How To Stop Snoring With Snoring Cures

Snoring CuresDid you know that 45% of men and 30% of women have a problem with snoring? Snoring isn’t just irritating to the people around you, it is a serious health problem that is often times the result of other problems going on. Finding cures for your problem isn’t just going to help your family, it will help your physical health in numerous ways.

This guide was designed to help educate and inform you on the causes of and how to stop snoring. Make sure to check out our recommended anti snoring devices and read an overview of the top cures below. Best of luck in finding the perfect snoring solution for you.

What Is Snoring?

Snoring is the snorting or grunting sound that occurs when a person’s breathing is obstructed in some way during sleep. Although snoring is usually harmless, it sometimes indicates a serious health problem. Additionally, the sounds of snoring can be a nuisance to a spouse or partner and other family members. This can lead some people to seek snoring cures.

According to some statistics, at least one out of two adults snores on occasion. When air flows through a relaxed throat, the throat tissues vibrate during breathing and cause the annoying sounds. Various lifestyle changes can help prevent snoring. When the condition results from a serious problem, medical devices or surgery are possible treatments.

Signs and Symptoms of Snoring

The harsh noise caused by snoring is, of course, the most common sign of snoring. Depending on the cause, people who snore may experience other symptoms, as well. These include excessive daytime drowsiness, restless nighttime sleep, gasping during sleep, sore throat, problems with concentration, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.

How To Stop SnoringAdults who snore should see a doctor if their snoring is loud enough to disrupt their partner’s sleep, or if they wake up choking or gasping for breath. These situations may indicate obstructive sleep apnea or other serious medical conditions.

Children who snore may also have sleep apnea, although obesity and nose or throat problems can contribute to snoring in children. Parents should talk to their child’s pediatrician about the problem. Various snoring remedies may help the child sleep better.

Common Causes and Risk Factors

Like sneezing, snoring has many possible causes. Numerous factors can lead to snoring: mouth, nose and sinus anatomy; allergies and colds; alcohol consumption; cigarette smoking; prescription medications; age; overweight or obesity; sleep posture; and more. Certain risk factors make snoring more likely for some people. These factors include being male, being overweight, having nasal problems, having a narrow airway and drinking alcohol.

As people move from light to deep sleep, their tongue, soft palate and throat muscles relax. Throat muscles can relax so much that they partially obstruct the airway. The airflow during breathing becomes more forceful when the airway narrows. As the throat tissues vibrate, the sounds of snoring become louder.

Different conditions affect the airway and cause obstruction:

  1. Mouth anatomy. Enlarged tonsils and adenoids, or a thick soft palate, can narrow the airway. A long uvula can do the same.
  2. Nasal problems. A deviated septum or chronic nasal congestion may contribute to chronic snoring.
  3. Overweight body. Overweight and obese people may have extra weight around the throat. This too may contribute to a narrow airway.
  4. Alcohol consumption. Too much alcohol before sleep is another factor. Alcohol relaxes the muscles, narrows the airway, and lowers the body’s natural defense against obstruction.
  5. Sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious condition that prevents people from breathing. It usually involves loud snoring followed by periods of breathing silence. People with sleep apnea often have inadequate airflow, and the condition usually requires medical treatment.

Possible Complications of Snoring

The noises associated with snoring can be extremely irritating for the partner of the person who snores. Poor quality of sleep, or a lack of sleep, can greatly stress a relationship. As snoring problems continue, so does relationship tension. Partner resentment or sleeping in separate bedrooms are two ways the tension can grow.

Chronic snoring is more than just a nuisance, however. It can cause serious health problems and quality of life issues — for people who snore and for their partners. Daytime sleepiness and lack of concentration can lead to accidents, including car accidents. Breathing difficulties and poor quality sleep increase the risks of heart failure, high blood pressure and stroke. For these reasons, it is important to seek safe and effective snoring cures.

Children who snore also have a higher risk for behavior and developmental problems. For example, obstructive sleep apnea in children is linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Medical Tests and Diagnosis

Snoring DoctorMost often, people who decide to seek medical help for their snoring problems see their personal doctor or general practitioner. Their physician typically refers them to an otolaryngologist or ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist. Some patients see a specialist who treats sleep disorders.

The proper diagnosis usually requires a number of tests, starting with a physical examination and medical history. Questions answered by a snoring person’s partner, or by the parents of a snoring child, help doctors assess the problem.

Imaging tests may be required to discover the cause of a blocked airway. These tests include X-rays, computerized tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

Depending on the severity of the problem, some doctors order a sleep study. This requires an overnight stay at a sleep center, where patients undergo an in-depth study of their sleep habits. Known as polysomnography (PSG), sleep studies record brain waves, heart and breathing rates, blood oxygen levels, eye movements and leg activity during sleep.

How To Stop Snoring

Snoring cures start with lifestyle changes: weight loss, smoking cessation, alcohol avoidance, different sleep position and so on. If lifestyle changes are ineffective, doctors may recommend one of several devices or treatments:

  1. Oral appliances. Dental mouthpiece devices that change the position of the tongue and soft palate keep the airway open. A dental specialist must custom fit the device for proper results.
  2. CPAP device. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is another popular solution for snoring caused by obstructive sleep apnea. CPAP involves a nose or face mask and small pump that forces air through the airway to keep it open.
  3. Soft palate implants. Palatal implants, also called the Pillar procedure, are injected into the soft palate to stiffen the relaxed tissue and reduce snoring.
  4. Surgery. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) is a traditional surgery that trims and tightens excess throat tissue. Laser surgery shortens the soft palate and diminishes the uvula. Somnoplasty, a relatively new procedure, uses radiofrequency to remove a portion of the soft palate.

