Sound Sleep Guide

Archive for December, 2006

Do you have a snoring problem? If so, it is important for you to take action to stop the condition before it worsens into a more serious matter. While snoring is often laughed off as a silly sound our body makes, nothing could be further from the truth. When your body is snoring, it is basically gasping for air. Snoring is caused by a lack of air flow through your airway. The actual sound of snoring is the resonation of your throat and your soft palate rubbing off of each other to try to inhale. There are some simple steps to making sure that your snoring condition is a temporary one.
– Keep in shape. Obese people often have fat deposits in their neck and throat that can cause the airway to be constricted. If you are overweight and have a snoring problem, this aspect could be a large part of it.
– When suffering from allergies, use a nasal decongestant in the evening as opposed to an anti-histamine. Allergies themselves can cause snoring, as they often trigger nasal congestion, blocking your body from inhaling through the nose. However, anti-histamines relax throat muscles to relieve allergic symptoms, and relaxed throat muscles can result in decreased air flow.
– Keep your alcohol consumption early in the evening. Alcohol does many of the same things anti-histamines do to your throat, relaxing the muscles and causing them to block air flow. If you have your last drink at least 4 hours before you go to bed, your body should have enough time to process the alcohol in time for some sound sleep. In addition, you should avoid taking sleeping pills, as they are known to relax throat muscles as well.
– Sleep on your side. Many people only snore when they are sleeping on their backs, and they can stop the problem by merely laying sideways in bed. This can be achieved by putting a tennis ball in a sock and pinning the sock to the back of your pajama pants. That way, when you roll onto your back in your sleep, the tennis ball will cause enough discomfort for you to roll onto your side.
If these tips don’t alleviate your snoring condition, then there are certain over-the-counter remedies that may help you. Throat sprays offer lubrication for your uvula and throat, eliminating some of the resonance that occurs when you sleep. Also, there are pillows for sale that offer neck support that is conducive to proper airway alignment. Nasal strips can help those whose problem principally lies with nasal congestion. They are simple strips that you stick across the bridge of your nose to help open your nostrils and make more room for air.
Unfortunately, not all snoring problems can be solved by home remedies or over the counter devices. Sometimes, when an individual has too large of adenoids or tonsils, or too big of a uvula, surgery is necessary. Always consult with a trusted doctor and get a second opinion before you decide on any measures as drastic as surgery. There are many different treatments out there and it is important to choose the right one.

While as many as 40 percent of all American adults snore, not too many people know exactly what causes snoring and what serious affects it can have on the health of you and those who live with you. In this article, we will discuss what snoring is, what can cause it, and what can help to remedy the problem.
Snoring is a coarse sound that is caused when certain parts of the mouth and throat vibrate. A snorer’s soft palate rubs against the other tissues, causing the sound we all know too well. The reason for snoring is that there is a blockage in your airway, and your body is doing all it can to try to get the precious oxygen that it needs, This makes snoring much more serious of a problem with your body that needs to be addressed than the simple annoyance most people think of it as.
The blockage can occur anywhere in the airway, from the tip of the nose, to as deep down as the vocal cords. The restriction that causes snoring can actually be prevalent during the daytime as well as the night, however, it is most commonly seen at night. This is due to the fact that while we sleep, our muscles relax, including the ones located in our throat. This is why people may snore at night but not face terrible restriction while awake. The muscle tone of our airway is much more tight while awake. To know the exact reasons for your snoring, you must realize that there are a host of different reasons why people snore. Then, you must decide which ones relate to you, and then you can figure out exactly what you need to do to cure yourself.
Four of the most principle reasons that people snore are obesity, alcohol or sleeping pill usage, nasal deformities, and sleeping on the back. Obesity is an issue when it comes to snoring because of the fatty deposits that occur in your body when one is overweight. The neck and throat may house some of these deposits, and that can constrict your airway, causing you to be at a greater risk for snoring. The general method for curing snoring due to obesity is to simply lose the weight. Alcohol and sleeping pill usage affects snorers due to the fact that these depressant drugs relax your muscles – including the ones located in your throat. So, in much of the same way as sleeping relaxes your muscles, the effect is increased when one has been drinking alcohol or taking sleeping pills.
To stop snoring from alcohol, it is advised to have your last drink at least 4 hours before you go to sleep. Nasal deformities can cause airway restriction due to how air flows through the deformity. The solution for this issue can be a simple over-the-counter mouthpiece that helps correct your air flow while you sleep, but if the problem cannot be solved in this manner, surgery may be necessary. A lot of snorers only snore while they sleep on their back, so, as simple as the solution may sound – don’t sleep on your back! One method people use to break the habit of sleeping on their back is to put a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of their pajamas, making it uncomfortable to sleep with the tennis ball underneath them.
Now that you know how snoring works and some of the causes of snoring, you can more accurately diagnose your problem. Good luck on your recovery!

