Body Talk - 2nd October

Bhik Kotecha was my guest this evening, and the subject for discussion was snoring and sleep apnoea.

Bhik began his career as a surgical house officer at the professorial unit in Cardiff. He then held many different positions as his interest in the condition of snoring developed. He is now Senior Registrar at the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, London, as well as being based at Hartswood in Brentwood.

Sleep medicine is a relatively new field and has, to date, received little attention.

Most of us have been affected at some time in our lives by snoring, whether from a partner or ourselves. It can be a really serious problem, which can have big implications on our overall health. If you do snore, it means the sleep is interrupted and in severe cases sleep apnoea occurs which means you actually stop breathing.

Symptoms to look out for are heavy snoring with pauses and gasps, excessive sleepiness, irritability, headaches, forgetfulness, anxiety or depression. We all suffer from some of these symptoms from time to time, but if it's consistent you may need to do something about it,

The first areas to check are things like diet and exercise, they may relieve the symptoms. Most people report an increase in snoring after overindulging in alcohol. Itr could also be due to an allergy. If you're satiusfied with all of these areas, then maybe it's time for Bhik to check you out.

He will run a series of tests to find out what kind of snorer you are, whther it's nose or mouth based, and from there reccommend either a course of treatment or possibly a minor operation.

If you would like to consult Bhik about your snoring, you need to visit your doctor and be referred. If you have any questions for Bhik, just email me and I'll pass them on.

Article by Melanie Watson, 3 Oct 2007
Posted in Body Talk

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