November 2017

Types of Sleep Studies to Diagnose Sleep Disorders

November 13, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Snoring Solutions

Diagnose Sleep Disorders

Your doctor might advise you to take a sleep test when you visit him or her complaining about snoring. Sleep studies are diagnostic tools that are mainly used to make a diagnosis of sleep issues and disorders. Sleep studies will be conducted before deciding on the stop snoring devices that can be effective for you. These studies are performed under the supervision and care of sleep professionals at a sleep lab or at your home.

As per the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, about 25 million adults in the country suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). It is believed that almost eighty percent of the men and ninety percent of the women with OSA go undiagnosed. This data is troubling, as recent researches have proved that there is a link between sleep apnea and high blood pressure, type II diabetes, weight gain, heart diseases, and many more problems. The good news is that sleep apnea can be fixed easily with professional help.

Sleep Study Types

Proper diagnosis is the first step to fight snoring and sleep apnea issues, no matter whether the sleep test is done in a lab or at home. There are pros and cons to both the methods, but an in-lab test is proven more effective and controlled in diagnosing the problem.

Lab Sleep Study

You might think of a sleep lab as a place filled with sterile machines and people wearing white lab coats. However, all these myths will be debunked when you visit a sleep lab. Sleep clinics and labs are often furnished with good bedding, warm and comfortable décor, and furniture, with minimal equipments. These are provided to relax the patient and to make them feel comfortable and at home.

Sleep clinics will make use of more sensors and so they can gather much more information than home sleep study sessions. In addition, sleep professionals will also be monitoring your progress throughout the night to ensure that everything is okay.

Home Sleep Study

This type of sleep study will be conducted in the home of the person. The advantage is that you can sleep in the comfort of your own bed. Sensors will be fixed to your index fingers to monitor heartbeat and oxygen levels. Another set of sensors will be strapped to your chest to monitor breathing pattern.

There will also be a small tube placed in your nostril to monitor the amount of air that you breathe through your nose. This is a less expensive method than lab sleep study and can be a good option for those without insurance or with a high deductible insurance plan.

As said, no matter which option you choose, the best way to deal with snoring and sleep apnea related issues is to first identify the root cause of the problem. After the sleep study, your healthcare provider would be able to recommend the right snoring aid to treat your condition.

Common Eye Disorders Linked to Obstructive Sleep Apnea

November 10, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Snoring Solutions

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Over time, numerous studies have brought to light the overwhelming effects of sleep apnea and snoring on the body. Newer studies have proven that there exists a relation between sleep apnea and the recurrence of certain eye disorders among individuals. If left untreated, sleep apnea can become complicated and cause adverse effects on the vision and other crucial systems of the body too, such as the cardiac system and respiratory system.

According to the various studies, it has been revealed that common eye disorders like floppy eyelid syndrome and glaucoma occur more in individuals suffering from sleep apnea. Besides, Obstructive Sleep Apnea has also been known to aggravate many of the eye disorders. Some of the common eye disorders linked to Obstructive Sleep Apnea are described below.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one disorder directly linked with sleep apnea. It is a common eye disease and the key reason for vision loss on a majority of individuals. Glaucoma occurs mainly due to the damages in the optic nerves because of increase of pressure inside the eyes. For a person with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, the oxygen entering the lungs is less, which can result in a decrease of oxygen reaching the optic nerves. This can result in damages to the optic nerves thus affecting vision.

Papilledema

Yet another eye disorder linked to sleep apnea is papilledema. It is seen mostly in individuals suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Papilledema can result in the optic disc to become swollen thereby resulting in vision loss. During sleep apnea, the concentrations of CO₂ in the blood will increase that can cause the blood vessels to become dilated. This can result in an increase in pressure that can lead to optic disc swelling.

Floppy Eyelid Syndrome

Floppy eyelid syndrome is yet another eye disorder linked with sleep apnea. This condition causes the development of large and floppy eyelids in individuals that can turn inward or outward during sleep. This can affect the lubrication of the eyes, cause irritation, redness, and discharge. It is more seen in individuals having Obstructive Sleep Apnea and obesity, and leaving it untreated can cause serious vision problems.

Minimizing the effects of sleep apnea on vision is possible by addressing the root cause of the disorder by using devices like a snore guard. These devices can decrease the occurrence of sleep apnea thus causing minimum interference with the vision and eyes. Using anti snoring devices like a sleep apnea snore guard is a better alternative than a Continuous Position Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine as CPAP mask can negatively affect eye health as well. However, it is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist immediately if any such eye issues occur.

