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SNORING is not the sort of subject that comes up in every day conversation. It's sort of personal, a bit of a joke ... but it can prove deadly serious.
It can ruin your sleep, help destroy relationships and harm your health.
But there are now ways to examine the extent of the problem and provide a solution thanks to a new, unique sleep study being staged at the American Mission Hospital.
In the early 1980s British pop icon Cliff Richard was 'wired for sound' and his global hit single was a tribute to the newly-invented Sony Walkman. It was at the time a genuine breakthrough in the world of portable music.
Thirty years on it was my turn to be wired for sound in a pink-coloured suite off one of the main corridors of the Manama facility.
This had nothing to do with making music, more to finding a way to turn down the volume because I have been a champion snorer for decades. Finding a solution would be a genuine breakthrough in the world of noise nuisance and I'll apologise now to any patients whose sleep may have been disturbed one night in May by the vibrations from Room 609.
AMH has linked up with Trilink Medical to provide a sleep study centre to assess people suffering from sleep disorders.
A variety of measurements can be made during it without discomfort. There may be lots of wires but I didn't feel a thing and enjoyed one of the best night's sleeps I can recall.
Oxygen levels in the blood can be continuously measured from a clip on the finger and breathing monitored from belts around the chest and tummy.
Sleep quality itself can be estimated from wires stuck to the scalp and from the number of body movements made during sleep.
Recordings can be used so that the doctor can actually hear how badly the breathing is obstructed and the sleep disturbed.
I was only the second guinea-pig in Bahrain to be wired for sound at the launch of the new study service although the number of calls to the hospital for information has been quite staggering since news of its introduction was announced.
It is not surprising as sleep apnoea and heavy snoring, severe enough to interfere with sleep quality, is probably much more common than is realised. At least three in every 1,000 men have severe sleep apnoea.
The sort of person who most commonly suffers from heavy snoring and sleep apnoea is an overweight middle-aged man with a large neck, according to health experts, usually taking a size 17 collar or more (16-inches in women).
That fits me down to the bill.
However, there are many people with the condition who are not particularly overweight and in some cases experts simply do not understand why they have sleep apnoea.
A friend of mine in Bahrain fits into this category, he's a fit sport-lover who told me he has been snoring since his childhood and thanks the heavens for having such an 'understanding' wife.
Although I rarely enjoy a good night's sleep it's never really affected my ability to function during the day - a good shot of strong coffee and a few biscuits usually keeps me going.
But relax at home watching a movie and I'll nod off in seconds. If the children happen to be in the room they'll scream their annoyance at the noise of my snoring and I'll have to scamper off ... to grab a coffee and a biscuit.
As you can imagine the biscuits have not been doing my waist line much good and only regular trips to the Dream Body Centre have kept me from bursting.
So, perhaps in my case the two conditions are related, more sleep, more energy equals less snacking, less fat.
Either way, snoring can be very bad for you as these days there are many examples of medical complications caused by poor sleep, or lack of sleep.
When I mentioned to friends I would be one of the kingdom's first pioneers to undertake the sleep study I was inundated by stories of severe snoring.
I was amazed at the number of people who snored, or slept with a snorer, or had close friends and relatives who went to bed each night to make a noise.
The AMH centre is headed by pulmonologist and general physician Dr Suad Al Monfaradi who is specialising in the study of obstructive sleep apnoea.
When the muscles that help hold open the throat behind the tongue relax during sleep, this leads to partial collapse and narrowing in this area. And, when the narrowing is more than normal, the airway behind the tongue collapses much more.
To start with, this causes snoring and then, when the collapse is complete, it causes apnoea, which means 'without breath' - actually stopping breathing.
Fortunately the body is able to sense this increased obstruction to breathing and the sufferer wakes briefly, before suffocation can occur, takes a few deep breaths, and rapidly returns to sleep.
This obstruction and waking often becomes a continuous cycle that can go on hundreds of times each night.
When sleep apnoea and snoring is not severe then simple approaches can help. Losing some weight, keeping the nose as clear as possible and sleeping on one's side are suggestions. Some people have even found tying a tennis ball to their back helps prevent them from turning over into the snoring position! An operation on the back of the throat, including the removal of the tonsils, can also help although it has no guarantee of success.
The only really effective treatment currently is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (known as nasal CPAP) because slightly pressured air is able to hold open the inside of the throat.
To deliver this air a mask is worn during sleep just over the nose and connected to a quiet pump beside the bed.
If my latest weight loss, neck-size reducing exercise and healthy eating campaign fail to do the trick this might be a small step to a night time of silence. Dr Suad reckons the response is usually dramatic. l For more information about the sleep study clinic or to make an appointment contact Dr Suad on 17253447 ext 255.
