1 per cent of snorers fall into a potentially more serious bracket. In these cases, relaxation of the throat muscles closes the pharynx and breathing stops completely for 10 seconds or more. Choking then starts which rouses the sleeper and he begins breathing again.
This cycle may be repeated dozens of times per night and the sufferer is then drowsy and tired all the following day. The condition, know as Sleep Apnea Syndrome, has been linked to fatigue, low oxygen content of the blood, and depression. It is often associated with an abnormal anatomy of the throat.
A striking fact emerges from the surveys conducted to date. Snorers are more likely than nonsnorers to suffer from high blood pressure, heart and lung disease, obesity, insomnia, arthritis, depression, diabetes, alcoholism, asthma, and excessive day time drowsiness. The most striking difference between snorers and non snorers is in the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. These differences persist when effects of smoking and over eating are controlled.
Why is snoring associated with ill health? This is a typical chicken and egg situation. Does snoring predispose one to ill health or does ill health predispose one to snoring? If the former, one might speculate that the slightly impaired breathing during snoring lowers the blood oxygen content and that, in time, this could lead to higher blood pressure and to other conditions. If the latter, one might speculate that ill health leads to loss of firm muscle tone resulting in abnormal slackness in the mouth and throat areas during sleep and consequently leading to vibration - snoring.
WHATEVER about the possible effect of snoring on health, it is certain that snoring is intensely aggravating to those within earshot of it. Snoring has been known to cause marriage breakup and firemen to lose their jobs. The position most conducive to snoring is sleeping on one's back. This may be dealt with fairly simply, e.g. by sewing a tennis ball into the back of one's pyjamas top.
However, some people snore in any sleeping position - some will snore even when sitting. The classic medical solution to snoring is removal of the adenoids, but this procedure is successful in only about 10 per cent of cases.
Many anti snoring devices have been patented over the years. These include chin straps, shocks and alarms to waken the snorer, and wooden pillows to keep him off his back. There is also evidence that if snorers stop smoking and lose weight the frequency and loudness of their snoring may decrease significantly.
If snoring is a serious problem, e.g. sleep apnea, or the cause of severe distress to a partner, there are several surgical procedures that can be used to ameliorate the problem. In one popular procedure a small tuck is taken in the soft palate and the pharynx to tighten the back of the throat. This does not stop the snoring entirely but produces very encouraging results.
Although the evidence to date suggests a connection between snoring and illness, the case is by no means proven. I would guess that almost everybody snores, although many do so only very lightly and only when sleeping on their backs. This would mean that, if there is a correlation between snoring and illness, there may well be a threshold level of snoring below which there is no danger.
Also, above this threshold level the risk would probably be proportional to the severity of snoring. In any event, our present flimsy knowledge in this area should not be a cause of worry. My advice is to sleep on your side and await developments.