Snoring is often taken as a joke between families and friends but snoring is a serious health problem as people who snore do not sleep properly and risk stopping breathing whilst their families often also can’t sleep for all the noise.
Snorers find it frustrating often as the remedies they try do not work properly for them and they wake up in the morning feeling tired. Remedies could be a mouth guard to open the nasal passages, nose guards or trying to sleep in a special position.
Snoring happens when the throat muscles relax, the tongue falls backwards and the airway becomes narrow. If this airway is blocked the flow of air causes a vibration. The blockage can be because the neck is thicker due to excess weight, medications, aging or alcohol.
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There are a few things you can do to control the snoring and sleep better. Firstly don’t eat or drink too much or have alcohol before you sleep because it will affect your breathing. Try not to take sleeping pills or painkillers also because these make the throat relax more and cause you to snore. Before bed check if your nose is blocked and if it is take a natural antihistamine. You may have hayfever or sinus which will contribute to a blocked nose and cause you to snore more. Smoking also clogs your nose passages, damages the upper airways and constricts your breathing making the likelihood of snoring even greater.
There are throat exercises you can do to strengthen the throat muscles but it’s best to lose some weight if you are overweight. Start also some breathing exercises, aerobics or walking as these will cause you to breathe deeper, lower congestion, increase your lung capacity so you will snore less. Another tip is not sleeping on your back and to lift the top of the bed by about 90-100 cm.
Some snorers say that the separators which spread your nasal passages help as well as having the pillow in a certain position. Always take snoring seriously though as it may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea. This is a serious condition where the snorer stops breathing during the night. Not just once but many times and the body can simply not breathe again and the person dies. It can also lead to heart damage and stroke.
If you have obstructive sleep apnoea or snore often, are sleepy during the day, gasp for breath or get up with a start during the night then visit your doctor and get it checked. He can do tests to see if you have sleep apnoea and if you do he will recommended a face mask machine.
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The mask is standard treatment for severe, continuous snoring and sleep apnoea. It puts air pressure into the throat. It works well but is a bit awkward however it is worth it if you are a serious snorer. You need to use your machine because it will keep you safe while you are sleeping. I have known people in the past who have ignored using the machine when they needed and end up with serious conditions because of it. The statistics for the number of deaths from untreated sleep apnoea are unfortunately not current but we do know that severe sleep apnoea interrupts breathing up to 30 times an hour. Many people with sleep apnoea remain undiagnosed.
If you need help to lose weight, clear your sinus issues or learn to breathe better contact your natural practitioner, yoga instructor or learn some Buteyko breathing so you can sleep better and safer.
