Snoring

If your self-help attempts aren’t silencing your noisy bedroom, don’t abandon hope. Medical treatments could make all the difference and advances are being made in this field all the time.  Consult a doctor when your own efforts to stop snoring have come to no avail.  You may be referred to an ENT (Ear, nose, and throat specialist).  Alternatively you may seek dental advice from your dentist.  The following medical approaches are available to prevent snoring:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). To keep your airway open during sleep, a machine at your bedside blows pressurized air into a mask that you wear over your nose or face.
• Dental appliances, oral devices, and lower jaw-positioners often resemble an athlete’s mouth guard. They help open your airway by bringing your lower jaw or your tongue forward during sleep.
• Traditional surgery such as Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP), tonsillectomy, and adenoidectomy, increase the size of your airway by surgically removing tissues or correcting abnormalities. The Pillar procedure is also an effective surgery in which small plastic implants are inserted into the soft palate. Scar tissue grows around the implants, stiffening the soft palate, which stops vibrations that cause snoring.
• New developments. Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) and somnoplasty remove parts of the soft palate to reduce snoring using lasers or radiofrequency signals. These newer remedies may require further study.

Read Top Tips to Stop Snoring Naturally

It’s understandable to feel embarrassed about your snoring, especially if you don’t realise you are doing it.   However your partner is probably feeling exasperated and exhausted.  If you are dismissive and refuse to try to solve the problem, you’re sending a clear message to your partner that you don’t care about their needs.or sending him/her to sleep elsewhere.

Keep the following in mind as you and your partner work together to beat snoring.

• Snoring is a physical issue. Typically, snorers feel a little embarrassed about their problem. Try to keep in mind that snoring is a physical issue. Like a pulled muscle or a common cold, improving the condition is in your hands.
• Avoid taking it personally. Try not to take your partner’s frustration as a personal critique or attack. Your partner loves you, just not the snoring!
• Take your partner seriously. Avoid minimising complaints. Lack of sleep is a health hazard and can make you feel miserable all day.
• Make it clear that you prioritise the relationship. If you and your partner have this understanding, you’ll both do what it takes to make the snoring better.
• Address inappropriate behaviour - although sleep deprivation can lead to moodiness and irritability, let your partner know that it’s not okay for them to throw an elbow jab or snap at you when you’re snoring.

Read more on this topic:  Top Tips to Stop Snoring Naturally

Snoring could indicate sleep apnea, a potentially life-threatening condition that requires medical attention. Sleep apnoea is a breathing obstruction, causing the sleeper to awaken to begin breathing again. A person with sleep apnoea wakes up many times a night to regain breathing, but usually doesn’t remember it.

Serious risks of sleep apnoea include sleep deprivation, oxygen deprivation, and depression. Heavy snoring is an indicator that a person may have sleep apnoea.

Have you ever sneezed one day from allergies then sneezed another day from a bad cold? Snoring is like that. In other words, not all snoring is the same. Everyone snores for different reasons. When we get to the bottom of why we snore, then we can find the right solutions to a quieter, deeper sleep.

People who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue, or “floppy” tissue that is more prone to vibrate. The position of your tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing. Evaluating how and when you snore will help you pinpoint whether the cause of your snoring is within your control or not. The good news is that no matter how and when you snore, there are solutions to making it better.

Common causes of snoring:

• Age. As you reach middle age and beyond, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases.
• The way you’re built. Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. A narrow throat, a cleft palate, enlarged adenoids, and other physical attributes (which contribute to snoring) can be hereditary.
• Nasal and sinus problems. Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring.
• Being overweight or out of shape. Fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring.
• Alcohol, smoking, and medications. Alcohol intake, smoking (or second-hand smoke), and certain medications, increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring.
• Sleep posture. Sleeping flat on your back causes the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.

Read Top Tips to Stop Snoring Naturally