Snoring could soon be hushed with vitamin D supplements.

使用维他命D可以消除打鼾。

Scientists are giving sleep apnoea sufferers the tablets as part of a new trial. As many as one in four adults are regular snorers, with sleep apnoea a major factor.

作为一种新的尝试，科学家们给被睡眠窒息症困扰的人们开出了这种药片。每四个成年人中就有一个人规律性打鼾，其主要病因就是睡眠窒息。

Here, the upper airway¹ collapses² at irregular intervals³ during sleep, possibly due to a lack of muscle tone in the throat lining⁴, which triggers snoring.

在这种情况下，上呼吸道可能会因为喉衬缺少肌肉张力而在人们的睡眠中会不规律的塌陷，造成打鼾。

This can also cut off the flow of air for up to ten seconds.

而这也同时切断空气流通达十秒钟之久。

Though a major risk factor is obesity⁵, the exact cause is not fully understood.

尽管打鼾的主要原因是肥胖，具体成因却一直没有被完全知晓。

The theory behind the new trial is that normal levels of vitamin D — most of our intake⁶ comes from exposure to sun — are necessary for muscles to function normally, and that increased levels could prevent the lining of the throat from collapsing⁷.

新疗法的原理如下：一般水平的维他命D--大部分是我们在日光照射下合成的—对于肌肉的正常工作是非常必要的，加强肌肉的张力则能有效避免呼吸道塌陷。

In the 80-patient, 32-day French trial at the University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, patients with sleep apnoea and low levels of vitamin D are being given the supplement or a placebo⁸.

在法国的克莱蒙费朗大学校立医院医院里，80名患有睡眠窒息症和维他命D含量低的患者进行了32天的治疗，他们被发放了维他命D或者替代物。