Snoring is a problem that affects a vast cross-section of the population. However, snoring happens to us for various reasons, and the cause of your snoring has a lot to do with what kind of remedies and cures you can use.
If you are the type of snorer that only snores when they are sleeping on their back, then the simplest solution is to use a home remedy for making yourself sleep on your side. One way to do it is to put a tennis ball in a sock, and then pin the sock to the back of your pyjama pants. This way, when you roll onto your back while unconscious, the uncomfortable tennis ball will make your body want to turn back on its side. Another way of fixing the problem would be to simply sew an object into the back of your bed-time shirt so that you won’t roll onto it.
When you think about your snoring problem, does it only affect you after a night out drinking? If so, you’ve got your solution right there. Drinking relaxes the throat muscles, which can cause them to rub up against the uvula and the palate, creating the snoring problem. If you can’t avoid drinking altogether, then do your best to have your last drink at least 4 hours before you hit the sack. Another important thing to note about bedtime and drugs would be not to have sleeping pills or antihistamines before bed if you have a snoring problem. These pills could be the cause of the problem. They behave the same as alcohol in the way that they make the muscles of the throat relax.
Are you overweight? Obese people tend to snore a lot because of buildups of fatty tissues in the neck. This weighs down and constricts the air way, causing obstruction problems and leading to snoring. The only way to help this issue is to lose weight.
There are many devices that claim to help snoring, but their efficiency is of some question. Some companies offer mouthpieces that set the jaw in a proper position and prevent the tongue from rolling back into the airway while asleep. Throat sprays are offered which claim to lubricate the uvula and the throat, causing less friction and therefore, less snoring. Manufacturers also sell pillows made of special material to help keep your airway at as straight of an angle as possible as opposed to the sharp angles caused by using tough pillows. Finally, simple breathing strips are for sale that help to pull open the nostrils, allowing room for air to get through.
All of the store-offered remedies are to be purchased at your own discretion, so be sure to do your research before buying a product. Check out consumer reviews, online articles, and entities such as the Better Business Bureau to make sure that the product you wish to purchase is safe and effective. Also, remember that what works for some doesn’t for others, and there is no one cure for snoring. Different individuals require different treatments.
Self Help for Snorers
The cause of snoring will vary from person to person as will the frequency and volume of the snore. One thing is for sure though – snoring can be a huge problem for the snorer and everyone else living in the same household.
Ironically, many people do not question the fact that they or a partner snores. If they lived next door to neighbours who made the same amount of noise every night you can bet that they would have a great deal to say, but because the noise and disturbance is generated by snoring, it is accepted as a fact of life.
There is no doubt that snoring can place enormous strain on relationships with the sleepless partner becoming more irritable and resentful as night after night they are denied the sleep they need. In fact, snoring need not be tolerated. It need not be endured and a good night’s sleep should be available to everyone.
The first step in reducing or stopping snoring is to get a medical check up to ensure there is no potentially serious medical condition underlying the complaint.
Having established that, the next step is to take a critical look at yourself and your lifestyle. Are you truly an ideal weight for your height? If not, it could simply be the excess weight that is causing the snoring. Lose the weight and you will lose your snore.
Have you ever had an allergic reaction to anything? Have you ever had hayfever, asthma or eczema? If so, there may be some kind of allergic response that is causing inflammation of your mucous membranes which in turn will lead to snoring. Ask your partner if your snoring is worse some times than others and see if you can find a link perhaps between a time of year or a food stuff and your snoring.
Mucous will restrict airways and dairy products can be very mucous forming. It is worth eliminating milk and cheese from your diet for a month to see if your snoring improves.
Sleep on your back rather than your front, especially if you have a lot of excess weight around your neck.
Exercise will improve your oxygen uptake levels, increase your metabolism, help reduce any excess weight you carry and generally make you feel better. If you don’t believe me try it for a month and see if I’m not right!
If you are still snoring after trying all of the above you may like to consider being tested for Candida overgrowth. This naturally occurring fungus can run wild inside and outside the body. It thrives in warm moist conditions – so mucous membranes are ideal. You may like to experiment with the anti-Candida diet to see if your snoring improves – it simply requires you to avoid anything containing yeast or that has fermented or has any association with mould or fungi. This means you eliminate bread, alcohol, cheese, mushrooms and fruit.
Still snoring? Well surgery remains an option -although this can be expensive, is very painful and does not have a 100% success rate. The other option of course, is ear plugs.