Latest news with #MichelleSpear
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The 5 proven ways to REALLY stop your partner snoring – as scientists recommend blowing through a conch shell
It's an issue that sparks arguments among couples around the world. And if your partner snores, you've probably tried everything from ear plugs to white noise. This week, scientists revealed that an ancient hack could finally help relive the dreadful symptoms of snoring. According to experts from the Eternal Heart Care Centre and Research Institute in Jaipur, blowing into a conch shell – also known as shankh blowing – can alleviate snoring. But does this really work? And what other ways are they to stop your partner snoring? Professor Michelle Spear, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bristol, has revealed five proven methods. 'Snoring is often dismissed as a harmless quirk – or the punchline of bedtime jokes,' she explained in an article for The Conversation. 'But it can signal deeper issues that go beyond mere acoustic annoyance.' Snoring is caused by issues with your tongue, mouth, throat or airways in your nose vibrating as you breathe. For this reason, Professor Spear breaks down her advice by body part – the nose, the jaw, the tongue, the soft palate, and the pharynx. 1. Nasal strips Snoring is often caused by problems within the nose, including allergies, polyps, or a deviated septum. These problems force you to switch to mouth breathing – increasing airflow turbulence. Thankfully, there are several solutions for nose–based snoring issues, according to Professor Spear. 'Saline nasal rinses and sprays can help clear allergens and mucus, promoting smooth airflow,' she advised. 'And mechanical aids, such as nasal strips or nostril dilators, widen the nasal aperture, encouraging nose breathing. If your tongue is the issue, Profesor Spear recommends 'tongue push–ups', where the tongue is pressed against the roof of the mouth and held for several seconds before relaxing 'Even the simple act of practising nasal breathing during the day can help reduce snoring.' 2. Sleep on your side For other people, the issue lies with the jaw. 'A lower jaw that sits too far back – whether due to genetics or possibly injury – can cause the tongue to fall backwards during sleep and block the airway,' Professor Spear explained. 'If the mouth also falls open, it throws off the balance between the space in the mouth and the surrounding soft tissues, making snoring more likely.' The simple fix? Sleeping on your side. 'Sleeping on your side counteracts this gravitational collapse,' the expert advised. If that doesn't do the trick, you can also try gently closing your lips with hypoallergenic tape to stabilise the jaw, and promote nasal breathing. 3. Tongue push–ups As you sleep, the muscles around your tongue gradually relax. This isn't an issue for most people. However, if you have a large tongue, weak tongue muscles, or a loose tongue tie, your tongue can fall backwards, partially blocking your airway – and causing snoring. If your tongue is the issue, Profesor Spear recommends targeted exercises to improve tongue strength and control. 'One such exercise is the "tongue push–up", where the tongue is pressed against the roof of the mouth and held for several seconds before relaxing,' she advised. 'Another involves sticking the tongue out as far as possible and moving it in different directions – up, down and side to side – to enhance flexibility and tone.' 4. Conch shell blowing The soft palate – the area just behind the mouth – helps control airflow and stop food or liquid from going up into the nose., However, during sleep, the muscles that usually lift the soft palate relax, which can lead to breathing difficulties for some people. Professor Spear recommends exercises to strengthen these muscles – including conch shell blowing. 'A simpler approach is to mimic chewing motions while pressing the tongue to the roof of the mouth, which engages and strengthens the muscles in this area,' she added. 5. Singing Finally, your snoring issues could stem back to the pharynx - the muscular tube linking your nose and mouth to the larynx and oesophagus. 'The muscles in the throat help keep the airways open when you're awake, but they relax during sleep,' Professor Spear explained. 'As we get older, or after drinking alcohol or taking sedatives, these muscles can become weaker. 'In people who are overweight, extra fat around the neck can also create external pressure on the airway, especially when lying down.' According to the expert, there are specific breathing an voice exercises you can do to help strengthen these muscles - including singing. 'Singing, especially using sounds like 'la' and 'ka', is a simple and effective way to do this,' she said. OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNOEA Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurs when the walls of a person's throat relax and narrow during sleep, blocking their airways. This interrupts normal breathing, with symptoms including loud snoring, noisy and laboured breathing, and repeated episodes when breathing is interrupted by gasping and snorting. OSA affects between four and 10 per cent of people in the UK. In the US, around 22 million are affected. During an episode, the lack of oxygen triggers a sufferer's brain to pull them out of deep sleep so their airways reopen. These repeated sleep interruptions can make the person very tired, with them often being unaware of what the problem is. Risks for OSA include: Being overweight - excess body fat increases the bulk of soft tissues in the neck Being male Being 40 or over Having a large neck Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol Being in the menopause - hormonal changes cause the throat muscles to relax Treatment includes lifestyle changes, such as loosing weight, if necessary, and avoiding alcohol. In addition, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices prevent the airway closing by delivering a continuous supply of compressed air through a mask. A mandibular advancement device (MAD) can also be used, which is like a gum-shield that holds the jaw and tongue forward to increase the space at the back of the throat. Untreated, OSA increases a person's risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks and type 2 diabetes.
