When an individual’s soft breathing sound slowly transitions into gentle snuffles and then upgrades straight away to loud rasps and snorts, the said individual is officially a snorer! The tell-tale signs of snoring include waking up with a dry mouth, headache, sore throat or exhaustion. One may also feel tired during the day or face difficulty focusing. During the night, he or she may experience restlessness or struggle to fall asleep - in other words, insomnia. There may have even been times when you’ve woken up from a deep slumber gasping or choking.
An estimated 45 per cent of adults snore regularly, while 25 per cent of individuals snore frequently, upsetting their partner or neighbour’s sleep (depending on the snore’s decibel!) and possibly their own. If you’re a man in his middle-age or older, or a woman going through menopause or pregnancy, your likelihood of snoring increases.
Here are some interesting facts on snoring that will make you snort with laughter!
Shakespeare Was The First To Use The Term ‘Snore’
The term ‘snore’ was not formally recognised until Shakespeare made use of it. Originally, snort was used to refer to animal noises. Shakespeare was the first to employ the verb ‘snore’ in connection to humans in his play The Tempest, ‘Thou dost snore distinctly; there’s meaning in thy snores.’ Shakespeare was using the connotation with animals as an insult.
Denial Of A Snorer
The most common response from a snorer is that they are unaware of their snoring. It becomes a challenge to persuade your parent/spouse/roommate about the extent to which their snoring causes disturbance/annoyance.
It’s Hereditary
Most people who snore have parents or grandparents who also snore, proving that snoring runs in families.
The Decibel Range
Snoring noise levels range from 50-100 dB. A 50 dB snore is comparable to a quiet conversation, whereas 100 dB is equivalent to sleeping next to a food blender, train, bulldozer, forklift, or mower. Not only is this completely disruptive to sleep, but hearing damage can be caused by prolonged exposure to such high noise levels, especially during sleeping hours.
Socially Unacceptable Snoring (SUS)
Socially Unacceptable Snoring is snoring loud enough to wake others or keep them from sleeping. SUS is third among the reasons for divorce, after infidelity and financial issues. An Iranian man filed for divorce in 1997 because of his wife’s constant snoring; it later came to light that she had drugged him at the beginning of their marriage to keep him from finding out.
Snoratorium
Tom Cruise’s snores are so loud that he reportedly turned his spare room into a ‘snoratorium’.
Here are few remedies to reduce snoring.
Sleep position: For many, sleeping on their back almost always results in snoring. Altering your sleeping posture could potentially reduce your snoring, or at least lessen its volume.
Anti-snoring device: Using anti-snoring equipment/devices and implementing specific lifestyle modifications are crucial to your stop-snoring strategy.
Change of pillows: Snoring may be caused by allergens in your pillow and bedroom. Dust mites can gather on your pillows and trigger allergic reactions, which in turn can result in snoring.
Maintain moderate weight: Snoring may sometimes be caused due to excess tissue. Losing weight will assist in reducing the quantity of tissue in your throat if you are overweight.
*In case of severe or persistent cases of snoring, do consult with a doctor for treatment.