Response-Contingent Awakening in the Modification of Chronic Snoring

Loud snoring is a common sleep habit that has been shown to have adverse effects on both physical health and interpersonal relationships. Medical treatment for various organic causes is sometimes possible, but there are also many instances in which snoring appears unrelated to any specific organic etiology. The present report describes the successful use of a behavior modification program for the experimental control and suppression of snoring. Six chronic loud snorers participated in a 2-week treatment outcome study, in which a contingent-awakening procedure was systematically compared with a noncontingent control condition. Polysomnographic assessments before and after each phase of the experiment indicated the specific effects of the contingent awakening procedure on the suppression of snoring. The study also examined the relationship between snoring and other sleep parameters, and particularly the occurrence of respiratory obstruction before and after treatment. The implications of these findings for the treatment of chronic snoring are discussed.