Credit: Ami O'Callaghan
Strong Women
“I can’t stop snoring – can it impact my sleep?” An expert answers your questions
By Lauren Geall
Updated 2 years ago
6 min read
Welcome to Stylist’s Sleep Diaries, where we’re taking a deep-dive into one of the most important (and elusive) factors in our day-to-day lives: sleep. To help us understand more about it, we’re inviting women to track their bedtime routines over a five-day period – and presenting these diaries to sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan for analysis.
In this week’s Sleep Diaries, a 40-year-old journalist learns about the impact snoring can have on your sleep quality – and how to improve her symptoms.
A little about me:
Age: 40
Occupation: journalist
Number of hours sleep you get each night: 7 hours
Number of hours sleep you wish you got each night: 9 hours
Any officially diagnosed sleep-related problems (insomnia/sleep apnoea): no – although I have visited my GP worried about potentially having sleep apnoea. However, my GP said I’d be a hard sell to the sleep clinic because I have no daytime sleepiness and my breathless episodes only happen now and again, not regularly.
Do you grind your teeth/have nightmares: not often
How much water do you drink on average per day: 1.5 litres – aiming for 2!
How much caffeine do you drink on average per day: 2 cups of coffee, and sometimes an afternoon Diet Coke.
How much exercise do you do on average per week: I do 2 hours of training (weights, resistance, stretching, circuits), plus I try to walk 10, 000 steps each day.
Day 1
I eat an early dinner with my children before going to the pub with a few friends. I feel tired before I go but I rally myself and get ready: it’s the end of the first week back at school for my children so we’re all worn out.
I’m out until midnight and drink two glasses of red wine. We walk home and I’ve already done 15, 000 steps so I’m pleased to up my tally even more. I neck some water, take off my make-up, plug in my phone with an alarm set for 7.30am and go to sleep.
Day 2
I feel grouchy when my alarm wakes me up, probably because I know I must take my son to his football training session and it’s cold and rainy outside.
I eat a bit of toast and brew a coffee to take with me in a travel mug. Some fresh air does the trick and after the session I come home and blitz the house.
We have a family lunch out and eat amazing pizzas, and I spend the evening drinking a tonic water and eating popcorn while watching a boxset. I finish off by washing and drying my hair before getting into bed at 10pm. I intend to read but can’t get into it so end up scrolling on my phone until 10.45pm. I also remember to wear my retainer.
Day 3
I wake up naturally at 7am feeling rested and ready to start the day. I drink my morning coffee and read the papers over breakfast, saving myself for brunch a bit later followed by a playdate with some overexcited 7-year-olds.
Come evening I drink a glass of red watching TV with my husband before laying out my workout gear ready for the morning. I’m in bed by 11pm with my alarm set and use some lavender spray on pillow. I fall asleep half a page into my book.
Credit: Getty
Day 4
I’m woken up at 5.30am by a child who has wet the bed, so I have to do an early sheets change and soothe a tired child. I can’t get back to sleep before my alarm sounds at 6.30am and it’s time to get up.
I have some toast, coffee and fruit amid the morning chaos before setting off for the school run, which is followed by a personal training session in the park.
I work hard during my session, and make sure to make good food choices and drink plenty of water all day.
I have some toast, coffee and fruit amid the morning chaos before setting off for the school run
At the end of the day I’m feeling exhausted (after finishing my workout I headed to work before picking up the kids and taking them to various activities), but I’m delighted with myself for making a ragu sauce in the slow cooker.
I eat dinner with the kids at 5pm then half-watch TV while scrolling on my phone. I’m in bed for 10.30pm but a bit stressed about the icy weather outside.
Day 5
My alarm wakes me up at 6.45am – hurrah, no kids with nightmares or wet sheets! I jump up and get going, munching toast as I sort packed launches, de-ice the car and do the laundry. Then, once the kids are at school, I begin to tackle a pile of work. I’m feeling productive!
When evening comes I’m in my pyjamas by 8pm after a bath – some hardcore lunging with my PT yesterday has made my legs super achey, so I felt in need of a good soak.
I’m feeling a strange combo of achiness and sluggishness, probably because the awful weather has meant no time outside or my usual walks. As a result I feel grumpy, which my husband comments on.
I eat dinner with the children (roast chicken) at around 5pm. I’m feeling thirsty so have plenty of water and a fruit tea while doing some reading and a bit of work before bed. I want to get a good night’s rest as I have an important meeting the following day, so I get into bed by 10pm.
I sleep well until 4.30am when I need to visit the loo – I think I woke up from an apnoea/snoring/breathing episode, but not a particularly bad one.
So, what does it all mean? A sleep expert offers her thoughts
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan, sleep expert and professional physiologist, says: “You have some great habits – exercise, hydration and not eating too late – which I’m sure stand you in good stead with your busy life.
“You also snore and potentially have undiagnosed sleep apnoea. However, the absence of any significant fatigue during the day makes me think you might not be struggling with sleep apnoea.
“Snoring can affect the quality of your sleep and that of your bed partner’s, although your husband doesn’t seem to complain too much. However, here’s what I recommend for you and any other snorers out there.
“First, minimise your caffeine and alcohol intake in the evening as the dehydrating effects of these drinks can exacerbate snoring.”
Credit: Dr Nerina Ramlakhan
Dr Nerina continues: “I also recommend you take a look at the work of Patrick McKeown, the scientist who wrote the brilliant book The Oxygen Advantage. You could also watch his interview with Dr Rangan Chatterjee where they talk about the importance of nasal vs mouth breathing, because working on nasal breathing has been shown to improve snoring.
“Along with his protocol, Patrick McKeown also recommends mouth taping with a specific type of tape to encourage nasal breathing. It might sound far-fetched but it can work!
“For an even more whacky remedy, regular singing and humming can also strengthen the muscles at the back of the throat which can collapse, giving rise to snoring. Maybe you’d like to try this as part of your bedtime routine for at least 10-15 minutes each night!”
If you would like to take part in Stylist’s Sleep Diaries, please email lauren.geall@stylist.co.uk with your age, using ‘SLEEP DIARIES’ as the subject. We look forward to hearing from you.
Lead image design: Ami O’Callaghan
Other images: Getty/Dr Nerina Ramlakhan
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