Thursday Thirteen # 20

13 Unusual or Little-known Facts about Snoring As you can tell by the title, I'm frustrated by a lack of sleep. Snoring has been a fairly constant source of frustration since we got married a few years ago (No, I'm not young. It's our 2nd marriage). I know he can’t help it, but I can’t help being sensitive to the noise, either. It’s not a pleasant situation for either of us. Instead of listening to my moaning any further, here are 13 bits of trivia about snoring. (And if you're interested, there are links to some informational sites if you click on the word "snoring" in the title or the second sentence.)

1. A slang term for snoring is “sawing logs.”

2. The medical term for snoring is “stertor.” (That’s a really ugly word!)

3. 45% of normal adults snore at least occasionally.

4. 25% of normal adults (is it really normal to snore?) snore habitually. Some sources say that 1/3 of adults snore at least a few times a week.

5. More than 300 devices are registered with the US Patent and Trademark Office as cures for snoring.

6. Many people say that a lot of these 300 devices actually just awaken the snorer every time he/she starts to snore (like the t-shirt pictured with stuff sewn into the back of it to keep the person from rolling onto his/her side). In other words, most of them don’t work! But they’re worth a try if you’re as frustrated as I am. And there are so many different "remedies."

7. Snoring is caused by an obstruction of the air flow to the mouth and/or nose.

8. An ear, nose, and throat specialist is called an otolaryngologist. Say that three times fast!

9. Losing weight can help snoring (though that’s not hubby’s issue. His weight is fine.)

10. Tilting the head of the bed upwards four inches is said to help snoring.

11. Before the more fancy laser procedures, doctors would actually TRIM and TIGHTEN the tissues in the throat surgically. The fancy name for this surgery is uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. (That reminds me of the movie Monster House when the girl tells one of the boys that the chandelier is the house’s uvula, and the boy responds, “Wow, I didn’t know [the house] was a girl!” But I digress… a lot! Maybe ya had to be there.)

12. The snorer has NO control over the snoring. (I keep telling myself that!)

13. The snorer’s bed partner would like to be able to sleep in her own bed! (To be politically correct, I should say his or her, but I am talking about ME!)

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