The city that never sleeps

Snorers are seeking a cure

Bedrooms across the land resonate to the dulcet tones of snorers.

But it seems the city of Hull has more of them than anywhere else in the UK.

A search for snorers - and their partners - who were unable to bear the nightly torture any longer - attracted hundreds of people.

Now, the company looking for volunteers to test a potential cure, is planning a sleep clinic in Hull, to cope with demand.

Plea for snorers

The national plea for snorers to come forward went out over the festive break.

Birmingham, Peterborough, Cumbria and Nottingham produced around 30 calls each.

But from Hull - obviously the city that never sleeps - 250 called to find out about the product.

The company has now selected ten volunteers from the city, among over 100 from across the UK who will be testing its spray.

I get a good night's sleep, but nobody else does

Mark Harris
Snorer

Patricia Hossell, from the city has volunteered to use the new treatment in desperation.

Both she and her husband Trevor, 45, have to wear earplugs in bed because they both snore so loudly.

She told BBC New Online: "When I went on holiday with my sister last year, I took my ear plugs out with me.

"But she didn't know I snored. She woke me up in the middle of the night and told me she wanted to use the earplugs herself!"

Mark Harris, 30, says he keeps his whole family awake with his snoring.

He lives with his wife and five children in Hull, and he said the rest of the family are so desperate for some sleep that they have banished him to the front room.

"I'm persona non grata," he said.

"My wife suffers from the sleep condition narcolepsy. When she drops off she can't be roused. But I can rouse her with my snoring."

He says even the children wake him up to tell him to stop snoring so they can get some sleep.

"I get a good night's sleep, but nobody else does."

Alternative remody

Essential Health Products launched what they have dubbed the UK's first alternative remedy for snoring just before Christmas.

Called Helps Stop Snoring, the spray is made up of essential oils and herbs.

The manufacturers say it acts on the soft flap of skin at the back of the palate and makes it taut.

The theory is that when the skin is stiff, it doesn't reverberate during sleep.

The company says sufferers should see a difference within days.

Clinical trials are also being carried out into the product.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "Calls from Hull have literally melted the phone lines."