环球英语 — 83：A Sleep Problem: Snoring

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹. I’m Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Mike is a teacher. He lives in California. Mike had a problem. He was always tired. Often, he would fall asleep at work. He would fall asleep while watching television. He even almost fell asleep while he was driving his car! He slept all night. And he would even sleep for a short time after work. But he was still tired. Mike said his sleeping also affected² his wife.
Voice 3
“My wife told me that when I did sleep, I snored like a pig. But she also said that sometimes I would suddenly stop snoring. I would hold my breath in my sleep. She counted the seconds until I started breathing again.”
Voice 2
Mike had trouble breathing as he slept. He rolled and turned in his bed. When he was awake, he was unhappy. He would become angry easily. Mike could not enjoy life.
Today’s spotlight is on snoring and the problems it can cause.
Voice 1
Do you know someone who snores? Do you snore? Have you ever tried to sleep near someone who snores? Then you know the stress and emotional³ pressure it causes. It can also be the sign of a more serious problem.
Voice 2
Snoring happens when a person sleeps. During sleep, air moves through the passages or airways⁵ in a person’s nose and mouth. It travels through these spaces and down into the lungs. Sometimes, these passages become loose. They are no longer firm. They move when the air moves through them. This vibration⁶, this movement, makes noise. This noise is snoring. Snoring can be as loud as an airplane taking off into the air.
Voice 1
Scientists have discovered that snoring may be connected to families. They found that children are more likely to snore if their parents also snore. But some sleep experts say that it is a family’s body type that make them snore. They say that if a parent has extra body fat, their children usually do also. Extra body fat, and large bodies make snoring worse. The person’s airways become smaller. This makes snoring worse. Old age also makes snoring worse. As a person gets older, their airways become less firm. This makes snoring louder.
Voice 2
Snoring is more than just a noise problem. The same problems that cause snoring can cause sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is when a sleeping person stops breathing for a short time. His airways are blocked. Usually, the person’s body struggles to breathe. A person will make a loud noise and then start breathing again. If he does not start breathing again, he will die.
Voice 1
Sleep apnoea also causes the person’s body to wake from sleep often. A person with sleep apnoea will wake from sleep sixty [60] to one hundred [100] times in one night. She may think she slept well. But she will be tired during the day. Being very tired during the day can cause serious problems. Sleep apnoea makes driving accidents twice as possible. People may fall asleep while driving.
Voice 2
Sleep apnoea can also affect the heart. If a person stops breathing, there is less oxygen in his blood. His heart must work harder to supply the body with oxygen-rich blood.
Voice 1
Snoring can also affect the husband or wife of the person who snores. The noise from a man snoring can keep his wife awake. On average, the husband or wife of a snoring person gets one hour less sleep a night. When people lack sleep, they become less happy. This can put pressure on a marriage.
Voice 2
So can anything be done to stop or reduce snoring and sleep apnoea? Well, sleep experts have created a number of ways to help people who snore. If you snore, here are a few ways to stop or reduce snoring.
Voice 1
Start singing. Singing can make the muscles in your mouth and airways stronger. This will reduce the noise when you snore.
Voice 2
Put a ball in the back of your pajamas⁷, your sleeping clothes. This will prevent you from sleeping on your back. Lying on your back can increase the chance of snoring.
Voice 1
Use nasal strips⁹. Nasal strips are pieces of plastic that attach to your nose. The nasal strip⁸ holds open your nostrils¹⁰. This makes breathing easier, and reduces snoring.
Voice 2
Do not use a pillow under your head. This soft material bends your neck. A bent¹¹ neck can increase snoring.
Voice 1
Many devices¹³ can also help with snoring problems. One device¹² is a specially¹⁴ made piece of plastic. It goes in your mouth. It prevents the tongue from blocking your airway⁴.
Voice 2
Another device is called a CPAP. This is the best device to stop snoring and sleep apnoea. CPAP stands for Continuous¹⁵ Positive Airway Pressure. This device forces air into your nose and mouth. The air pressure makes it impossible to snore.
Voice 1
Remember Mike from the beginning of this program? Doctors discovered that he had sleep apnoea. Today, Mike uses a CPAP and he no longer snores. He says that it has changed his life.
Voice 3
“I no longer fall asleep at work or while driving. I wake from sleep early. I have more energy. I feel one hundred percent [100%] better.”
Voice 2
Stopping snoring also made Mike healthier. His high blood pressure is lower. His wife is also happy that her husband has stopped snoring. Now she can also sleep well.
Voice 1
But not everyone needs a CPAP machine. Doctors say that one of the best ways to reduce snoring is by living a healthy life. There are many avoidable things that make snoring worse. Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol¹⁶ and the chemical caffeine all affect snoring. Eating too much food can also make snoring worse. It is important to exercise and keep body fat levels low. A healthy body can help a person to have healthy sleep.
Voice 2
Sleep is such an important part of life. Lack of sleep affects our bodies. It affects our minds. Lack of sleep affects our relationships with other people. And it affects the safety of those around us. The Spotlight team wishes you a quiet night’s sleep. Sleep Well!
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

4 airway   

n.空中航线，通风口

参考例句：

• Lay them on their side and ensure the airway is unobstructed.让他们侧躺着，并确保呼吸道畅通。
• There is a purple airway in London Airport.伦敦机场里有一条皇家专用飞机跑道。

5 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

6 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

7 pajamas   

n.睡衣裤

参考例句：

• At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时，我脱去衣服，换上睡衣。
• He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。

8 strip   

n.长条，条状；连环漫画；n.脱衣舞；vt.脱衣，剥夺；挤干(牛奶)；vt.拆卸；去除(烟叶的茎)；vi.脱衣，表演脱衣舞；剥落

参考例句：

• I need one more strip of cloth to finish this decoration.我还要一根布条来完成这个装饰品。
• We had to strip the old paint from the doors.我们只好把门上的旧漆刮掉。

9 strips   

n. 条，片 名词strip的复数形式

参考例句：

• Cut the vegetables into thin strips. 把菜切成细条。
• The baskets are woven from strips of willow. 这些篮子是用柳条编的。

10 nostrils   

鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her nostrils flared with anger. 她气得两个鼻孔都鼓了起来。
• The horse dilated its nostrils. 马张大鼻孔。

11 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

12 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

13 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

14 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

15 continuous   

adj.继续的，连续的，持续的，延伸的

参考例句：

• She finally got in after 10 years'continuous effort.坚持不懈地努力了十年后，她终于当选了。
• We must be continuous to study.我们必须不断学习。

16 alcohol   

n.酒精，乙醇；含酒精的饮料

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
• The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。