Are you snoring? You don’t have to!
1. What is Snoring?
Snoring can be defined as a gruff noise made by vibrations of the soft palate and other tissue in the mouth, nose & throat (upper airway). It is caused by the flow of breath over the skin inside the airway while inhaling and exhaling. Generally speaking, the noise only occurs through sleep; this is because our muscle tone is decreased when sleep and there may be insufficient muscle tone to prevent the airway tissue vibrating. During waking hours muscle tone keeps the airway in acceptable shape; that’s the reason we don’t snore when awake.
2. Can everyone snore?
The clear answer is yes and if you snore you are not alone! Realistically snoring affects 1 in 4 adults in the UK. Research has shown that 1 in 20 people sleep in a separate bedroom because their partners snore and in a statement by the relationship counselling charity Relate, 10% of ladies stated snoring as one of the things they most disliked about their spouse
3. Is there a snoring treatment? What can I do to stop snoring?
Unfortunately there is no snoring cure, but there are a number of snoring remedies and anti snore devices that can be used for snoring treatment.
4. In addition to using remedies to stop snoring, is there anything I can do to prevent snoring?
Yes, anyone who does snore can make changes to lifestyle that will help them to stop snoring.
Top tips to help you to restrict snoring:
Uphold a healthy diet and weight
Exercise routinely
Do without alcohol – especially before bed
Avoid dairy in the evenings
Quit or cut down on smoking
5. Why should snoring be treated?
One of the many health concerns associated with snoring is discontinuous sleep for both the snorer and the spouse who has to put up with the snoring noise. An inability to maintain continuous sleep could produce health consequences caused by sleep deprivation such as excessive sleepiness during the day, irritability, and a lack of productivity.
6. If I snore, do I have sleep apnoea?
No, not necessarily. Simple snoring is caused by a partial obstruction of the upper airways, which may be aggravating, but not harmful. However, those with a total obstruction will follow loud snoring with brief periods of silence, which can mean they are not breathing. Very loud, consistent snoring is usually an indication of sleep apnoea and should be investigated.
7. What is Sleep Apnoea?
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is defined as the cessation of airflow during sleep preventing air from entering the lungs caused by an obstruction. These periods of ‘stopping breathing’ only become clinically significant if the ceasing lasts for more than 10 seconds each time and occur more than 10 times every hour. OSA only happens during sleep, as it is a lack of muscle tone in your upper airway that causes the airway to collapse. During the day we have sufficient muscle tone to keep the airway open allowing for normal breathing. When you experience an episode of apnoea during sleep your brain will automatically wake you up, usually with a very loud snore, in order to breathe again. People with OSA will experience these wakening episodes many times during the night and therefore feel very sleepy during the day: they have an airway that is more likely to collapse than normal.
8. I have heard about a “Soring injection”, does this work?
Bad news for those who want to stop snoring – there is no snoring cure, only snoring remedies and while those who use laser or other invasive snoring treatment may find they experience an amount of snoring relief and that they stop snoring for a short time, they may find the distress and hurt of the procedure grouped with the fact that they will have to undergo further treatment at a later date in order to continue to stop snoring will put nearly all snoring sufferers off. Even one of the more recent snoring solutions promoted as a snoring cure, Injection Snoreplasty (a snoring injection), which may give the impression to offer help for snoring has not yet been proven. The studies to date are not convincing as this anti snoring practice has been tried on just 27 patients whose snore levels were only 11 decibels at the outset. Many of the patients relapsed after 1 year as the scar tissue softened and their snoring problems returned.
About the Author
Snore and Snoring Cures
Silence Anti-Snoring Spray (English)
