Snoring Remedies That Really Work
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Most snoring isn't caused by serious health problems. It often can be solved through weight loss and/or
changing your sleeping position. Both alter the position of relaxed muscles in the mouth, tongue and throat,
which vibrate when you breathe.
If you or your spouse snores so loudly that it can be heard in the next room or if you're always sleepy during
the
day, see your doctor.
You could have sleep apnea. In this serious condition, excessive sagging of throat tissues causes your
airway
to collapse, preventing breathing. You snore loudly, then stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds. The lack of
oxygen and increase in carbon dioxide signal you to wake up, forcing the airway open with a loud snort. The
sudden drops in blood oxygen levels increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system.
Once sleep apnea has been ruled out, there are ways to reduce snoring...
Lose weight. Excess weight increases the amount of fatty tissue in the throat and airways. Smaller airway
openings mean more snoring. Losing 10 to 20 pounds may significantly reduce the volume and frequency of
snoring.
Avoid alcohol near bedtime. Drinking alcohol within two hours of bedtime is a common cause of snoring
because it relaxes the throat muscles.
Sleep on your side or stomach. These are the best positions for keeping airways open. When you sleep on
your back, the tongue falls backward into the throat and gravity pulls tissue downward, increasing snoring.
Helpful: Sew a small pouch on the back of your pajamas or a T-shirt, and put a tennis ball inside. The
pressure from the ball will make you less likely to roll onto your back while you are sleeping.
Reduce nasal congestion. You naturally breathe through your mouth when your nose is congested, and
mouth-breathing increases snoring.
For congestion that lasts just a few days, use a decongestant. If you have persistent congestion, talk to your
doctor. You might need nasal steroids or other treatments to keep nasal passages open.
Use nasal strips. Placed over the bridge of the nose at night, adhesive strips, such as Breathe Right, pull the
nostrils open and make it easier to breathe. They work best for those with narrow nasal openings. Cost:
About
50 cents per strip.
Wear a dental appliance. Mouth guard-like devices can be worn at night to move the lower jaw forward,
opening airways and reducing snoring.
Over-the-counter dental devices are available, but the ones that are custom-made by dentists are more
effective. Most have adjustments for fine-tuning the amount of jaw movement. Cost: $50 to $2,000. The more
expensive models typically are more comfortable and adjustable, and they last longer.
Your dentist might suggest fitting you with a tongue-retaining device. This is not as effective as an appliance
that moves the jaw forward.
If all else fails, you may need surgery. Check with your doctor.
What's more annoying than trying to sleep with someone who snores? Snoring can cause sleep loss not
only for the person who snores, but also for the one who's sleeping with them. That loss of sleep makes a
person sleepy and irritable the next day and can affect their productivity.
There are situations where relationships have been hurt due to snoring. Many times a person resorts to
sleeping in another room; thus, affecting the intimate life of the couple and making the one who snores feel
guilty and blame themselves.
Snoring is best described as heavy, noisy breathing. Most people snore at certain times due to congestion
and occasionally the dog and cat are heard snoring, but snoring becomes a problem when you and your
partner lose sleep because of it. One who snores usually tosses and turns a lot, unable to breathe properly,
causing a restless night. If the snoring is moderate, the person will usually stop when they turn over, but
severe snoring continues throughout the night regardless of their sleep position. This type of severe snoring
is a loud noise that can be heard even through walls in a house.
The cause of snoring is an obstructed air passage in the back of the throat and nose. When the body is in
sleep mode, the muscles in the body relax, as do the muscles in the throat. As air is breathed in and out of
the lungs through the nose and throat, this obstruction blocks the air passage.
Many things can cause a person to snore, such as inheriting a narrow throat; being overweight with fatty
tissue in the neck; ageing; gender is a factor, as normally men snore, due to having narrower air passages
than women do; adenoids or tonsils being enlarged that obstruct the airway; allergies, asthma, cold or sinus
infection will cause breathing problems; sleeping on the back relaxes the throat and will block the airway.
Rolling the person over on their side many times will stop the snoring.
Serious health problems can result due to reduced oxygen to the brain. Type II diabetes, high blood
pressure, stroke and heart disease are all developing factors of snoring; even premature death can result.
Sleep apnea is a common symptom of snoring. The inability to breathe correctly will cause a person to wake
up, just so they are able to breathe again. This can happen many times a night with no memory of all the
awakenings the next morning. The person will experience a feeling of sleepiness even though the person
has had several hours of sleep. To determine if one has sleep apnea, tests can be run to check for this.
To determine treatment, the general health of a person has to be taken into consideration. For instance, if
someone has heart problems and high blood pressure, a device is worn to improve the breathing and
maintain a steady flow of air through the throat and nose. This device is used on patients who have sleep
apnea and is not intended for those with simple snoring. Surgery of the nose, throat and jaw help some, but
not all people. Over-the-counter treatments have not been researched enough to prove any effective results.
However, the external nasal strip placed over the bridge of the nose has shown to reduce snoring. There are
also spray lubricants for the throat and nose and magnetic pillows that claim to help with snoring, but tests
have shown them to be not much help.
There are some things a person can do themselves, such as lose weight and avoid sleeping on their back.
Also, try sleeping without a pillow, as when the head is propped up on a pillow, this can cause a blockage of
the air passage through the throat and nose.
