Keeping your loved ones awake with your relentless snoring? Sleep experts have shared the key to a restful night’s sleep, including a strange hack involving a pair of socks
Nobody likes sleeping next to a snorer, but it turns out a pair of socks may be the secret weapon to a restful night’s sleep.
Before you get excited, we’re not suggesting you gag your partner with a dirty pair of Nike sports socks – no matter how tempting that might be. The reality is snoring is extremely common, with a whopping 64 per cent of Brits being guilty of the nuisance habit. This can have a significant impact on those sleeping next to you, and could even be a warning sign of a serious medical condition.
To mark National Snoring Week (April 22-28) a sleeping expert has shared his top five tips to stop snoring altogether – or at least quieten those late-night moans down.
Martin Seeley is the CEO of MattressNextDay and says donning a pair of socks before slipping into bed could stop those snores. “While this might be a different type of sock to your regular trainer socks, wearing flight socks during the day – to be swapped with a pair of cotton socks (or another breathable material) at night – can lead to a more restful night,” the expert said.
Seely points to a series of studies that have linked below-the-knee compression stockings with a decreased severity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). “Flight or medical socks, worn during the day, prevent the build-up of fluid – that travels up the body when the person is lying down and can cause snoring,” he added.
“A university study found that some of this fluid ‘shifts’ up to the neck area as a result of gravity and this can cause major snoring in sleep. The study found that sleep disruptions were cut in half among those who wore these socks.” However, researchers say this will not be a ‘treatment in its own right’ but could become an ‘adjunct to conventional treatment’.
Other tips to reduce snoring include:
- Sleeping on your side rather than your back
- Avoid alcohol before you go to sleep
- Maintain a good diet and healthy lifestyle
- Get new pillows and consider opting for hypoallergenic ones
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Whilst loud snoring may be seen as nothing more than a nuisance, it could actually be a warning sign of sleep apnoea – a condition that causes your breathing to ‘stop and start’ whilst you sleep. If left untreated, sleep apnoea can worsen and will begin to affect other health markers like your blood pressure.
Those diagnosed with the condition may need to sleep with a CPAP machine or even go under the knife. According to the NHS, Brits should look out for the following warning signs:
- Breathing stopping and starting
- Making gasping, snorting or choking noises
- Waking up a lot
- Loud snoring
These symptoms may cause a whole host of problems during the day, including severe fatigue, morning headaches, mood swings and difficulty concentrating. If you’re experiencing these symptoms and it is affecting your ability to perform daily tasks, you should contact your GP.
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