As you already know, snoring is the name for
that loud breathing that happens when the person sleeps. It is irritating
and also very unhealthy. Everyone in this world knows at least one person
who snores, in more cases it is a man, but it happens to women also. With
age, it can become much more serious and it disturbs the person who snores
equally as the person who is sleeping beside her.
Snoring itself happens when the air which you are inhaling makes the soft
part of your palate and other tissues in your mouth to vibrate. It is
caused by the turbulence of your airways while you are inhaling. The
turbulence is caused by the partial air blockade which can be anywhere,
from your nostrils all the way to your vocal cords. Snoring can be heard
only during sleeping because that is the time when muscle tones in your
airways get lower. The causes are:
When you have allergies, your nasal mucosa can swell and your upper airways
can become sore which hinders the air flow. The same goes for nose
deviation as well.
Uvula is the tingly thing in the back of your throat. When it is larger
than it should be, it narrows the hole between your nose and your throat.
When your soft palate and your uvula vibrate, they touch each other and
again hinder the air flow.
Sleep apnea
is a sleeping disorder where your breathing is briefly interrupted. The
apnea is the name for that breathing pause which can last up to 10 seconds.
This happens when the muscles which are placed in the back of your throat
fail to keep the airway open. This form is called obstructive sleep apnea,
but you also have the central sleep apnea, which is the state where your
brain fails to control your breathing. This problem can be treated by
using CPAP machine
. This machine opens your airway with positive pressure
through a nasal mask which you wear during sleep.
Since your muscles are more relaxed than they should be, your tongue falls
backwards and blocks the airway. Drinking alcohol or sleepy drugs can
deteriorate this problem even more.
This refers to children with large tonsils and adenoids as well as the
overweight people with excess soft neck tissue. Your airway gets much more
narrow which causes you to snore. Also, the narrowing can happen if you
have a cyst or tumor as well.
· Closed mouth snoring – usually happens to people who have problems with
their tongue
· Open mouth snoring – usually related to tissues in your throat
· Sleeping on your back snoring – This is a mild form of snoring which can
be reduced by changing your sleep habits and lifestyle
· Snoring in all positions – This is a severe form of snoring and you need
to have some sort of treatment
Luckily, there are many available treatments for snoring nowadays. Some of
them are:
This is a surgery where the doctors remove excess soft palate tissue which
causes the airways to open. The remaining tissue gets stiffer when it heals
which minimizes the vibration. You can also enlarge the air passage with
adding tonisillectomy to the procedure.
This procedure reduces bulkiness of your nasal turbinates, tongue base and
soft palate. There are many different methods for this: bipolar cautery,
lasers or radiofrequencies. You will need several treatments in order for
it to work.
This is a treatment meant for sleep apnea. It pulls the muscles from your
tongue forward which causes prevention of lower throat collapse and opens
the obstructed airway.
This repositions your lower jaw forward. For this treatment you should see
an otolaryngologist, dentist or an oral surgeon who has an expertise in
sleep dentistry.
This means to lose some weight, start eating healthy and embrace the
athletic lifestyle which will develop your muscle tone, avoid sleeping
pills or tranquilizers at all costs, heavy meals, alcohol and snacks before
bedtime are also a no-no’s. Sleep on your side and elevate your head while
you sleep for at least 4 inches. Of course, this refers to people who
suffer from occasional or mild snoring issues.
It is revealed that one-third of older adults suffer from some form of
snoring. If you snore, make sure that you identify the cause and find the
way to cure it as soon as possible.
Gordon Bogunovic is a fitness instructor and MMA enthusiast with 10 years of experience in personal training, health and nutrition.