Headphones to silence snoring

WEARING special headphones while you sleep could be an effective way to beat snoring.

The new device, WhisperSom Curv, looks like a Walkman with a single earphone. The Walkman part monitors breathing patterns while the snorer sleeps: if it detects a gap in breathing, as happens when we snore, the device plays a series of sounds through the earphone which are designed to trigger the autonomic nervous system that controls breathing.

The device has been developed for people with sleep apnoea, a condition that affects one in five adults in Britain.

It occurs when the throat tissue collapses repeatedly during sleep, blocking the airway for up to 10 seconds at a time.

The patient stops breathing temporarily – in severe cases, there can be hundreds of these events, or apnoeas, a night.

The lack of air leads to a drop in blood oxygen levels, which in turn triggers signals to the brain that instruct muscles in the throat to contract in order to reopen the airways.

The snoring sound is produced as air is forced through the obstructed airway.

Left untreated, sleep apnoea can lead to serious long-term problems, such as heart disease and cancer. Treatment starts with lifestyle changes, including losing excess weight (fat can add pressure to the airways).

The WhisperSom Curv device has sensors that distinguish breathing sounds from other sounds in the bedroom, such as from air conditioning or the TV. These sensors are programmed to detect specific changes in breathing that occur during snoring: if they detect breathing has stopped, a signal is sent to the earpiece.

The earpiece emits hundreds of sounds at various frequencies – too low to wake the sleeper or their partner, but which stimulate the autonomic nervous system that’s responsible for functions in our body such as breathing, heartbeat and digestion.

The manufacturer says the devices will be made this summer and will be sold via its website. The price has yet to be fixed. – Daily Mail