Snoring Solutions

Underlying Facts about Snoring you Should Know

Snoring is the sound caused by the vibrations of the soft palate (roof of mouth) tissues due to turbulent flow of air while we sleep. Things like sleeping position, the stage of sleep, use of alcohol, and medications can make you snore.

How Common is Snoring

People who do not snore regularly can snore after having a viral illness, after excessive alcohol intake, or when taking some prescribed medications. We usually think that large people with thick necks are common snorers, but in reality, people with any body type and build can be a snorer. Yet again, the problem of snoring will worsen with weight gain and age.

What Causes Snoring

When we sleep, the muscles at the back of the throat relax leading to narrowing of the area in the airway to the lungs. This will make the air breathed to flow rapidly making the tissues in the throat vibrate rapidly. This vibration sound is what we hear as the annoying snoring noise. The reasons for narrowing of the muscles can be different though, and can take place in the mouth, nose, or throat.

Mouth Breathing and Palatal Snoring

We usually breathe through our nose, but obstructions in nasal passages can make us breath through our mouth. The obstruction can be caused due to allergies, cold, infection of the sinus, swollen adenoids, or a deviation in the nasal septum. People with obstructions in nasal passage are forced to breathe through mouth and are usually referred to as ‘mouth breathers.’ Mouth breathers usually suffer from snoring as the flow of air through the mouth can lead to the vibration of the soft palate tissues.

Narrowed Airways and Snoring

The main function of adenoids and tonsils is to fight infections. Both tonsils and adenoids are located at the backside of the mouth. Tonsils are also called palatine tonsils and can swell while fighting viruses and bacteria. Sometimes, the tonsils may not return to their normal size even after the infection is gone. These enlarged tonsils can narrow the airway, making the air to flow with pressure, and leading to snoring.

Snoring Remedies

Different types of snoring remedies are available in the market. However, before trying any of the anti snoring remedies, you will need to find out the exact cause behind your snoring problem. Else, you will end up wasting your money on products that would be ineffective in treating your snoring problem. Your physician will be able to help you find out the exact cause of your snoring problem and help you find the best solution for the issue.

Easy Remedies to Stop Snoring

Studies show that around 45 percent of the adults in the US snore at least occasionally and can become the brunt of joke at times. However, a snoring spouse can keep the other person from getting a good night’s sleep, which can leads to issues in the relation. “Snoring can create real problems in a marriage,”” says Daniel P. Slaughter, MD, who is a snoring expert and an otolaryngologist at Capital Otolaryngology in Austin, Texas.

Snoring is not a mere nuisance; in fact, experts say that 75 percent of snorers suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (disruption of breathing during sleep for short intervals, due to snoring), that may lead to heart diseases. Before using the various over-the-counter snoring remedies available in the market, you need to consult with a specialist to diagnose the root of the issue and find the best cure. Alternatively, you can also try out the following easy and natural snoring solutions, which might help to curb mild snoring issues.

Change Sleeping Position

Studies show that the sleep position of a person can affect snoring. When you sleep on your back, your tongue and soft palate might collapse to the wall of your throat and can vibrate with the flow of air. This vibration sound is what we hear as the snoring noise. Sleeping on your side can help you stop this.

According to Dr. Slaughter, “A body pillow (a full-length pillow that supports your entire body) provides an easy fix. It enables you to maintain sleeping on your side and can make a dramatic difference.”

Avoid Alcohol

Experts say that sedatives and alcohol can decrease the resting tone of muscles in the back of the throat, which can make your snoring worse. So it is good to avoid alcohol consumption at least four to five hours before sleeping, if you cannot refrain from it fully. Studies show that people who do not normally snore also start to snore when they take alcohol or other sedative drugs just before bedtime.

Lose Weight

If obesity is the cause of your snoring, then losing a few pounds might help you curb the problem of snoring. If you gained weight recently and started to snore after that, losing weight might help you. “If you gain weight around your neck, it squeezes the internal diameter of the throat, making it more likely to collapse during sleep, triggering snoring,” Dr. Slaughter says.

Open Nasal Passages

Keeping the nasal passage open during sleep can help if a clogged nasal canal is the cause of your snoring. “Imagine a narrow garden hose with water running through. The narrower the hose, the faster the water rushes through,” says Dr. Slaughter. When your nasal passages are clogged, it will restrict the normal flow of air making the air to flow faster, which can lead to snoring.

3 Natural Cures to Alleviate Routine Cases of Snoring

Several factors may lead to snoring, from the relaxation of tissues in the tongue, throat, and mouth, to a misaligned jaw. When the soft tissues in the mouth recede during sleep, they block the airway partially and that causes a vibration in the palate when the inhale hurries past. Below are some natural snoring aids that may help to stop snoring and bring about a peaceful sleep for the snorers and their bedfellow.

Herbal Remedies

Snoring is often seen lightly at times, but if left untreated, it can grow worse gradually. Herbal pills have natural enzymes that target nasal congestion and may alleviate the cause of snoring. Although herbal medications are not backed by all medics, they are worth trying especially when concurrent snoring occurs in the normal course of events.

