As allergy season reaches its peak in November and December, the level of snoring is likely to increase for chronic snorers according to Dr Paul Fulmer from the Houston office of the Snoring Center. Here's what he says ...
To the list of disgusting things our partners must endure, a list that already includes scratching, urinating, spitting, farting, sweating, belching, drinking and overeating, add what may be the most disruptive of all: snoring.
That's right. About two-thirds of the nation's chronic snorers are men, which suggests that a sizable percentage of the people listening to their noisy airways are women. Snorers are at their loudest during allergy season (between now and December), when people's noses are even more clogged than usual, doctors say.
The Man Page sat down with Dr. Paul Fulmer, who heads the Houston office of The Snoring Center, to discuss men who snore, the effect it has on their relationships and what can be done about it.
MP: Men have heard about prostate cancer and heart disease, should we be adding snoring to our growing list of serious health concerns?
PF: Well, not everyone realizes that 23 percent of all couples don't sleep together because of snoring. Snoring is really more of a social disturbance. It creates all these issues - like people ending up sleeping in other rooms - which mess with the dynamics in a family. And the second-hand snorer, as I like to call them, is losing about an hour of sleep at night. It's really a quality of life issue.
MP: So snoring isn't so much a medical concern as a social one?
PF: Not exactly. Snoring can lead to sleep apnea, which is a serious medical condition. It can also disrupt our daytime functioning by altering our sleep patterns, which can also lead to more weight gain. The biggest thing I see, however, is embarrassment. Snorers are afraid to fall asleep on the plane. I have people tell me all the time, "You know, I'm afraid to fall asleep because when I wake up people are laughing."
MP: Are you saying snorers are socially stigmatized?
PF: Think about guys going on hunting trips. They'll put all the snorers in a certain place or they won't get invited at all. I had a guy last week who was taking his son on a Boy Scout trip and, even in his camp, everyone was upset with him. Keep in mind they're out camping in the middle of nowhere, and people are still upset. Snorers kind of stop doing certain things because they're afraid they're going to disrupt people. read more ...
