Snoring is the noise produced when the air we inhale passes through a narrow or partially obstructed airway. Snoring happens because of vibration of loose tissue in the throat and upper airway. So essentially snoring means that the snorer may not be getting an adequate amount of oxygen during sleep.
Snoring is considered more of a social embarrassment or an annoyance to the bed partner or family members. Snorers often hesitant to take overnight public transportation, in the fear of snoring loudly and causing disturbances to fellow travelers.
However, risks of Snoring goes way beyond disturbing your families sleep. Regular or loud snoring can impact sleep quality of both the snorer and the bed partner. It is harmful to the person who snores. Snoring essentially means that the person’s airway is constantly getting obstructed and the person may not be getting adequate oxygen throughout the night.
This article will give you a few tips to get a snore-free night.
Causes of Snoring
Causes of snoring can vary from person to person. Common causes of snoring could be
congestion or nasal allergies: A blocked nose may make it difficult to breath the nose and also increases the chances of snoring
Sleep position: The way we sleep plays a major role on snoring. People who sleep on the back tend to snore more, because this causes tongue and soft palate to fall back towards the back of throat and cause obstruction of the airway.
Weight gain: Excess body weight, especially around neck area can put pressure on the throat and airways. Excessive weight can also cause fat deposition on tongue and cell along the lining mucosa of throat and cause obstruction of the airways
Lifestyle factors: Unhealthy habits like excessive alcohol, smoking can irritate airways and cause inflammation of the airways , increasing likelihood of snoring
Mouth breathing: mouth breathing can cause a dry mouth and dry throat which in turn causes mucus in throat to become sticker, increasing chances of snoring
Apart from above causes, there are many other causes that can make a person snore more. Factors like Nasal polyps, deviated Nasal Septum, having small upper and lower jaw, large soft palate or Uvula, large tongue or low tongue tone or improperly positioned tongue, weakened breathing muscles in the pharynx and many others.
Now that we understand probable causes for snoring, lets see how we can control or reduce this.
Below are a few tips to aim for a good relaxing snore-free sleep.
Snoring can sometimes be a result of unhealthy lifestyle habits, so reducing or eliminating these habits can significantly decrease snoring and improve overall health. These include
Some home remedies for snoring includes good nasal hygiene. Clear nasal passages are important for unobstructed breathing during sleep. Before sleeping, use of saline nasal sprays or clearing your nasal cavity with Jel Neti techniques will help clear up mucus, reduce congestion and promote easier breathing and better sleep.
Our human bodies have been designed to breathe through the nose. Nasal breathing has many advantages and helps keeps us airways clean, moist and prevents microbes and irritants from entering deeper into throat and lungs. The Basic Mantra for breathing is- lips closed, tongue towards roof of mouth and breath through nose. Using proper breathing techniques will lower your chances of Snoring
Oropharyngeal exercises are a type of myofunctional therapy that helps tone up weak airway muscles, that tend to collapse easily. Doing these Oropharyngeal exercises will help reduce snoring and help you breath better. Our Myofunctional therapist at NKs Snoring and Sleep Apnea center will assess your condition and suggest appropriate exercises for you.
Having proper pre- sleep habits and following a consistent sleep schedule will help you have a better and more rested sleep
There are a number of antisnoring that are available over the counter or online. Devices like nasal strips, nasal clips or cones, mouth propping devices, chin straps, mouth taping devices, anti-snoring pillows, anti-snoring chin buttons, pillows, jackets and many others are available. These devices are varied and designed to target different parts of the body.
Use of these antisnoring gadgets can sometimes help, in the milder cases. But the trick is to assess where the area of obstruction is and use the appropriate device. For example, if obstruction of airway is due to excess tissue at throat level, then using a nasal strip would not work at all.
So rather than going through a trial-and-error method. It would make more sense to get a proper examination by a sleep specialist to assess the actual problems and then give the appropriate gadget a try.
However, do not focus only on the snoring sound. We need to understand that snoring may be indicative of a more ominous disease called Sleep Apnea.
All above are some suggestions that one can try, to control occasional snoring episodes. But when snoring is regular and loud, causing difficulty with breathing and if above techniques have not been effective in stopping your snoring, then it is time to get professional help.
Our specialists at NK’s Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center will be able to help you. Please contact us on +91 6366909091 or connect with us on NK's Snoring and Sleep Apnea