RTÉ News
07-08-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Lie-ins rule OK: why you sleep more on holiday
Analysis: Your body reclaims sleep, repays the chronic sleep debt and recovers when holidays arrive and alarm clocks are switched off By Michelle Spear, University of Bristol There's something oddly luxurious about a lie-in. The sun filters through the curtains, the alarm clock is blissfully silent and your body stays at rest. Yet lie-ins are often treated as indulgences, sometimes framed as laziness or a slippery slope to soft living. When the holidays arrive and alarm clocks are switched off, or are set later, something else emerges: your body reclaims sleep. Not just more of it, but deeper, richer and more restorative sleep. Anatomically and neurologically, a lie-in might be exactly what your body needs to recover and recalibrate. From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, you may be sleeping well, but are you actually getting rest? Throughout the working year, it's common to accumulate a chronic sleep debt – a shortfall in the sleep the body biologically needs, night after night. And the body keeps score. On holiday, freed from early starts and late-night emails, our internal systems seize the opportunity to rebalance. It's not uncommon to sleep an hour or two longer per night in the first few days away. That's not laziness; it's recovery. Importantly, holiday sleep doesn't just extend in duration. It shifts in structure. With fewer disturbances and less external pressure, sleep cycles become more regular, and we often experience more slow-wave sleep – the deepest phase, linked to physical healing and immune support. The body uses this window not only to repair tissue but also to regulate metabolism, dial down inflammation and restore energy reserves. Our sleep-wake cycle is governed by circadian rhythms, which are controlled by the brain's master clock – the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. These rhythms respond to light, temperature and routine. And when we're overworked or overstimulated, they can drift out of sync with our environment. From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, is sleeping 14 hours a day good for you? A lie-in allows your circadian system to recalibrate, aligning internal time with actual daylight. This re-training leads to more coherent sleep cycles and better daytime alertness. Holiday lie-ins also owe something to the drop in stress hormones. Cortisol, released by the adrenal glands, follows a diurnal pattern, peaking in the early morning to get us going. Chronic stress – from work demands, commuting or constant notifications – can raise cortisol levels and disrupt this rhythm. When you take time off, cortisol production normalises. Waking up without a jolt of adrenaline allows the sleep architecture (the pattern of sleep stages) to stabilise, leading to fewer interruptions and more restful nights. One of the more striking features of holiday sleep is a surge in vivid dreaming – sometimes unsettlingly so. This is because of a phenomenon called REM rebound. When we're sleep-deprived, the brain suppresses REM (rapid eye movement) sleep to prioritise deep, restorative phases. From RTÉ Radio 1's Brendan O'Connor Show, sleep expert Dr Samantha Dockray from UCC on developing better sleeping habits Once the pressure lifts – say, during a lazy week in the sun – the brain makes up for lost REM, leading to longer and more intense dream episodes. Far from frivolous, REM sleep is crucial for memory consolidation, mood regulation and cognitive flexibility. Sleep also affects your body's structure. When you lie down, your spine gets a break from the constant pressure of gravity. During the day, as you stand and move around, the intervertebral discs – soft, cushion-like pads between the vertebrae – slowly lose fluid and become slightly flatter. A lie-in gives these discs more time to rehydrate and return to their normal shape. That's why you're a little taller in the morning – and even more so after a long sleep. Meanwhile, microtears in muscles, strained ligaments and overworked joints benefit from prolonged periods of cellular repair, especially during deep sleep stages. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, how to rest your sleep routine after the summer holidays Should we all be sleeping in every weekend? Not necessarily. While occasional lie-ins can help with recovery from acute sleep deprivation, habitual oversleeping –especially beyond nine hours a night – can be a red flag. It's associated in some studies with higher rates of depression, heart disease and early death. Although long sleep might be a symptom, not a cause. Larks and owls That said, the occasional lie-in remains anatomically restorative, especially when aligned with your body's natural chronotype – a biological predisposition that determines when you feel most alert and when you feel naturally inclined to sleep. Some people are naturally "larks", who rise early and function best in the