If you are among the 45% of the adults who snore during sleep, be careful: snoring can be more than just an annoyance to your partner. It can also be a threat to your health.
Snoring can reduce both the number of sleeping hours and the quality of sleep, and as we know, sleep deprivation can cause depression, memory problems, judgmental disorders, affecting cognitive functions, weight gain, heart disease and other heart conditions, decreased appetite, low performance at work and even an increased risk of death.
Causes and Symptoms of Snoring
The most common problem of all those who snore is the inability to let the air move freely through the nose and throat. What happens is that nearby tissues vibrate, and thus, cause the famous noisy sound.
Numerous factors can increase the chances of snoring, the most common being:
- Pregnancy
- Allergies, congestion or other nasal and sinus problems
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Drugs and medicines (especially those to relax muscles)
- Aging
- Genetic factors.
Usually, the best way to go about it is to call a doctor and determine the exact cause of your snoring. A good specialist will not have trouble diagnosing the symptoms. If you have sleep apnea, you may experience breathing breaks (or choking) while sleeping, daytime fatigue, headaches, irritability, nervousness and concentration problems, so it’s highly recommended to treat this condition as soon as you can.
Getting rid of snoring
Want to lower the risk of snoring tonight and get some quality sleep? Follow some of these tips, they should help you. Keep in mind that these are not necessarily long-term solutions, so it’s still advised to visit your doctor.
- Use a humidifier
Some people may be prone to snoring if the air in the room is dry because it can irritate (or even inflate) the nose and throat membranes. Using a humidifier will help maintain moisture in the air, which can improve snoring. Also, be sure to be permanently hydrated.
- Open your nasal passages
If you have allergies or suffer from nasal congestion, it can be an effective way to stop snoring. Before you go to bed, take a hot shower, use nasal strips or nasal spray, which are designed to open the nasal passages and ease breathing.
- Change your sleep position
Anyone sleeping next to a snorer can confirm that sleeping on the back often can cause snoring. Can you easily correct this? Try to practice sleeping on the side. If you find that you still have a tendency to spin back, consider using a body pillow or even attaching a tennis ball to the back of your pajama shirt.
- Try an anti snoring device
Anti-snoring devices are placed along the teeth during sleep, and are designed to help you sleep smoothly. The concept of these devices is to keep airways open and to ensure free air circulation through the nose and throat.
- Avoid alcohol before bedtime
This could be difficult to implement if you are a fan of having a beer at the end of the week, but it might work. Avoiding alcohol four or five hours before falling asleep reduces your chances of snoring. Also, a good idea is to avoid pain relievers when it is not necessary to take them. Consult the doctor if you feel like one of the prescription drugs makes you snore a lot.
If none of these solutions helps you get rid of snoring, then it’s time to consult a doctor. He or she will be able to help you by determining the deep causes of snoring, eliminating sleep apnea and identifying additional treatment pathways such as surgery. Be persistent until you find a solution that will help you get rid of snoring – your health and relationships will look better without it.
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