Herbal Remedies for Standard Cases of Snoring

November 9, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Snoring Solutions

Herbal Snoring Remedies

Different types of remedies can be used to heal standard cases of snoring or snoring related mild sleep apnea. Many people use a stop snoring mouthpiece to keep the mandible forward and clear the congestions in the throat or a nasal cone to get a free flow of air during sleep. Below are some herbal remedies, which may help you cope with snoring due to nasal congestions or respiratory issues. When used together with other snoring aids like a mouthpiece, these measures would work efficiently to cure snoring.

For Snoring Due to Swollen Sinuses

When the surrounding air is way too dry, the mucus in the nose and the sinuses won’t flow rightly, and thereby your sinus may not drain as ideally as they should be. Add some drops of eucalyptus essential oil to a diffuser or the vaporizer and turn on the device for 10 to 15 minutes before sleep time. Having adequate moisture in the surrounding air would clear the nasal congestion; however, excess moisture can do the opposite too. So turn off the device as you sleep.

Eucalyptus is known for having certain decongestant properties as well. The herb can help to soften the hardened mucus build up in the nose and thereby clear the congestion in breathing.

For Snoring Due to Respiratory Conditions

Marjoram can be used if snoring occurs due to nasal congestion, asthma, cough, bronchitis, etc. The herb is used in cooking primarily but it has several health benefits as well, which can help to treat respiratory conditions that trigger snoring. Further, there are two ways to use the herb to cure snoring.

Marjoram Tea: Add 2 to 3 ounces of dried marjoram leaves into a glass of boiling water, and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Once boiled, allow the tea to cool a bit and then drink it before going to sleep.

Marjoram Essential Oil: Add a few drops of marjoram essential oil to the diffuser and turn on the device before bedtime. When you breathe the aroma of the essential oil, it can help cure snoring due to nasal congestion.

In addition to these snoring aids, even herbal remedies such as chamomile tea and green tea have certain antioxidant properties, which can clear the respiratory issues and underlying stress on the throat muscles. Having said that, you should first consult with a medical professional before using the herbal remedies and find out if they could interfere with any of your medications, which might aggravate other health problems.

An Overview of Snoring – Its Causes and Cures

November 8, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Anti Snoring Remedies

Snoring is a very common health issue that affects both the genders irrespective of the age. It is the noise caused by the vibrations of the soft tissues inside the mouth during sleep. Recent reports say that the problem of snoring affects about 90 million adults in the United States alone, out of which, around 37 million are regular snorers.

Snoring can happen intermittently or daily and can be triggered by a lot of factors. Moreover, studies show that overweight males are at a higher risk of snoring, and even though the health issue is not constrained to gender, women do not fall prey to snoring that often as men do.

Regardless, the problem can become more serious with age, causing disruptions in the sleep of the snorer as well as his or her partner. Snoring can result in fragmented sleep that can lead to sleepiness and tiredness the next day. Physicians say that the common adverse effects casually linked with snoring are heart problems and poor daytime functions.

The Health Risks Related to Snoring

Experts claim that most of the loud snorers suffer from sleep apnea, which is a sleep disorder in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted for brief durations of time during sleep. The word “apnea” refers to pauses in breathing that lasts for a minimum of ten seconds. However, studies show that it is possible to have sleep apnea without snoring as well; but that usually occurs in children and can be difficult to diagnose without the help of a physician.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in adults can be categorized by loud and frequent snoring, and it will usually result in interrupted and uneven sleep, which in turn can lead to low oxygen levels in the blood. The combination of disturbed sleep and low levels of oxygen can lead to heart problems, hypertension, memory, and mood issues to people suffering from sleep apnea.

Now you might have understood the importance of finding snoring aids that can help you cure the problem of snoring. However, to find the perfect snoring mouth guard or other snoring solutions, you will need to understand the exact cause of your snoring problem.

What Causes Snoring

During sleep, the muscles of your throat will relax and fall on the airway. In addition, the tongue will also fall back to make the throat region floppy and narrow, which in turn obstructs the normal flow of air during sleep. The soft tissues in the throat region will start to vibrate with the forced flow of air. This usually happens when you breathe in, and to a lesser extent while you breathe out. The vibration of the soft tissues is what we hear as the snoring sound.