Sometimes tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, which remove the tonsils and adenoids respectively, are used to treat snoring problems. While surgery may certainly reduce snoring, most doctors do not recommend it for obstructive sleep apnea.

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What Are The Best Snoring Remedies For You?

The first step to determine what’s best for you is to figure out if you’re a nasal or mouth breather.

Snoring Solutions for Nasal Breathers

If you’re breathing through your nose – good job! You’re halfway there. Now you just have to stop the pesky snoring.

  • Treat allergies - Colds and allergies are a nuisance to begin with, but they can really do a lot to aggravate snoring. Take over-the-counter medicine if necessary, try sleeping with an air purifier running, and buy new pillows (you may have an allergy to dust mites).
  • Mouth guard – Sometimes, nasal breathers snore because of a vibration that starts in the back of their throat. If this is the case for you, a mouth guard should do the trick.
  • Nose strips – Designed to open your nasal passages and help you get a better nights rest.

Snoring Solutions for Mouth Breathers

If you’re breathing through your mouth at night, this is not a good thing. It means that the air passage in your nose is most likely obstructed. The cures you should seek include methods to clear your nasal passage as well as ways to keep your mouth closed at night.

  • Chin straps or medical tape – These will force you to keep your mouth closed while you sleep. Before you attempt to sleep through the night with one of these devices, you should evaluate how well you breathe with it on. You’ll want to make sure you can breathe well enough through your nose.
  • Special pillows - Sometimes, when we sleep, our tongue has a tendency to fall back and rest on the back of our throats. This causes an obstruction, and usually will leave you snoring with your mouth wide open. There are special pillows that will help you keep your head in proper alignment, which will help keep your tongue in its place.
  • Clear your nose – If your reason for sleeping with your mouth open is an obstructed nasal passage, the first thing you should do is try to clear it. This can be done with nose strips or with cold and allergy medicine.

Once you’ve figured out why you’re snoring, you’ll be well on your way to finding the best solution for you. Sometimes the best snoring cures are simple, and sometimes they require a little work. But, a good night’s rest is always worth it!

Bedtime Cures for Snoring

Sometimes simple fixes can be effective for reducing nighttime snoring. For example, a stuffy nose makes breathing difficult and creates a vacuum in the throat, which can lead to snoring. Opening the nasal passages with nasal decongestants, nasal strips or a Neti pot may be helpful.

A humidifier helps keep the bedroom moist. This is more soothing for the nose and throat than dry air, which can irritate the membranes. Repositioning the head or sleeping on one’s side may open the airways and eliminate snoring.

Some people use the “tennis ball trick.” This involves sleeping with a tennis ball attached to a t-shirt or pajama shirt, with thread or a safety pin. Since the tennis ball feels uncomfortable under the back, this method encourages side-sleeping.

Throat Exercises for Snoring

Throat snoring exercises are a safe and effective way to eliminate snoring or decrease its severity. Practiced daily for 30 minutes, throat exercises strengthen muscles in the throat and upper respiratory tract.

The best way to begin throat exercises is to start slowly and gradually build on the number of sets. The nice thing about throat exercises is they can be combined with other activities, such as taking a shower, commuting to work, walking the dog, or exercising.

Here are five simple throat exercises:

  1. Repeat each vowel (a, e, i, o and u) aloud for three minutes, several times a day.
  2. Touch the tongue to the back of the top front teeth. Slide it backwards toward the throat. Do this exercise for three minutes each day.
  3. Close the mouth, purse the lips and hold the position for 30 seconds.
  4. With an open mouth, move the jaw to the right side of the face. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the left side.
  5. With an open mouth, repeatedly move the muscle at the back of the throat for 30 seconds.

Alternative Remedies and Therapies

Since snoring is a common problem, numerous complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) solutions exist: nasal sprays, nose drops, herbal remedies and unconventional therapies. Two possible therapy solutions include singing and the didgeridoo.

Singing improves muscle control of the throat and soft palate. One study found that snoring decreased for people who followed specific singing exercises for 20 minutes a day, over a three-month period. Further research is needed for this technique.

A 2006 British study examined the use of the didgeridoo by sleep apnea patients. The didgeridoo, a drone-producing musical instrument, also trains the muscles of the soft palate and throat. The study found that those who played the instrument for 25 minutes a day, on most days of the week, lessened their sleep apnea and snoring.

Support for Snoring People and Their Partners

Snoring Couples SupportPeople with partners who snore at night can encourage their partners to make lifestyle changes, try home remedies or visit a doctor. Meanwhile, earplugs, or earphones hooked up to music, may block some of the snoring sounds.

Although the problem can grate on the person who does not snore, it can be an embarrassing problem for the one who does. Couples should talk to each other carefully and with sensitivity, but not at bedtime or in the morning. Bitterness, resentment and lashing out are ineffective methods of communication, and they can actually harm a relationship. Humor and playfulness can ease the tension, as long as it does not include teasing.

On the other hand, the person who snores likely feels vulnerable and embarrassed about the problem. It is important to understand that snoring is a physical condition, and one that can be addressed.

People who snore should not take their partners’ frustrations as a personal attack. Treating each other with patience and understanding can go a long way toward building the relationship and finding snoring cures together.

Find More Snoring Information

Check out the following sites if your looking for more details on Snoring:

  • Wikipedia – An overview of snoring and medical treatments
  • WebMD – Everything from diagnosis to managing snoring
  • KidsHealth – Great information for snoring in kids