Snoring is one of those frustrating problems that seldom appears to go away. It occurs when you shift from a light sleep to a deep sleep, as the muscles and soft tissues in the back of the throat relax and start to vibrate causing a narrowing of your airway. It is characterized by noisy breathing through the mouth and nose and can affect anyone, young, old, men or women although it is more prevalent in men. More often than not the person who is snoring is not even aware of it and it is up to the partner to let them know!
A very widespread condition associated with snoring is that of sleep aponea.A person may stop and start breathing many times in one night. It is a very serious and potentially life threatening condition and if you think you have the symptoms of this make sure you contact your doctor.
Causes of snoring
Causes of snoring depend on different factors. But finding the cause can go a long way to treating the problem. Lifestyle plays a very important part.Your chances of snoring are higher if you are overweight, drink excessive alcohol or smoke.
Medicines like antihistamines, muscle relaxants, or pain medications all relax the muscles and can cause snoring. Likewise, people who suffer from allergies are more inclined to the condition because the pollen and airborne particles start to block their nasal passages.Large tonsils or adenoids, medical conditions or asthma can all add to the risk as well.
How to Stop Snoring
Forever, people have been trying to find ways to stop snoring.Hundreds of treatments have been tried.It is important to remember what works for one person may not work for another but keep working to find an answer.Sleeping on your side, not on your back is one of the most commonly recommended ways to stop snoring.This can be very difficult when you’re asleep and you are not aware of the position you are in! And you may need the help of your partner to nudge you to let you know. Giving up alcohol before bedtime, losing that extra weight and quit smoking may be all that you need to do to stop snoring at night.Sometimes snoring can be linked to stuffy nasal passages so you could try breathing steam at night or alternatively use a decongestant. Alternatively you could try a snoring device.
Snoring Devices
There are about 300 anti snoring devices available but before spending any money on one it is advisable to first visit your doctor who can assistlo you to determine the actual cause. The vast range of devices work in different ways.Nasal strips work to open up the nasal passageways.There are other alternatives like sprays and drops which help with the dryness of the throat.To keep moisture in the air try using a humidifier. Neck pillows and body pillows which help keep your neck in a better position are other devices used. Some of these have mechanisms to support sleeping on your side. Another is a mouth piece which helps to keep the lower jaw from dropping, and the tongue from relaxing too much, keeping the airway open. Mouth pieces can be either open-mouthed or closed-mouthed.Identifying the right one for you depends on the position you most commonly sleep in and you will want to get expert help to make your decision.
The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Appliances (CPAP) are a very common snoring device for those who suffer from sleep aponea. This works by using a special mask attached to a pump which produces pressure to help stop the throat from collapsing
More information