SNORE NO MORE!

SNORE NO MORE!
James L. Mosley
International Scene Publishing Company, 1997
34208 Aurora Rd., Suite 165, Cleveland OH 44139
176 pages, paperback, $12.95
ISBN 0-936369-67-1

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

Loud snoring, James Mosley reports, ruled his life for 39 years. It disturbed his family's sleep, and kept him from going camping, on cruises, and on trips that required him to share a room. In hotels, he says, he stuffed towels under the hallway door.

"The struggle to stay awake after lunch or during meetings at the office, the dread of uncontrollable drowsiness while driving home from work on a busy freeway, and the loneliness and humiliation of being locked in a 'snoring closet' (self-imposed confinement in one's own bedroom)," he relates, "are painfully familiar to me."
Mosley's symptoms led him to two sleep laboratories. Nine years ago, he was diagnosed with mild obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep-related breathing disorder that causes frequent awakenings and daytime sleepiness. In Snore No More!, he discusses the trials imposed by snoring, and reviews snoring's causes and ways to ease it.

In direct, easy-to-read prose, Mosley explains that snoring is the sound made by air passing through irregularities and narrowings in the throat and windpipe, that snoring may be related to weight gain or sedation, that avoidance of back sleeping helps some snorers, and that persons whose snoring is associated with pauses in breathing need evaluation at a sleep disorders center. He describes the sleep laboratory assessment from a patient's point of view: "It may not seem like a normal night at home, but this rarely matters. Most patients are surprised at how well they actually do sleep in the lab."

In "Jim's Self-Noise Assessment," he suggests leaving a voice-activated tape recorder with 90- or 100-minute tapes on the bedside table, noting times of awakenings during the night, and totaling the time spent snoring in the morning. If you seek professional help, he advises, take the tapes along.

He outlines specific approaches to reduce sleep apnea, including use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device to force air into the lungs during sleep, the treatment that he says has much improved his own life. He also describes oral appliances, surgery, medication, and Breathe-Right nasal strips. Mosley provides authoritative information, based on interviews with sleep experts, and includes black and white line drawings and photos to show what many of these approaches involve.

He warns readers to beware of unscrupulous practitioners, noting that advertisements with a phone number to call you if you snore, with names like "National," "Regional," or "Sleep Centers," may be placed by under-trained or financially- motivated practitioners. He suggests that patients consult sleep specialists certified by the American Board of Sleep Medicine, and offers guidelines on selecting physicians, dentists, and sleep centers.

Mosley also includes a checklist for patients on how to evaluate their doctors and self-help tips for patients on overcoming symptoms associated with snoring, such as dry mouth and bad breath. Resources for further information and a glossary conclude this helpful book.