If it does not work, at least it gives you a neck massage

Oct 5, 2007 18:21 GMT  ·  By

Snoring can be fun, but just in comedies. In real life, snoring can ruin marriages and relationships. Snoring can make people feel less sexy, cause tensions in a couple and make partners fear its negative effects on a long-term relationship. But the most dangerous outcome is lack of sleep and exhaustion. Alcohol and junk food only manage to make just spur it.

Just in the UK, 15 million people suffer because of a 'snoring partner', who deprives them of about two hours of sleep per night (which would be two sleeping years in a lifetime!). Over 40 % of middle-aged people, and twice as many men as women, snore. "Lack of sleep can have a negative consequence on your physical, mental and emotional health. Poor sleep is linked with poor academic performance, increased risk of obesity and type two diabetes, divorce, suicide - the list goes on and on", said Marianne Davey, one of the founders of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnea Association.

No wonder scientists are trying to find various methods to fight the problem. Special mattresses, nose strips, clips and sprays have proved ineffective, so, what can be more accepted by people than a pillow that stops people from snoring? Daryoush Bazargani claims to have found the 'cure': a small computer, some sensors and air compartments.

His special pillow changes the position of your head while you sleep, gently forcing your noggin into a different position, so that you do not wake up, stopping the snoring as soon as it begins. "The pillow is attached to a computer, which is the size of a book, rests on a bedside table, and analyzes snoring noises", Bazargani, a computer science professor at Germany's Rostock University, told Reuters.

"The computer then reduces or enlarges air compartments within the pillow to facilitate nasal airflow to minimize snoring as the user shifts during sleep."

"I invented it because I snore. I tried all sorts of products, but nothing worked. I hope people who use it will sleep more peacefully.", he told Reuters.

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Bazargani testing his invention
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