Q: Good evening doctor I have a friend that snores badly and this is about causing a serious problem in her relationship could there be away out for her?

A: When we sleep, our muscles relax. This includes the tissues in the airways (throat). Snoring occurs as air passes through the airways that are partially obstructed by relaxed tissues. As the air flows, these tissues vibrate and we hear the sound described as snoring.

Occasional snorers are mainly problematic to their partners (who may or may not put up with it) but habitual snorers impede sleep for their partners and the quality of their own sleep is markedly reduced. As a result, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and not feeling quite rested after sleeping may be normal symptoms for both parties.

Causes of snoring include alcohol consumption (due to relaxation of throat muscles), being overweight (due to narrowing of the airways…