The likelihood of sharing a cabin as crew member is an almost sure bet. Invariable there are two or more crew per cabin. But there are certain problems that can arise from that.

Aside from the tidy versus untidy issue, the night owl versus the lark there is the dreaded  - s n o r e r...

Yep, sharing quarters with someone who snores can be awful. First you try and fall asleep before they do in an attempt to avoid that repetitive grating gasp that gets on your nerves to such an extent it’s hard for you to fall asleep. Or there is the snore that wakes you at around 3 or 4 am and pretty much kills the rest of the night for you.

Equally, viewing things from the snorers perspective, bedtime can become a hellish moment as you are totally incapable of stopping the some times downright scary noise that you make. A noise that some crew – those that don’t sleep with you -find hilariously funny to record and play back at you. All in all it can get to the point where you dread going to bed, feeling guilty and a source of amusement.

Nope snoring is no joke and it can make life as a cabin mate pretty uncomfortable for both parties.

With this is mind there are a couple of options.

Common sense steps to reduce snoring

• Exercises and Snoring
• Devices to help prevent snoring
• Medication to stop snoring

Common sense steps to reduce snoring

First, over weight people are far more likely to snore so try and either avoid putting on weight and joining the ranks of snorers of if it’s already too late try and lose weight.

Then more practically, on a nightly basis, try the following:

Avoid alcohol for at least four hours before bed time

If possible avoid sleeping pills, muscle relaxants and antihistamines. These can exacerbate snoring by relaxing the muscles

Use pillows to keep the head elevated.

Try and avoid sleeping on your back. Sewing something bumpy into the back of your sleep wear that make lying on your back uncomfortable can help

Medications to relieve congestion of the nose may be helpful in reducing snoring but is by no means a cure all.

Exercises and snoring

Tongue and throat exercises, if practiced diligently over a period of time, may be of great benefit in reducing snoring. Repeat each of the following exercises 5 times each, twice daily: This should take no more than 10 minutes each time.

• Slowly open & close your mouth to its full extent, with lips meeting on close
• Stick out your tongue, pointing it dead straight ahead. Reach further each day
• Pucker your lips then relax
• Touching each corner of your lips every time stick out your tongue and move it slowly from side to side
• Spread your lips into a big, exaggerated smile. Hold. Relax
• Stick out your tongue and try to reach your chin with the tongue tip. Hold at the farthest extension.
• Open and close mouth as quickly as you can, closing lips each time.
• Pucker to kiss –hold- smile as widely as possible -hold.
• Stick out your tongue as far as you can, try to touch your nose with tongue tip.
• Try to pucker with your mouth wide open, without closing your jaws together.
• Close your lips and press them tightly together.
• Close your lips firmly, then make a 'slurping' noise, as if sipping a drink.
• Stick out your tongue. Hold a spoon upright against the tip of your extended tongue and try to push it away while your hand holds the spoon in place.
• Repeatedly stick your tongue in and out as fast as you can.
• Flick your tongue from corner to corner as quickly as you can.
• Move tongue all around your lips in a circle as quickly as you can, making sure you stay in constant contact.
• Say 'Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma' as quickly as possible, ensuring there's an 'em' and an 'ah' sound each time.
• Repeat with 'La-La-La-La.'
• Repeat with 'Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka' as quickly and accurately as you can.
• Repeat with 'Kala-Kala-Kala-Kala.'
• Gargle loudly with warm water.
• Sing through the vowel sounds (A-E-I-O-U) as loudly as you can (or dare)

Devices to prevent snoring

You can get plastic devices that are, in principle, similar to the play plastic vampire teeth that you used to wear when your were a child. Of course the fit is considerably more refined and the action of the device is to push your lower jaw very slightly forward when you sleep. These devices have been found to be extremely helpful for some sufferers.

Brand names: Silent Nite – custom made and fitted by a dentist Snore mender - http://www.snoremenders.co.uk/

You can also get Nasal strips to help open the nasal passages although these do not appear to be as helpful as some would like.

Medication for snoring

The method of injecting a chemical into the soft palate known as 'Snoreplasty' is not well recognised in the UK as an effective method of treating snoring but has been none to work very effectively.

WARNING

Sleep apnoea, sleep aponea, apnea can sound a lot like snoring but actually the sufferer stops breathing for a few seconds and semi wakes with a gasping snort to catch his or her breath, this can happen so regularly it sounds like the person is snoring but just very very loudly.

Sleep apnoea is a potentially fatal problem that can lead to a variety of medical problems if not treated. If your room mate suffers from this problem – and he or she is unlikely to know unless you tell them as symptoms are simply varying degrees of extreme tiredness and fatigue – please encourage them to seek medical advice. There is currently only one treatment for sleep apnoea, a cpap machine which blows, at a very light pressure a continuous stream of oxygen into the throat which keeps airways open.