morning. Others are "owls", who tend to feel sleepy late and wake later, with their peak cognitive and physical performance occurring in the afternoon or evening. Many fall somewhere in between. Chronotype is governed by the same internal circadian system that regulates sleep-wake cycles, and it appears to be strongly influenced by genetics, age and light exposure. Adolescents typically have later chronotypes, while older adults often revert to earlier ones. From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, why sleep apps don't improve your night's sleep Crucially, chronotype doesn't just affect sleep. It also plays a role in hormone release, body temperature, digestive timing and mental alertness throughout the day. Conflict arises when social expectations, such as early work or school start times, force people, especially night owls, to adopt sleep-wake schedules that are out of sync with their biology. This mismatch, known as social jetlag, can lead to persistent tiredness, mood changes and even long-term health risks. So if you find yourself sleeping in until 9 or 10am on the third day of your holiday, don't berate yourself. Your body is taking the opportunity to repair, replenish and rebalance. The anatomical systems involved – from your brainstem to your adrenal glands, your intervertebral discs to your dream-rich REM phases – are doing what they're designed to do when finally given the time.
RTÉ News
30-05-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
Can you spot a fake smile from the real thing?
Analysis: What makes a smile feel sincere or fake is due to a surprising blend of facial anatomy, neurology and emotional authenticity By Michelle Spear, University of Bristol You've probably heard the claim that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. It's usually framed as a feel-good reason to turn your frown upside down – less effort, more joy. But anatomically, the numbers don't quite add up. We've all seen it – the smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes. From awkward family photos to strained workplace pleasantries, our brains often detect that something is off long before we consciously realise why. From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, psychotherapist Padraig O'Morain on why we need to smile more But what is it about a smile that makes it feel sincere — or fake? The answer lies in a surprising blend of facial anatomy, neurology and emotional authenticity. Not all smiles are created equal Anatomically speaking, there are at least two distinct kinds: the Duchenne smile, which reflects genuine happiness, and the non-Duchenne smile, which tends to be more social or strategic. Named after 19th-century French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne, the Duchenne smile activates two key muscle groups. The first group is associated with the corners of the mouth – where, for example, the risorius (from the Latin to smile) draws the corners outward and the zygomaticus major muscle lifts them. The second, and most telling, muscle is the orbicularis oculi, which tightens the muscles around the eyes, producing the familiar "crow's feet" and the gentle narrowing we associate with warmth and delight. Fake or polite smiles, on the other hand, usually involve only the mouth muscles. The eyes remain wide or indifferent, and the smile appears more mechanical than meaningful – a kind of emotional camouflage. From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, Magdalena Rychlowska from the School of Psychology at Queens University Belfast on how villains use smiles Both real and fake smiles depend on cranial nerve VII, also known as the facial nerve, which sends signals from the brain to the muscles of facial expression. However, there's a key neurological difference: Duchenne smiles tend to be generated by the limbic system, the brain's emotional core – particularly the amygdala, an almond-shaped group of neurons that processes emotional salience. Non-Duchenne smiles, by contrast, are often under more conscious cortical control, originating in the motor cortex. This divide means that authentic, emotionally driven smiles are involuntary. You can't easily will your orbicularis oculi to contract convincingly unless you're genuinely feeling the emotion behind the expression. Even professional actors must tap into real memories or method techniques to produce them convincingly. From RTÉ Archives, a 1978 episode of Hall's Pictorial Weekly with regular characters Cha (Michael Twomey) and Miah (Frank Duggan) discussing a notice in a newspaper about smiling for Ireland. Why our brains notice the difference Humans are remarkably good at detecting emotional authenticity. Studies show that even infants as young as ten months can distinguish between real and fake smiles. Evolutionarily, this ability may have helped us assess trustworthiness, recognise true allies and avoid deception. The fusiform gyrus, a part of the brain involved in facial recognition, works closely with the superior