The narrower the airways, the greater will be the snoring sound. In some of the cases, the throat walls can collapse completely, blocking the airway, and leading to a cessation of breathing or apnea. However, there are many factors, which can lead to the problem of snoring, and the actual reason can be determined only after proper diagnosis.

The most common factor that leads to snoring is the normal aging process. The throat muscles will relax with age and that can lead to snoring. Besides, anatomical issues in the nose and throat region, such as nasal polyps, enlarged adenoids, and tonsils, or a deviated septum can also lead to the narrowing of airways and trigger snoring issues.

Functional abnormalities like throat or nose inflammation due to allergies or infections can also lead to snoring, where the improper alignment of the jaw and a thickened tongue can also be contributing factors behind the issue. Obesity is another cause of snoring as overweight people can have a lot of fatty tissues around the throat and neck region, which narrows the airway to lead to snoring.

An added factor that can lead to snoring is the sleep position. When you sleep on your back, the muscles of the throat can easily collapse into the airway, making you snore. Apart from that, lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption in the evening and smoking are also related to aggravating snoring issues.

How to Cure Snoring

As said, excessive snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea. Therefore, it is better to consult with a doctor and invest in one of the best snoring aids available in the market to counter the condition. Consult with a sleep specialist immediately if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms.

Headaches in the morning
Recent weight gain
Excessive sleepiness in the morning
Waking up in the middle of the night feeling confused and exhausted
Changes in the level of concentration, attention, or memory
Waking up in the morning not feeling rested
Pauses in breathing while sleeping

Most of the snorers will be unaware of their problem and so they need to rely on the observation of their bed partner. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, or have been told that your snoring is disturbing your bedmate, you need to consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Your doctor would analyze your medical history and examine you physically to find out if you need a consultation with a sleep specialist, before suggesting any snoring aids. If your symptoms indicate heavy snoring, the sleep specialist would conduct a few tests to find out whether you suffer from sleep apnea and recommend trying different snoring aids to improve the quality of your sleep.

Depending upon the results of your sleep study, you will have the following options to treat the snoring problem.

Modifications in lifestyle – This includes tackling with the risk factors discussed above together with sleep position training and treatment of allergies if necessary.
Appliances – There are many appliances available in the market, like an anti snoring mouth guard, which can help you control snoring. Experts say that a snoring mouth guard can cure most of the instances of snoring. There are also snoring aids like chinstraps and nasal dilators that can help in controlling mild snoring episodes.
CPAP – A Continuous Positive Airway Pressure mask is like a snoring mouth guard on a machine that is used to blow air into the back of the throat to prevent the walls and muscles from collapsing. CPAP machines are mainly used in cases of sleep apnea.
Surgery – Surgery is the last option to treat the health issue, and is recommended when all the other snoring aids fail to provide any relief. Usually, using a snoring mouth guard regularly curtails the issue and evades the need for any surgical procedures.

Why Try Proactive Remedies to Clear Obesity and Sleep Apnea

November 8, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Anti Snoring Remedies

Proactive Remedies For Obesity

There have been indications that Obstructive Sleep Apnea or OSA may induce a pre-diabetic state in people that is characterized by lethargic sleep, impulsive eating, lapses in concentration, breathing cessations in sleep, and even loud snoring.

When you have OSA, your body starts to react to the lethargy in sleep that may affect the insulin resistance. The human body uses glucose for energy and the insulin is needed for sustained energy throughout a day’s schedule. However, insulin resistance induces higher blood sugar levels in people.

Diabetes happens especially when the cells become unable to use insulin due to insulin resistance – the body being unable to produce enough insulin for proper functioning so to speak. When insulin becomes inactive, the blood sugar levels increase in the body, which may harm the nerves, the heart, the eyes, or even the kidneys.

Extensive researches on OSA have found that sleep deprivation at night may reduce our insulin sensitivity, just the same as following a high-fat diet for half a year. This shows the importance of getting enough sleep in maintaining the blood sugar levels and lessening the risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity.

The fat buildup at the back of the neck in an obese person is one of the reasons for the cessations in breathing and also loud snoring at night. Therefore, you should exercise to lose weight and thereby cure loud snoring and cut back obesity. In fact, being obese may induce snoring also, so reducing excess weight is a must for the betterment of health for everyone.

As for OSA patients, the doctors study the sleep patterns of the patient and suggest various remedies besides doing exercises and making other lifestyle changes in the routine courses.