Pranayama Breathing

Pranayama is a type of yoga exercise that includes several breathing techniques, which may be an ideal cure of routine snoring. Pranayama would help sleep apnea patients to reduce weight gradually and may even help to keep the airway open during sleep, thereby reducing snoring. Breathing techniques, with the help of professionals, would cure snoring in due course, but practice makes such snoring aids perfect.

Tongue and Throat Exercises

Stick out the lower jaw over the upper jaw with teeth shown and count to ten. Put the tongue out perfectly and as straight as possible and then move the tongue left and right and touch the corner of the lips while exercising.

With aging, our mouth palates tend to lose strength as well as elasticity, which mean that the breathing cessation will worsen more with age. Repeating tongue and throat exercise several times a day would alleviate swallowing difficulties as well as reduce snoring issues.

Mandibular Advancement Devices would stabilize the snorer’s lower jaw in the case of a receding jaw to counter the snoring problem. Sleep experts even say that using a Mandibular Advancement Device or an anti snoring mouthpiece is the best way to treat the condition. However, do consult a medic to pinpoint what exactly is the underlying cause of your snoring and then try the recommended snoring aids to cure your snoring issue.

Sleeping Positions to Help you Stop Snoring

A relentless, persistent, and endless snoring habit will certainly make life a lot more difficult for you and it deprives you off a good night’s sleep. This will in turn affect your performance at work or college and you may even find it hard to cope with everyday situations. If you are a regular snorer, you must immediately consult with a health care provider to get help.

If your snoring is not that serious, your health care provider will suggest a few lifestyle changes because that might help you to reduce snoring. On the other hand, if you are suffering from severe snoring and if it is affecting your sleeping patterns, health care providers will put forward an effective treatment plan for you.

Either way, it is wiser to invest in a reliable and efficient anti-snoring mouthpiece because it will help you to stop snoring without comprising your comfort while sleeping. Most of the anti snoring mouthpieces available in the market are convenient, affordable, and they do help you to get a peaceful good night’s sleep. You should also try to adopt the following sleeping positions when you are using an anti snoring mouth guard for better results.

Prop up your Chin

Tucking something right under your chin such as a pillow or even your hand will firm up the skin around your neck region. This will in turn firm up the tissues around your throat and significantly reduce the vibrations from these units when you are breathing. Carefully place the pillow and make sure you are not moving it away from your chin when you are sleeping.

Elevate your Head

Propping up your head when you are sleeping will alter the angle of your throat and neck, which will open the airways and help you to breathe a lot more easily. This is also an excellent way for easing nasal congestion, which is another major culprit in causing snoring issues. You can easily elevate your head by placing a thicker pillow or by using multiple pillows.

Sleep on your Side

People who sleep on their backs are usually the ones who experience more snoring problems. This is because the throat tissues get collapsed into the airways when are sleeping on your back, which will in turn increases the breathing difficulties. So, try to switch your sleeping position and sleep on your side to reduce snoring.

Three Best Essential Oils to Relieve Snoring

There exist various alternative treatments methods to cure and stop snoring. These methods have proven to relieve snoring and its associated conditions when used together with a sleep apnea mouth guard, and rule out the need of any direct intervention such as surgery.

Aromatherapy is one of the most effective ways to deal with snoring problems among individuals. It is an ancient system that uses certain oils known commonly as essential oils derived from specific natural substances to cure various ailments related to both the physical and mental aspects of the body.

Aromatherapy and the use of essential oils are effective in curing snoring as they act directly on the nasal passages and the throat. However, to stop snoring using essential oils requires knowledge about which type of oil to use for a particular issue. Besides, as there are so many types of essential oils available, you need to understand which one would work best for your case. Below are three of the finest essential oils that can be used for relieving snoring.

Thyme Oil

Thyme Oil is an essential oil that is often regarded as the best alternative cure for snoring. It has been proven by studies that Thyme Oil can be used to cure a host of diseases involving the respiratory system as well as in boosting the immune system and in treating muscular pain. Thyme Oil is used in combination with Jojoba Oil for application on the toes while sleeping. This is done according to the tradition of reflexology. Using a diffuser is also recommended as it will help spread the aroma uniformly across the room thereby offering quick relief from snoring.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is known for its excellent therapeutic benefits and is proven to have numerous antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. When implemented with a snoring mouthpiece, the Tea Tree Oil can relieve the ailment effectively within no time. It can assist with the normal breathing of an individual that can prevent many of the factors that cause snoring. Moreover, using Tea Tree Oil also improves the quality of air inside a room thereby alleviating the chances of snoring.

Marjoram Oil

Marjoram Oil is known for its numerous health benefits, besides helping in relieving snoring. It is a highly effective way to cure snoring as the Marjoram Oil directly offers support to the respiratory system of an individual. This enables one to breathe much easier during the night thereby eliminating any chances of snoring. Marjoram Oil quickly enters into the body during sleep and its effects are prolonging, thereby making it an ideal cure for snoring.