Scope For Money

Snoring is such a problem for me that I recently decided to get in touch with Gary Zammit, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Institute at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan, who offered me an exam. Frankly, I wanted to know how to stop snoring.

Zammit examined my throat, took a medical history and asked me a long list of questions about both my snoring pattern and sleep habits. The questions were wide-ranging - from how much coffee I drank to whether I ever saw or heard things that weren't there as I was falling asleep or waking up (hypnagogic hallucinations). He was looking for two things: clues as to why I snored and warning signs that might indicate a condition called sleep apnea, a serious medical problem of which snoring is only a symptom. There are some interesting anti-snoring devices out there, though.

Even people who have relatively little trouble with asthma during the day can have major difficulties at night. The reason: the body's 24-hour, or circadian, cycle. "In people with normal lungs, lung function falls during sleep--but only by about 8 percent, so it isn't a problem," says Dr. Martin. "But in asthmatics, lung function can fall by as much as 50 percent during sleep--with dire consequences. "

In addition, certain natural hormones that reduce inflammation and promote airway