Contact:
Julian Mattocks
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
| Pressbox | 
|
Guildford (pte016/14.03.2005/10:45) - Women should do whatever they can to get a full night's sleep when it comes to snoring partners, researchers say. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, according to British scientists, those who listen passively to the dulcet tones of their soundly-sleeping partner may be missing out on up to five hour's sleep a week. The University of Surrey http://www.surrey.ac.uk researchers, who have spoken to 25 couples so far, have found that plenty of women snore as well, but men are much more likely to wake them up. According to sleep experts, there are many ways for people to stop themselves snoring. Missing out on sleep can lead to sleepiness in the daytime, potentially affecting performance at work and ability to drive safely.
Although many of the couples questioned, who range in age from 20 to their late 50s, reported snoring problems, none of them had sleep disorders, such as sleep apnoea. The research is part of a bigger study into how couples regulate their sleep. "Women would just listen to it, or they would disturb their partner just enough so they wouldn't snore, but not so much that they would wake them up," said Sue Venn, of the Department of Sociology. Some women moved to another room to get some rest. "It is part of the whole role that women take on of being the carer," Venn said. "They will often accept snoring in terms of doing what's best for their men. Even when children come along, they will continue to do this," she added. However, according to Venn, in cases where the female partner snores, men are more likely to prod or poke their partners until they woke up and stopped snoring. "Women seem to be embarrassed about admitting to snoring, yet it's important that they, as well as men, seek advice on whether their snoring is damaging their health," Venn said.
According to Melissa Hack, chairman of the British Sleep Society http://www.sleeping.org.uk , women generally tend to sleep more lightly than men, and so are it is often expected that they will not sleep well. "In our clinic, we often have to correct that assumption. Everybody deserves a good night's sleep," she said. Hack said that snoring could have a devastating effect on relationships, with some couples splitting up because of it. "Women are certainly embarrassed at coming forward. They believe snoring isn't a "lady-like" thing to do," she added. According to Hack, snoring is simply vibration at the back of the throat. It happens at night because the muscles become floppy. Snoring can be caused by being overweight, particularly in men. However, it can also be due to have thin airways or a jaw that is set slightly further back than normal. Hack said that there were several ways people could tackle snoring. These included cutting down on smoking or drinking alcohol, adopting different sleep positions and using dental gum shields, which help hold muscles in place and so prevent snoring.
(end)
|
|
