Dr Kerryn Phelps, Health Editor, Channel 9 'Today'
GRIMSHAW: Well now to some good news, perhaps, for sleep deprived partners, with American scientists claiming a breakthrough in the treatment of snoring. The Snoreplasty procedure is said to be cheap and pain-free, but British researchers claim it only solves the problem in the short-term. To tell us more about that, and other medical news, we're joined in the studio by 'Today' Health Editor, Kerryn Phelps. Morning, Kerryn.
PHELPS: Good morning, Tracey.
GRIMSHAW: Why do so many people snore? And who snores?
PHELPS: Well, I think the reason so many people snore is that so many people are overweight. We certainly have a very high degree of overweight in this country, and particularly in middle age. If you look at the statistics, you'll see that about 50% of middle aged people actually snore. More men than women. We see that 50% of men snore, 40% of women.
GRIMSHAW: That's not much of a difference. I would have thought it was more a 'blokey' problem than a female problem. Are we catching up?
PHELPS: This is not a decibel rating, and a lot of people would argue that men snore more loudly than women, but there is certainly no question that women snore as well as men. And, interestingly, 70-75% of snorers are overweight, and what we quite often find is that if people get really serious about losing weight, then they can stop snoring, or it is certain to become much better.
GRIMSHAW: What about for those, say, 25% who are not overweight but snore anyway? There are some very brutal sort of treatments available aren't there, really?
PHELPS: Well, there are…… or gastroenteritis, that can cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So there is definitely, now, emerging evidence that's it's a very real physical phenomenon can get worse with stress, can make you feel depressed, can get worse with anxiety, certainly it's not all in the mind. And if you do work with your diet, make sure that you include fibre, fresh fruit and vegetables. And if you can not eat a lot of fibre, then some sort of fibre supplement, and you can actually help the symptoms.
GRIMSHAW: Just on a cautionary note, don't introduce too much fibre too quickly, because you could make it worse.
PHELPS: You can, particularly with wheat fibre. If you stick with things like oats and rice bran, that might be a little gentler.
GRIMSHAW: Okay. Thanks, Kerryn.
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