Latest news with #MylesHoulbrookWalk
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Could conches put snoring to bed?
Andy Park: Well, it's a distinctive sound usually found on the salty trade winds of the Blue Pacific, which may replace the far more infuriating sound of your partner's night-time snoring. Yes, one bizarre sleep apnoea study released this week suggests blowing on a conch, yes a conch shell, may be the key to night-time happiness for everyone. And let's face it, people have probably done worse in the search for a good night's sleep. Myles Houlbrook-Walk reports. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Could this be the answer to ending this? On the streets of Sydney, those living alongside snorers are open to all sorts of solutions. Opinion: Very distracting. I don't think I could sleep with anyone that snores. There's a 12 person room, there's at least three people though snored. The person above me and the person next to me snored. And for doing like 25,000 steps a day in Europe, walking around and getting like no sleep because of snoring, it was rough. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: A new study released this week by the European Respiratory Society and carried out by a research institute in India, looked at 30 people with obstructive sleep apnoea. It required them to play a conch seashell, specifically a shunk in this instance, for 15 minutes a day, five days a week. The study found those who practice shunk blowing as a low cost breathing technique were less sleepy during the day and had better quality sleep at night. The findings were especially exciting to Karen, who's not keen on using a sleep apnoea machine. Karen: And the doctor actually suggested one of those, you know, breathing machines. When you've been married 40 years, that would be like the icing on the cake for the death-knell of the marriage. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: I think hearing something like that, would you ever be willing to practice? Karen: I don't know. I've got a conch shell at home. Maybe I'll give it a go. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: You're kidding. Karen: Yeah, I've got a little one from the islands when I did used to sail back in the, in the eighties. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: You know how to blow into it and all that? Karen: Not really, but I'm sure I could try. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Do you think if you suggested it to your husband, he'd be, Karen: he'd think I've completely lost the pot. I'd have a crack at it. I think anything that, that helps, you know, um, tried pillows. I've tried loads of different things, but yeah, I'm just a mouth mouth breather snorer. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Dr Kat Lederle is a sleep therapist in the United Kingdom. She told the BBC, this study fits in with other data around improving respiratory muscles. Dr Kat Lederle: So what that probably does is it strengthens the muscles in the face, in the sort of firings in the thoracic area. And it's really, it's the regular practice. And there are other similar studies looking at other instruments and looking at other exercises that all involve basically the face and sort of the neck, the muscles there to strengthen them and to then stop them from collapsing at night. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Dr Moira Junge is the CEO of the Sleep Foundation and was not involved in the study. She says it's a novel idea. Dr Moira Junge: It is curious. I've never, um, hadn't heard of this before, even though I have heard of ancient healing things like, you know, with Buteyko methods and things like that. So we don't have standard guidelines or it's not a validated part of therapy for sleep apnoea at this stage at least. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: But she warned the sleep industry can be prone to solutions that are not yet substantively proven to be effective and recommended pursuing other means of treatment under the guidance of a healthcare professional. Across the board, Dr Moira Junge says practising good sleep hygiene is crucial. Dr Moira Junge: Consistent sleep patterns, being very aware of the light and the dark. So being in really bright light conditions when you want to be alert. So during the day and in the night-time, plunging yourself into dim light conditions and less stress, unwinding, unplugging before bed. And that doesn't mean just phones and screens. It's like unplugging from your busy mind, unplugging from responsibilities. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: She says more research needs to be done before this can become a promising alternative. Andy Park: Miles Houlbrook-Walk there.
ABC News
06-08-2025
- Automotive
- ABC News
Productivity Commission advises government to scrap EV incentive
Sabra Lane: The Federal Government's economic roundtable is in a fortnight and it's getting advice from all quarters on tax changes and what policies to put in place to reach net zero carbon emissions as quickly and cheaply as possible. The Productivity Commission, the Government's main adviser, is suggesting that the fringe benefits tax may no longer be necessary to encourage people to buy electric vehicles. The Electric Vehicle Council says drivers might be in for a rude shock. Myles Houlbrook-Walk reports. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Martin Tsang is in the market for a new set of wheels to fit his kids and his parents. Martin Tsang: When we go out as a complete family with the grandparents and my kids, so we can't fit everyone in a five-seater. In an ideal world, a plug-in hybrid or an EV that could fit six people would be preferred. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Ultimately though, the cost of a car is crucial to his final decision. Martin Tsang: Look, I think it's getting there. In terms of EV pricing, I think it's slowly coming down. I've got friends that have leveraged some of those. Definitely, I've noticed that people around me have taken them up. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: A new report tabled by the Productivity Commission is questioning whether some concessions currently available to drivers should remain in place. One of them is the fringe benefits tax exemption for electric vehicles. Currently an employee can lease a car through salary sacrificing and save about $5,000 a year. Head of Policy at the Electric Vehicle Council, Aman Gaur, says the exemption is crucial for encouraging lower emission car uptake. Aman Gaur: Removing it now, as suggested by the Productivity Commission, would be like ripping out the charging cable halfway through the trip. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: The Productivity Commission says this exemption is an unnecessary expense for the public, given the government has introduced new rules around fuel efficiency. Those rules put a cap on emissions and penalise car manufacturers which exceed them, basically incentivising manufacturers to provide more fuel efficient, low or zero emissions vehicles. Aman Gaur supports this, but says more can be done. Aman Gaur: The government has done great work in terms of the vehicle efficiency standards. What we need now is for the government to invest in different strategies and different policies at both the federal and state level to get more Australians into EVs. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: So will these changes make much of a difference to total electric vehicle uptake? Toby Hagon writes for car website EV Central. Toby Hagon: It'll certainly have an impact on sales, but how big that impact is, obviously we're not sure at the moment. Plenty of people are obviously leveraging that very generous tax discount to try and get into an electric car. But equally, when we've seen other incentives for EVs removed, a lot of the states and territories used to offer cash rebates effectively, and we haven't seen sales of electric vehicles fall over as a result. Myles Houlbrook-Walk: Toby Hagon suggests with more manufacturers offering more choices to consumers, the tide of demand for these vehicles is firmly heading in one direction. Toby Hagon: Particularly from Chinese brands, there's literally an onslaught coming. Some of them are planning to launch upwards of 10 new models a year, which is all but unheard of in the Australian market. So there's just so much coming that it's difficult to see the sales not heading in one direction. Sabra Lane: That's car writer Toby Hagon, ending that report by Myles Houlbrook-Walk. And the federal government's been contacted for comment.
