Snoring affects over forty percent of men and over a quarter of women. Snoring can affect both the quality and quantity of your sleep and can lead to daytime fatigue, irritability and longer term health issues. Most of the time it’s the sleep partner of the snorer that suffers and in certain cases can lead to relationship problems if not treated properly.
So How Do You Stop Snoring – Is there a Cure?
Discovering the cause of your ( or your partners ) snoring will allow you to choose the appropriate cure or treatment. Sometimes it can be as simple as changing sleeping positions or elevating your head by adding an extra pillow. If you’ve tried the basic treatments such as nasal strips or spray and they don’t work for you then you might consider an anti snoring device such as a snoring chin strap, snoring mouthpiece or an anti snoring pillow. In certain cases surgery may be required so consult your doctor for expert advice.
Here’s a Few Simple Things to Try Help You Stop Snoring!
Clearing of Nasal Passages - Probably the easiest way to stop snoring is to make sure your nasal passages are clear before going to bed. A stuffy nose makes inhalation difficult and can lead to noisy snoring. You can use nasal strips or sprays to help you out here.
Alcohol, Rich Food & Medication - Alcohol is probably the biggest contributor to snoring. Along with certain medication and rich foods alcohol relaxes the throat and tongue muscles, making snoring more likely. So trying to cut back on these items before bed can have an enormous impact on your quality of sleep.
Sleep on Your Side - If you only snore while you sleep on your back then this one can help you out. Sleeping on your side clears the airways and reduces the vibration of fatty tissues in the throat.
Lose Some Weight - Being overweight or out of shape can add to the chances of snoring due to the build up of fatty tissues in the back of the throat. Losing some weight and being more active will definitely help in your efforts to stop snoring.
Quit or Reduce Smoking - Smokers have a much higher chance of snoring as it relaxes muscles and creates nasal congestion. In an ideal world you would stop smoking completely but you should certainly try and reduce your smoking and especially before going to be.
So What Are Your Options if Basic Treatments Don’t Work?
If you’ve tried some of the basic methods to stop snoring with no success then there are various herbal remedies you can try too. There’s also a huge range of anti snoring devices like snoring chin straps, anti snoring pillows, stop snoring mouthpieces and anti snore pills. There’s also a range of low impact exercises you can try to help with snoring.
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
“Sleep apnea (or sleep apnoea in British English) is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. The standard definition of any apneic event includes a minimum 10-second interval between breaths, with either a neurological arousal (a 3-second or greater shift in EEG frequency, measured at C3, C4, O1, or O2) or a blood oxygen desaturation of 3 or greater, or both arousal and desaturation. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a “sleep study”.”
Snoring can sometimes be a symptom of sleep apnea, a dangerous and potentially life threatening condition that is actually a breathing obstruction that makes the sleeper wake several times during the night to regain breathing.
While snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea it does not actually involve a cessation of breathing the way sleep apnea does. This website was created to investigate common snoring causes and the best cures and treatments to help you stop snoring. If you suspect that you or your sleep partner may have sleep apnea then please go to the doctor to get it checked out.
There are are several options available to you such as a continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) device that keeps your airways open with pressurized air. Oral appliance therapy ( OAT ) is another method whereby a custom made mouthpiece shifts the lower jaw forward and opens up the airways.
Some Alternative Treatments for Snoring & Sleep Apnea
A recent study by the British Medical Journal revealed that learning and practicing the didgeridoo helped to reduce snoring and sleep apnea. This is done by the strengthening of the muscles in the upper airway and decreasing their chances of collapse during sleep.
Also there have been some programs developed that include singing exercises to tone the throat, tongue and nasaopharynx. “Singing for Snorers” by Alise Ojay has had great success using singing exercises to help reduce snoring. Another book “The Natural Way To Stop Snoring” by Elizabeth Scott has has also had great success using singing techniques to stop snoring. It would certainly be a fun and uplifting way to tackle your snoring problem.
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