Question

My partner doesn't believe he has a snoring problem. He always breathes through his mouth and finds it difficult to breathe through his nose. He thinks this is normal. At night, his breathing is extremely loud, to me sounds laboured, and ranges in sound from whistling up to full-scale snoring. It makes it very difficult for me to: a) get to sleep and b) sustain a good night's sleep without being woken several times a night, leaving me tired and irritable. I suspect he has a problem with his sinuses as it seems to get worse when he eats a lot of cheese. I'd like him to see a doctor, but he seems to think I am exaggerating the problem. Does he need to see a specialist or do I just have to put up with the snoring?

The surgeon
Janet Wilson

The first thing I'd look at is your husband's weight and collar size. If the neck measures 17in or over, excess soft tissue in the neck could be narrowing his breathing passage at night, causing laboured breathing and snoring. Excess alcohol also causes the muscles in the neck to relax, collapsing the airways. If your husband has a recessed lower jaw, it's possible that his tongue base is too far back and is blocking the airways at night, especially if he sleeps on his back. Surgical procedures are possible, though a dentist can fit a mandibular advancement splint that often solves the problem. Another possible cause is nasal polyps - symptoms include poor sense of smell and permanent nose blockage. Surgery to remove them should improve his breathing, but not necessarily his snoring. Finally, perhaps you could try going to sleep before your husband - getting to sleep through a noise is harder than staying asleep through it!

· Janet Wilson is Professor of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne

The fellow sufferer
Marianne Davey

I know exactly your feelings of tiredness and frustration. My husband, Allen, was a horrendous snorer. It was so loud that the neighbours would knock on the walls. Allen knew he had a problem and wanted to do something about it. You need to let your husband know the terrible impact his snoring is having on you - try videoing him at night. Allen's problem was cured instantly by a mandibular advancement device. They are designed to increase space for your airways, as it's the vibration of the air against your tongue that creates the snoring. The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association (www.britishsnoring.co.uk) provides comparison tables so you can choose the best model. But there could be other reasons your husband's breathing is laboured. A blocked nose could indicate an allergy to food, pet hair, household products, or dust mites in feather pillows and duvets. A process of elimination can reveal the source.

· Marianne Davey is the co-founder of the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association

The nutritionist
Dr John Briffa

Snoring is usually related to breathing through an open mouth, which causes the soft palate to vibrate noisily. One of the issues here is that while a snorer's bedfellow can have their sleep seriously disturbed, the snorer is often blissfully unaware of the problem. While the precise cause of snoring is not fully understood, certain factors do seem to increase the risk. Some foods can increase the production of mucus, leading to nasal congestion. This forces sufferers to breathe through their mouths, which ups the risk of snoring at night. Foods which tend to cause mucus formation and nasal congestion include dairy products such as milk and cheese. The fact that your partner's symptoms seem worse when he eats cheese suggest a problem with dairy products. He might like to try eliminating dairy products from his diet, particularly in the evening. This dietary change alone can reduce or even eliminate snoring.

· John Briffa is a holistic doctor specialising in nutritional medicine (www.drbriffa.com)

· If you have a health question for our experts, email health@observer.co.uk