temporal sulcus to decode expressions — helping us gauge intention as much as emotion. In modern life, our sensitivity to facial nuance continues to matter. Politicians, customer service workers and public figures frequently rely on the social smile to navigate complex interpersonal expectations. But observers – consciously or not – often pick up on these micro-discrepancies. From TED, Ron Gutman on the hidden power of smiling Fake smiles aren't necessarily malicious. In fact, they serve important social functions: smoothing awkward interactions, signalling politeness, defusing conflict and showing deference. They are a vital part of what sociologists call "emotional labour" – managing one's expressions to meet societal or professional expectations. But this kind of smiling, when sustained for long periods, can be emotionally exhausting. Studies of emotional labour suggest that being required to smile without genuine feeling – especially in service roles – is associated with increased stress, burnout and even cardiovascular strain. As we move further into the age of AI, synthetic faces – from chatbots to virtual assistants – are being programmed to replicate human expressions. Yet the challenge remains: how do you fake authenticity? Engineers can program a smile, but without the micro-contractions around the eyes, many of these expressions still seem disingenuous. Our own anatomy sets the gold standard. So next time you're trying to decode someone's expression, don't just look at the mouth. Watch the eyes. The orbicularis oculi rarely lies.
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Giving blood could have surprising health benefits – and even prevent cancer
The life-saving act of giving blood may not only be beneficial to the patient but also to the donor, new research has suggested. The NHS needs 4,300 blood donations a day to meet the needs of hospitals, for both emergencies and long-term treatments. However, these donations could also be cutting the risk of several diseases for the person giving blood. Frequently giving blood encourages the body to produce fresh blood cells – contributing to healthier and more resilient blood cells. That's according to scientists at the Francis Crick Institute in London, who found that regularly donating blood could lead to a subtle genetic change which reduces the risk of developing blood cancers. Normally, blood-forming stem cells mutate as we age, which in some cases can increase the of diseases, including leukaemia – a type of blood cancer that affects around 10,000 Britons every year. However, a study published in the journal Blood identified a surprising difference in the blood of people who regularly donated. Researchers compared the blood from two groups of healthy male donors – one group donated blood three times a year for 40 years, and the other only donated five times in total. Although both groups had a similar number of genetic mutations, almost 50 per cent of the group that donated three times a year carried a mutation not linked to cancer. That's in comparison to just 30 per cent of the group that donated less. Researchers suggested that each time a person gives blood, the body produces fresh blood cells, which can alter stem cells in a beneficial way. In laboratory experiments, the blood mutations seen in the men who gave blood were different to those associated with leukaemia. Researchers injected the stem cells from frequent donors and found they were more effective at producing red blood cells than the stem cells from those who did not donate as frequently. But further research is needed to determine whether donating blood actively reduces cancer risk. Michelle Spear, professor of anatomy at the University of Bristol, explained to The Conversation: 'Each time a person donates blood the body quickly begins the process of replacing lost blood cells, triggering the bone marrow to generate fresh ones. This natural renewal process may contribute to healthier, more resilient blood cells over time.' Previous research has also linked donating blood to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Professor Spear added that research suggests blood donation can increase insulin sensitivity, potentially reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Regular blood donation could also help to reduce blood viscosity – how thick the blood is. This can make it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body and lower the risk of cardiovascular problems, explained Adam Taylor, professor of anatomy at Lancaster University. Donating blood 'definitely has health benefits for the donor', Professor Taylor told The Independent. 'As the study shows removing cells from the body by giving blood reduces the risk of mutations accumulating and causing disease,' he added. However, he suggested another reason why donating blood has health benefits is because every time you give blood you are given a mini health screening. As a result, conditions including infectious diseases are picked up earlier.
