Posted by ebock on November 26, 2009 at 02:55:42:Stop Snoring: Relief and Remedies
A serious snoring problem can cause restless nights or even health problems. Fortunately, many snoring remedies may help you stop snoring tonight.
When Snoring Can Be SeriousSnoring occurs when the air a sleeping person breathes vibrates down his or her throat tissues and produces a noise. Regardless of a person's age, snoring can indicate health problems.
For example, some children have enlarged tonsils, extra tissue in their throats or enlarged tongues. Each of these factors can cause obstructions in children's throats as they sleep, causing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder in which a person periodically stops breathing at night for about 10 seconds.
Adults can also snore because of sleep apnea. If you wake up from snoring with a gasp or a sudden start, it might be a good idea to see a doctor or sleep specialist for a proper diagnosis. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause you to develop diabetes, as well as heart trouble.
Of course, even without sleep apnea, snoring can be a health problem in and of itself. Because your nose filters contaminants out of the air while heating and moisturizing it, your nose is the healthiest way for air to enter your body. When you snore, your mouth lets air into your lungs without filtering, warming or humidifying it. In some cases, this can cause you to get sick. Additionally, snoring can prevent you getting restful sleep, which may also negatively impact your health.
How to Stop SnoringTo stop your snoring, you will need to pinpoint and treat the exact cause of your snoring. For example, if sleep apnea is causing you to snore, your doctor can suggest several remedies, which may include using oral appliances or changing your sleeping position. Sometimes, even losing weight can be an effective treatment for apnea. Your doctor or sleep specialist can help you choose the best snoring cure (or combination of remedies) for your apnea-related snoring.
Other, non-sleep-apnea snoring can be caused by physical factors too. A soft palate (the roof of your mouth) or larger-than-normal tongue can also cause snoring.
Further treatment options that can help you stop snoring include:
Allergy Treatment: If your snoring follows the onset of respiratory allergies each year, getting effective treatment for your allergies can usually clear up the snoring too. Your doctor can prescribe medication if over-the-counter medicines aren't doing the job. Also, breathing strips can help hold nasal passages open wide, which may reduce or eliminate snoring.Mouthpieces: A dental appliance, fitted by a dentist familiar with its use, can help hold your airways open, preventing snoring.
Position Change: Changing your sleep position from your back to your side can sometimes easily cure snoring. However, it's obviously not easy to remember to sleep in a strange new position when you're already asleep. To force themselves to sleep in a particular position, some people sew tennis balls into a tube sock and then sew the sock onto the back of their pajamas to keep themselves from rolling over unconsciously.
Surgery: In a more radical measure, doctors can perform surgery to trim excess tissue out of the throat and tighten what's left. Surgery can also remove the uvula and shorten the soft palate. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee these surgeries will work, and doctors don't usually recommended surgery for people whose snoring is not serious.
Weight Loss: Being overweight or obese is a very common cause of snoring. If you are considerably overweight, talk to your doctor about weight-loss strategies to reduce snoring and improve your overall health.
What Not to DoEven though fatigue is often a byproduct of snoring, avoid taking sleeping medication since it doesn't reduce snoring. In cases of sleep apnea, sleep medication can actually worsen the condition and put you in danger, as apnea causes you to stop breathing during sleep.
Limiting your alcohol intake after lunch can also help snoring. However, if your snoring persists, talk to your doctor to see if some underlying condition is causing you to snore.
- Re: Stop Snoring: Relief and Remedies Captin Cannuck 19:44 11/27/09 (0)