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​Sleep Expert Shares Tennis Ball Trick To Stop Snoring

​Sleep Expert Shares Tennis Ball Trick To Stop Snoring

Dr Bostock said there is an increasing number of people snoring over lockdown

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A sleep expert has shared a nifty little trick to help stop people snoring - and all you'll need is a tennis ball.

Dr Sophie Bostock appeared on This Morning last week to tell viewers all about the simple hack, explaining how snoring tends to be worse if someone's lying on their back.

Bostock said there is an increasing number of people snoring over lockdown - something that could, in part, be thanks to workers spending more time hunched over a desk and not exercising.

She said: "Snoring gets worse when you lie on your back, because when you lie on your back your mouth is more likely to open."

PA

Bostock added: "Anything you can do to keep yourself leaning on the side should help. A tennis ball sewn into the back of your pyjamas can make it uncomfortable."

It's a technique the NHS also recommends for snorers, advising people to 'try taping or stitching a tennis ball to the back of your sleepwear, or buy a special pillow or bed wedge to help keep you on your side'.

Other advice also includes trying to lose weight if you're overweight, avoiding alcohol, smoking and sleeping pills, and asking your partner to wear earplugs if your snoring affects their sleep.

The idea itself is also a tried-and-tested method with soldiers, although they would use a slightly more cumbersome prop.

Karl Rollison, an internationally-renowned Harley Street therapist and author of Sleep Ninja, said by sleeping with their rucksack on, soldiers would stop themselves from snoring - and potentially giving their position away to enemies.

PA

Rollison told Tyla: "When we sleep on our backs the tongue and soft palate relax, succumb to gravity and rest on the back of the throat and make a vibrating noise. The jaw also relaxes so the lips open and the mouth becomes an organic echo chamber amplifying the sound.

"So, when we snore our heads become big, squidgy speakers playing really bad music. Sleeping on your side is less restrictive on the airways and creates better airflow. This is one of the reasons unconscious people are placed in the recovery position."

Rollison said of the 'old-school' technique: "Many years ago, I cracked three ribs doing martial arts and if I shifted my position during sleep I woke up in agony, so I placed a pillow in a rucksack and wore it loosely on my back - I slept like a baby. This method physically prevents you from rolling onto your back without the pain of having a tennis ball on it."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, News, Sleep, Health