Doctors and scientists have been trying to find out for decades what makes some of us snore. If they ever discover the absolute cause, then they’ll be able to make a fortune from a guaranteed stop snoring treatment, but in the meantime there seems to be a new study every week into the prickly subject of night-time noise. And there is also treatment from those at The Private Clinic. Some researchers even look into the effect that snoring can have on our health and the health of those whose sleep is disturbed by it, including the physical and emotional effects.

One recent study, carried out in Australia, looked into the effect that snoring had on unborn babies and found that there is a link between snoring mums-to-be and babies with a low birth weight. Pregnant women in the test group who snored were found to give birth to babies whose weight was generally lower than the non-snorers in the group, though mums are told not to worry, as this is the first research of its kind and more investigation is needed before a concrete link between snoring and smaller babies can be established.

If the link is found, however, it would be vital to come up with a snoring treatment suitable for pregnant women, as babies who are small at birth are more likely to struggle with other health problems as they grow older. Adding to the need for a snoring cure for mums is the fact that a lot of pregnant women actual start snoring when they’re expecting, even if they’ve never snored before. This is probably due to the extra baby weight or hormonal changes, as most women immediately stop snoring again after the birth of their child.

In the meantime, mums can try sleeping on their side to reduce the pressure on their airways or by using special masks that help keep the airways open even while the wearer is sound asleep. Getting as much exercise as possible, eating healthily and keeping the bedroom clean and well aired to reduce dust mites is another way of easing the effects of snoring – for both the unborn baby and dad!