Snoring: five great tips for your spouse that keeps you awake

Guest of "Sans Rendez-vous", Tuesday on Europe 1, Patrick Faulcon, ENT doctor at the Georges Pompidou hospital, in Paris, detailed the procedure for snorers and snorers whose main victim is often their spouse (e ), and who sometimes see their couple threatened. 

"Often it is the spouse who sends the snorer for consultation", assures Patrick Faulcon, ENT doctor at the Georges Pompidou hospital in Paris.

Because these parasitic noises from our sleep can reach 80 to 90 decibels, or… "the equivalent of a moped when starting up"!

Guest of

Sans Rendez-vous

, Tuesday on Europe 1, the specialist gave some advice to deal with snoring, sometimes a source of strong tension in couples or revealing more serious health problems. 

>> Find all of

Sans Rendez-vous

every day from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Europe 1 as well as in replay and podcast here

Tell yourself that we are not alone 

We must first not feel "guilty" or be ashamed, insists Patrick Faulcon. "Almost 20 to 30% of people in a population present with habitual snoring and more than 50% present occasional snoring, at the turn of a minor cold or after a possibly a little drunken evening": you are therefore not alone . 

Also note that the risk that you snore depends on several factors, including your age: between 30 and 40 years old, 80% of snorers are men, but this proportion balances out around 50 years old.

Menopause indeed causes "a drop in estrogen levels and tissue tone, especially muscles of the pharynx and neck", according to the ENT doctor.

In general, the older you get, the more likely you are to snore, for the same reasons of "sagging" muscles.

Smoke and drink less, especially in the evening 

What if you are one of those people whose other half blames them for preventing them from sleeping?

Patrick Faulcon gives a first piece of advice: take a close look at your lifestyle.

Tobacco, for example, "creates inflammation of the ENT lining" and promotes snoring.

"When you enter a room, even if you are a non-smoker, your nose often gets blocked", illustrates ENT.

Vigilance, also, with alcohol: it creates "a hypotonicity of the muscles, in particular of the muscles of the neck and the soft palate".

And so can make you snore!

To remedy this, the specialist suggests drinking less, "especially at dinner".

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- How to detect and treat sleep apnea in children?

Pay attention to your weight

Another factor recurs regularly in patients seen by the doctor: overweight.

"It causes thickening of the walls of the neck and tongue."

A fatty infiltration which will "create a narrowing of the air line and promote snoring", details Patrick Faulcon.

However, according to the specialist, small efforts can allow big improvements: "two or three kilos can make a difference".

Do not hesitate to consult

Once you have asked yourself these questions and possibly tried to improve your lifestyle, the ENT message is simple: do not hesitate to consult.

"Snoring can take an hour or two of sleep for a partner who will wake up all the time, and there are some pretty simple ways to make it better."

In addition to a questionnaire on your lifestyle, a specialist doctor will give you a complete examination, checking in particular the size of the tonsils and the "soft palate", an organ located at the back of the throat, which vibrates and causes snoring when we breathe in air. "The more the air is accelerated by obstacles, the more the veil will vibrate and the more intense the snoring will be." A professional will be able to identify a deviation of the nasal septum, but also a chronic rhinitis, for example, and try to remedy it.

An ENT doctor can also give you simple advice, such as avoiding lying on your back to sleep, because "the tongue will move back 2-3 mm and block the passage of air".

To stick to it, the specialist recommends hanging ... a tennis ball on the back of your t-shirt!

"As soon as you get onto your back it hurts and instinctively you will reposition yourself to the side."

Watch for possible sleep apnea 

While snoring can affect a couple's balance, it can also be a symptom of a more serious problem: sleep apnea. "Cumulated over one night, patients can sometimes not breathe for 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes," says Patrick Faulcon. "This results in a drop in oxygen in the blood and a speeding up of the heart, which then does not get enough rest, either day or night." A phenomenon which multiplies by "seven or ten" the risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, only "15 to 20%" of the French concerned would be screened, according to the ORL. To be sure you are not part of it, be on the lookout for the following signs: severe fatigue in the morning, even after a 10 or 11 hour night, a strong propensity to fall asleep during the day, headaches upon waking, irritability and possibly a decrease in libido.