Snoring - is there a cure?
Anyone who has a problem with constant snoring night after night ( or has a partner that does ) will know what a misery this condition is. For many years I suffered this affliction ( and not in silence ! ). It was so bad that my wife and I ended up sleeping in seperate rooms so that she could get some sleep which wasn't doing our relationship a whole lot of good and only helped with half the problem. If you snore badly you will know only too well that not only do you prevent other peoplesleeping, your own sleep is constantly broken by waking yourself up! It's not at all funny is it ? People would ask me why I was always tired and it would often elicit a smile when I explained but, believe me, I know how totally unamusing it is.
I tried all sorts of things - foul tasting throat sprays, awful devices that you put in your mouth, smelly stuff on my pillow etc.None of them worked and in the end I went to see my doctor who referred me to an ear nose and throat specialist. The consultant I saw ( who I must admit was a real nice guy ) diagnosed a "deviated septum" and offered me a surgical procedure. Hey, I was desperate and here was salvation - I went for it. It it involved a 24 hour stay in hospital and a hell of a lot of discomfort as well as four weeks off work. I'll spare you the details, suffice it to say that it was really not nice! But it would be worth it, right? Wrong! Three months down the line and the snoring is just as bad as ever. At my follow up review with the same consultant he reminded me that he'd told me that there were no guarantees that the procedure would effect a complete cure. How is it when we want something so bad that we sometimes ignore the negative aspects? Anyway he offered me another operation that involved slicing bits off the soft palate at the back of the throat. I politely declined !
In desperation I started to search the internet for answers. Again I came across all sort of barmy ideas for sticking things in your mouth all night etc. Then I came across a suggestion that singing can help because it excercises throat muscles. NowI didn't really fancy going down the local karaoke bar to test the theory but it sounded just feasable that something like the vocal exercises that singers do might actually help. I researched the link between singing and snoring and found that it is indeed helpful in some cases but not a guaranteed cure ( here we go again, but at least it's not as painful as having your nostrils drilled out or you throat cut!).Well, pursuing this line of enquiry I eventually ended up at a website that has literally changed our
lives.
Bearing in mind how much I needed some relief from this curse I was willing to try almost anything. I had always been a bit dubious about buying these books that you see everywhere that promise everything from six-pack abs in no time to, well, snoring cures.Actually I'd never bought one before and I nearly backed off before I hit the "pay now" button but I was so frustrated that I was thinking what the hell, just do it - even if doesn't work it won't break the bank. I am so glad I did. What clinched it for me was the references to singing being beneficial that I'd researched earlier. However this book teaches you far more than singing excercises- in fact you don't have to sing at all - it's all about breathing techniques that singers employ, though at the time I would've sang a dozen choruses of "Silent Night" if I believed it would help.Written by a guy named Christian Goodman these simple techniques worked for me and I'd almost given up entirely - resigned to the fact that I was "incurable". I didn't realize how depressed and unhappy I'd become but now my wife and I can once again fall asleep in each others arms knowing that the dreaded cacophany won't disturb us and for that one reason alone it was all worth it. Mr Goodman does offer a money back guarantee but I didn't need to check that out because his method worked for me. If you suffer from chronic snoring it's well worth having a look for yourself at http://www.snorefreenites.com/ .
