(Nov 11) TITTERING office workers nudge each other as a slack-jawed colleague dozes off during a meeting, his loud snores bringing it to a halt.

A sleep-deprived wife digs her snoring hubby in the ribs, but his resounding grunts go on.

Snoring is something non-snorers make fun of, but it is no joke if you are kept awake by it or, worse, are the one from whom all those noisy, gasping sounds are coming from.

In fact, snoring - which occurs when air does not flow smoothly through the air passages, or when the soft tissues or muscles in your air passages vibrate - can end up being a medical problem.

When severe, it could be obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition where sleep is disturbed because of choking and lack of oxygen due to the throat and mouth walls being partially collapsed.

Desperate snorers - and their desperately yawning mates - need not fret, though. There are several treatments and remedies around, ranging from mouthguards to nose masks to surgery.

A 'softer' approach is an anti-snore pillow. For example, a Sona pillow just launched here by home-grown company Osim International - known for its massage chairs - and which is said to reduce snoring, has been flying off the shelves.

It claims to work by allowing the snorer to sleep in a more comfortable position so he does not end up blocking his air passage.

There's certainly a market for curing the snooze blues - about 15 per cent of Singaporeans suffer from sleep apnoea, say doctors.

And a snorer is more likely to be a man than a woman. The snoring ratio between men and women is 8:1, says Dr Kenny Pang, an ear, nose and throat consultant and sleep specialist at Pacific Sleep Centre, a member of listed health services group Pacific Healthcare.

Snoring is more common in men because of different fat accumulation and distribution compared to females, he says.

Guys tend to put on more weight around the neck, and the extra tissue vibrating in the breathing passage of the mouth and throat results in snoring.

Besides Osim's Sona pillow, which costs $199, there is also one called the Original Neck Pillow introduced in 2005 by sleep products manufacturer Tempur, which is based in the United States.

It says its pillows - which range from $229 for a small Original Neck Pillow to $349 for its largest Millennium Pillow - are made of a material originally developed by US space agency Nasa to relieve astronauts experiencing G-forces during lift-off and landing.

Osim, meanwhile, says its pillow is the only one approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration to help stop snoring and mild sleep apnoea.

Both companies say their products have received a favourable response from customers here.

Osim's head of branding and strategic marketing, Mr Alan Tan, notes: 'Sleep products are fast gaining popularity, with people being more well-informed and health-conscious than ever.'

He adds that Osim has been 'overwhelmed' by the customer response to the Sona pillow.

Dr Adrian Siew Ming Saurajen, consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, explains that the basic intent of such pillows is to help open up the airway by either elevating the head or making sure that the user sleeps on the side.

But he cautions: 'There is not a lot of hard scientific evidence that show that these work well in sleep apnoea.'

Pacific Sleep Centre's Dr Pang agrees: 'Pillows have been shown to help neck problems, but not sleep apnoea.'

He notes that where sleep apnoea is concerned, medical treatment is recommended.

It certainly sounds alarming: Dr Pang says OSA sufferers may even stop breathing during sleep for a short period of time.

'Some wives have even noticed their husbands' lips turning blue,' he says.

As a result, such patients don't get enough 'deep sleep' and might feel irritable and tired throughout the day.

Deep sleep, where dreams occur, is important: Experts say it is essential for rejuvenation and well-being.

In general, a healthy adult spends about 15 to 20 per cent of total sleep in this dream phase. This is drastically reduced in sufferers of OSA.

According to Dr Pang, the heart rate of a person suffering from OSA also increases because of the breathing difficulties and lack of oxygen, leading to a higher blood pressure.

Snoring has been a lifelong problem for engineer Tan Hock Seng, 57, but he sought medical help only when it became worse with age, and he was worried about the stress on his heart.

'When I was serving my national service, I would always receive complaints from my room-mates whose sleep had been disturbed by my snoring,' says the father of two.

'At one stage after my first child was born, I had to sleep in a separate room from my wife so as not to disturb the baby.'

He has tried anti-snore pillows but with little success, and has since been wearing a special mouthguard that positions his jaw to enable unobstructed breathing when asleep.

According to Dr Pang, other forms of treatment include surgery and implants to modify the airway, or wearing a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device that supplies pressurised air through a nose mask.

Sufferers could also try lying on their side when sleeping to enable a better breathing position.

Overweight men could also try shedding some pounds and adopting a more healthy lifestyle, he says.

Still, some mild snorers swear by the pillows. Mr Peter Khoo, 48, a physical trainer, says his wife kept his snoring to herself until she could not take it anymore and suggested he do something.

He bought the Sona pillow and claims that he does not snore as much anymore. It also solved his blocked nose.

Pillow or no, Dr Pang puts the need for a good night's sleep in perspective: 'We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Considering the average Singaporean life span is 80 years, we are therefore asleep for about 27.'