Snoring problems can be serious
Snoring is sometimes the brunt of a lot of jokes but it’s a serious health problem not only for the snorer but for the rest of the family, who have to endure the sleeplessness. Partners of people who are persistently snoring miss sleep, often while the other person merrily snores on unaware of what they are doing. In desperation, partners try all kinds of devices from ear plugs to block out the snoring to even sleeping in another room. If you are a snorer, though, you should attend to it as there can be serious health repercussions if it goes on too long.
There are remedies on the market that you can try to prevent the snoring however few of them seem to work and may leave the snorer also more tired in the morning. The remedies can range from a mouth guard used specifically to open the nasal passages, to nose guards, to sleeping in a certain position.
Snoring occurs when the muscles of the throat relax, the tongue falls backwards and the airway becomes narrower. If this airway becomes blocked, the flow of air causes vibration, which is snoring. The blockage is often due to a thickening of the neck due to weight, medications you take before bedtime, ageing, which causes your muscles to relax over time, or alcohol consumption.
There are, however, a few things you can do to help prevent snoring and improve the possibility of a restful night’s sleep. The first rule is not to eat too much or drink alcohol before sleeping, as this will make your breathing more difficult. Also, you should avoid sleeping pills, painkillers and most muscles relaxants, as all these will cause your muscles to relax and induce your snoring even more.
If you are a habitual snorer, then check if your nasal passages are congested. You could have an underlying cold, allergies or sinus problems; if you do, take a natural antihistamine, as these are especially good if you suffer from hayfever or sinusitis. It’s also a good idea to give up smoking. This will help with your snoring because smoking not only clogs your nasal passages but can damage the upper airways and constrict your breathing, which is only adding to your problem.
Did you know there are also exercises to help with your snoring that you can do to strengthen the throat muscles? Check these out on the internet. If you are overweight, then you need to also look at losing some weight as this will also help with your snoring problems. Ask someone to monitor your snoring and breathing for a while one night and, if you are consistently snoring, its advisable to look at learning some breathing exercises, such as Buteyko breathing, and to increase your general daily exercise with exercises that improve your breathing. Aerobics or even just walking will help you make some improvements in your breathing and once the breathing improves the congestion lowers and your lung capacity will increase.
It’s also a good idea to not sleep on your back. Put a tennis ball into the top pocket of an old shirt and wear it back-to-front in bed. It’s guaranteed you won’t be lying on your back anymore snoring away. It would also help if you lift the top of the bed by about 90-100cm by propping it up on bricks, as for some people this is a great snoring remedy.
Some snoring is alleviated by the nasal spreaders on the market while another remedy is placing your pillows in a certain position, however you need to see what works for you to stop snoring. Also, these remedies are only temporary.
If you snore loudly and on a regular basis it could be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea, which is a serious condition that you should check out. This condition means that the person snoring actually stops breathing many times a night and, because of this, the snoring condition could lead to heart damage, stroke or death, so do not pass it off lightly.
If you are snoring a lot you should get it checked by a doctor, especially if you are often very sleepy during the day, stop breathing during sleep, gasp for breath or snort awake. The specialist will do tests on your sleep patterns and snoring to determine if you do have sleep apnoea.
People with apnoea are usually recommended a face mask machine. The mask is the standard treatment for sleep apnoea and severe snoring. A face mask delivers air pressure into the throat. The machine is effective for your breathing and snoring but can be cumbersome and, I am told, the sleep test you will need to do is not pleasant. However, if you do have a serious snoring problem, you need to take it seriously and get tested. If your airway is blocked then you can’t breathe properly, and that could one day be a very serious issue if your breathing stops for too long.
