Snoring is a very bad habit. In fact, some call it a nuisance that can make husband and wife keep different rooms at night. But, if you are the accommodating type, you must be prepared for sleepless nights. Snoring is also not an entirely nocturnal habit as even in some snorers, a few minutes nap can trigger-on the disturbing ‘nasal emission’ which is called snoring.
Snoring is a very bad habit. In fact, some call it a nuisance that can make husband and wife keep different rooms at night. But, if you are the accommodating type, you must be prepared for sleepless nights. Snoring is also not an entirely nocturnal habit as even in some snorers, a few minutes nap can trigger-on the disturbing ‘nasal emission’ which is called snoring.
Sometime, friends traveling together are forced to rent separate rooms, instead of sharing one room and same bed and saving money in the process. What’s worse, snoring may be a sign of the dreadful condition called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is characterized by a halt in breathing at snore intervals that may extend from a few seconds to about a couple of minutes at a time.
Apart from partner disturbance, snoring means you are struggling for air and cannot possibly be getting optimal sleep.
It is the sound which occurs when the soft palate (the back of the roof of the mouth) vibrates when it relaxes during sleep. The sound produced can be low pitch or high pitch. At times, it is accompanied by heavy breathing.
Although, snoring does no harm in itself other than disturbing the snorer and anyone who shares the room but sometimes, it may lead to a potentially serious sleep disorder like upper respiratory resistance syndrome and obstructive sleep apnea, in which case, breathing stop periodically during sleep.
Nasal noise during sleep and heavy breathing are the two known symptoms of snoring. Statistics however show that gender is not much of a determinant as to who snores. It may be with the husband begging his wife to sleep on her side so that he can himself get some sleep, or the other way round. I bet it has happened in your bedroom before. While men are more prone to snoring than women, those who are overweight or are over the age of 50 years are likely to be habitual snorers. When the passage of air through the back of the nose and mouth is disrupted, snoring occurs.
The frequency and intensity of snoring will likely increase with age if not dealt with at an earlier stage.
Snoring is caused when there is a narrowed passageway between the nose and the throat. The passageway narrows because the muscles in your throat are more relaxed when you sleep. When inhaling oxygen while the passageway is narrowed, air will have to move faster than before, and will hit the tissues of the soft palate and the uvula with more force causing vibrations which in turn create snoring sounds.
One possible cause of snoring is weakness of the muscles of the upper throat. If these muscles are weak, the soft palate, tongue, and uvula appear to droop, consequently hindering the passage of air. What happens next is that as air is pressed beyond them, they create vibrating motions which produce the bedroom noise we know as snore.
People who have the habit of doing a bottle or two of alcohol, or those who are addicted pills or medication before retiring to bed are likely to snore all the more since alcohol and drugs can weaken the muscles even further.
Other possible reasons some people might snore are that they are overweight, they have allergies, or they smoke. Any of these three can constrict the air passage and worsen the predicament. Snoring can also occur as a result of physical exhaustion, throat or sinus infections, being overweight and sometimes due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids in children
Causes of Snoring
There can be many causes to why one snores when they sleep, anything that causes the air passageways to narrow will likely cause snoring.
Substances that promotes muscle relaxation such as alcohol or drugs that promote drowsiness will cause your throat muscles to relax thus narrowing the air passageway and also causes the tongue to relax and fall back limit the air passageway thus encouraging snoring.
Snoring can be brought on by a stuffy nose which can be brought on by a cold or sinuses. When one's nose becomes stuffy, less air can go through the nasal passage so the throat has to pull air in through the mouth with extra force, which will in turn cause snoring.
The physical makeup of your body can be a cause of one's snoring problems; if one is overweight there will be more fatty tissues in the throat which means a narrower air passageway. Also if one has a long uvula and/or soft palate will also cause a narrower air passage and an increased likelihood of snoring. Other physical characteristics which may bring about snoring include large adenoids and large tonsils, a long tongue, a small lower jaw or a deviated nasal septum.
Asthma and/or smoking can also increase the chance of one snoring due to the irritation and constriction of the air passageways which is brought about.
Sleeping on your back makes one more likely to snore because gravity pulls the tongue and jaw down to the back of the mouth and limits the air passageway.
How to Get Rid of it
Elevating the head of your bed has also been found effective in remedying snoring and providing comfort in the night.
It is most important that you seek medical check up. This is important because what you may consider to be ‘just snoring’ may in fact be severe sleep apnea; a dangerous condition in which the body becomes starved of oxygen. Medical advice is essential for sleep apnea.
However if your doctor certifies you as being okay and you still have a snoring problem, then the following tips may help.
•Maintain a normal weight.
•Engage in regular walking or other exercise to breathe better
•Avoid the use of sleeping pills or sedative antihistamines.
•Stop smoking as tobacco smoke irritates the linings of the nose and throat.
•Also avoid alcohol; and if you must drink, do it, at least do not drink four to five hours before going to bed.
To treat snoring, you can also instill three to four drops of warm brahmi ghee (clarified butter) or plain ghee in each nostril in the morning and before going to bed. It is very effective in snoring treatment. You can also remedy snoring by using a nasal strip that keeps the nasal passage open. Stick the adhesive strip across the soft part of your nose, just above the nostrils before going to bed. The adhesive pad has bands of plastic embedded in it that tighten and lift the sides of the nose, which help to maintain airflow while sleeping.
Elevating the head of your bed has also been found effective in remedying snoring and providing comfort in the night.
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