Even as the requirement of sleep differs from individual to individual, around 7 to 8 hours of sleep is termed sufficient for an adult on an average basis. Once OSA gets diagnosed, there are advanced remedies like the mouthpiece for sleep apnea which can be worn at night for freeing up the partial airway blockages in the back of the throat.

Getting adequate sleep at night is the ultimate objective of using the mouthpiece for sleep apnea and the improvement of health. Once you stop snoring using the Mandibular Advancement Device, you sleep better and stay healthier for days on end.

Using a Snoring Chin Strap and Anti Snoring Pillow Together

November 6, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Anti Snoring Remedies

Anti Snoring Pillow

A chinstrap for snoring is a device that fits around the head, keeps the mouth closed, and thereby makes us breathe through the nose. The anti snoring pillow would especially make you raise the head by a wee bit so that your tongue won’t recede backward and you can breathe less congested. Mouth breathing may cause snoring especially when there is an obstruction in the tongue or tonsils due to excess mucus in the back of the throat. The stop snoring chin strap would curtail snoring especially when snoring is caused by mouth breathing pattern in sleep.

Even your sleeping position may cause the tongue to recede making an obstruction in the pharynx, which is the membrane lining behind the nose and mouth. If the reason for snoring is clear to you, use an anti snoring chin strap and the stop snoring pillow together for clearing the airway and thereby sleep better.

The stop snoring pillow made of organic materials is not only a head support but would curtail the strain on the spine and the neck, and has hypoallergenic properties that help in clearing bedtime allergies that trigger snoring. There are also versions of the anti snoring pillows, which train the sleepers to adopt positional therapy. The therapy is about changing the sleep position to side sleeping instead of a supine position the one with facing up and an open mouth.

As sleeping on the sides with a raised head will keep the tongue in an advanced position, you may not encounter snoring. This is one of the reasons why pillow for snoring is not at all overlooked even by the sleep apnea patients.

In case mouth breathing causes snoring in sleep, you can use the chin strap for snoring as a standalone in a regular pillow and thereby breathe better. However, it shall be noted that the chinstrap for snoring could make you a nose breather and the pillow would play the role of opening the width of the airway in the throat. Using both the devices in combination will bring certain perceived benefits in sleep.

Another encouraging sign to use the pillow for snoring and the chinstrap is the price point – they are both affordable buys and can be bought over-the-counter. The benefit of having an effortless sleep minus back spasm and the recurrent sound snoring will be an added bonus to your bedfellow.

How Nasal Cones can Help to Cure Snoring

November 3, 2017 Snoring-Aid.com Staff Snoring Solutions

Using Nasal Cones

Besides making it difficult to breathe, snoring is known to cause a range of adverse effects to the patient. If left untreated, it can become much complicated; thereby causing several issues in some of the major systems of the body such as cardiac system and respiratory systems. Curing snoring is thereby of utmost importance if you suffer from it.

As a treatment option, most of your doctors and specialists may have recommended the use of snoring devices like mouthpieces. They are highly effective, but there are also many other alternatives that you can try such as nasal cones.

What are Nasal Cones?

Nasal cones are devices that can help you to get relief from snoring. Shaped like cones, they can be inserted in each of your nostrils, and they are mostly used by people who snore due to congested or filled nasal cavities. As such issues result in the inadequate air intake, the primary function of nasal cones is to keep the nasal passages open, and thus, provide an easier flow of air.

As the cones are inserted into the nostril, they will provide support that prevents them from collapsing and thus causing snoring. So if you suffer from nose snoring, then it is best to use nasal cones. In fact, combining them with snoring devices such as mouth guards will guarantee you the best results and permanently cure your snoring.

Benefits of Nasal Cones

The effectiveness of curing snoring by using nasal cones has been validated by numerous clinical research and trials. One of their main benefits is that they can significantly improve the airflow into the nasal cavity. Nasal cones are considered far more efficient in preventing snoring than nasal strips. Due to this, it is a better alternative if you suffer from nose snoring.

Nasal cones are available in three different sizes – small, medium, and large. Due to their availability in different sizes, nasal cones are good for all kinds of individuals. You can select the size that fits rightly into your nostrils and this prevents them from falling off while asleep. Note that choosing the correct size of nasal cones is important if you wish to enjoy the maximum benefits from using it.

When purchasing a snore pin or nasal cone, you should consider whether they are soft or have additional support features. If you suffer from a deviated septum, dry mouth, or sleep apnea, it is better to use a soft nasal cone. For nasal and sinus congestion or allergies and colds, a nasal cone that offers additional support is preferred.

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