Doctor Performs Surgery On His OWN Tongue To Try And Cure His Snoring Problem

A doctor who snored terribly for years says he has cured the problem by performing surgery on his own tongue.

Dr Zhang Xiangmin undertook the remarkable operation to help his long-suffering wife sleep.

He believes his snoring was caused by obstructive sleep apnoea, where the throat closes repeatedly during the night.

In severe cases, the airway can become completely blocked, stopping breathing for up to ten seconds, before the brain jolts the body awake, causing the airway to reopen. 

During his experimental procedure, Dr Xiangmin inserted two thin pipes through tunnels he made on the back of his tongue.

At night, he loops these pipes onto his teeth to stop his tongue from collapsing and causing him to snore. 

Three months on, he has now declared the procedure a success.

Speaking at a press conference in Changsha, the capital of China's Hunan Province, he said: 

'The surgery won't affect normal speaking and eating functions at all, and is very safe.' 

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a risk factor for a number of conditions, including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, daytime fatigue and weight gain.

One of the most successful treatments for the condition is a continuous positive airway pressure mask or CPAP, where mildly increased air pressure keeps the airways open during sleep.

However, many people dislike wearing the mask, with some estimates suggesting that only half of sufferers with a CPAP device regularly use it.