Medicine: And So to Sleep

It afflicts millions of people from every nation and station. It is one of the prime causes of sleeplessness and marital disputes. For centuries it has been the target of countless remedies, all of them ineffective. The affliction: snoring.

Last week Britain’s Family Doctor magazine opened an all-out campaign against snoring, asked all British sufferers (and their suffering spouses) to write in the answers to questions that might shed light on causes and remedies. Sample questions: At what age did the snorer begin snoring? In what position does he sleep? Does he have false teeth, or smoke, or chew gum?

By return mail the snorers got instructions for an exercise that may curb snoring: “Hold something firmly between your teeth (or gums if you have no teeth) for ten minutes after going to bed but before settling to sleep.” In each letter Family Doctor enclosed a wooden tongue depressor “very suitable” for holding between the teeth. The exercise strengthens muscles that hold the mouth closed, helps Britons to control snoring by keeping a stiff upper lip.