by Tatya H.P.
People who snore can be funny but when you get to sleep with someone who snores loudly every night, it becomes annoying. That is why, it is important to know the ways to cure snoring.
Here are the following ways and methods to cure snoring:
Breathing exercise – Snoring happens when there is a blockage happening in the breathing passage, particularly at the throat area. And this blockage might be because of a tensed throat, wrong positioned jaw, or stuffed nose. Take several deep breaths in order to relax the throat and make breathing normal again.
Decongestants – There are instances wherein the cause of snoring is nasal congestion. Here, the person tends to breathe through his mouth which may trigger snoring. Taking decongestants will free any blockage and relieve the person from snoring.
Anti-allergy medications – There are some allergies that result to the enlargement of adenoids. Once the allergy is cured, the snoring usually stops.
Exercise and proper diet – If the person is obese, he probably snores. This is because there is fat concentration on the airways that limits the air to go in and out freely. Also, fat formation on the stomach restricts the diaphragm to perform properly. Thus, snoring occurs. In fact, around 40% of the obese population snores. Taking regular exercise and proper diet can reduce the weigh and stop snoring, not to mention other health risks associated with obesity.
Change of bed position – There are occasions wherein snoring is the result of wrong sleeping position. Sometimes, sleeping with too many pillows can stretch and narrow the air passage. Use one pillow to avoid it. Also, lying on the back can cause snoring. So, a change in sleeping position can be a good help.
Change of lifestyle – Smoking and alcohol can contribute to the onset of snoring. Snoring may be a result of other medical conditions caused by these two. So, to maintain a good and healthy life, the person should stop or reduce smoking and alcohol intake, which in turn can cure snoring.
Review medications – Antihistamines, sleeping pills, and other types of medications can worsen snoring.
Regular sleeping habits – There are two periods of sleep: the REM sleep where the person experiences frequent dreaming and deep sleep, and the Stage 1 sleep which should only be experienced during falling asleep but can also be experienced several times if the person is sleeping poorly. Both can trigger the development of unstable breathing that can cause snoring. Irregular sleeping can also cause respiratory instability that result to unstable breathing during sleep.
Saltwater nasal droops – Nasal congestion caused by mucus can disrupt sleep and can cause snoring. To prevent this, saltwater nasal drops can be used to flush out the mucus. There are over the counter saltwater nasal drops available in drugstores. However, you can also make it on your own. Dissolve ¼ teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of sterilized water. Let the water cool down to body temperature and place it to a nose dropper.
However, if snoring is caused by other serious condition such as sleep apnea and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils, some surgical procedures like Laser Assisted Uvula Palatoplasty (LAUP) and radio frequency tissue ablation (RFTA) or Somnoplasty can be applied. It is important therefore to know the exact cause of snoring before taking any action.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Causes of Snoring in Children
by Tatya H.P.
Occasional snoring may be normal to children. Recent studies show that 3 to 12 percent of children between the age of 1 and 9 snore. But frequency doesn’t mean normality. Habitual snoring can be a cause of a more serious medical condition called obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or simply, sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by loud snoring with periods of breathing interruptions. Interruptions may be short or prolonged, usually between 5 to 30 seconds. During this period, the child's could not get straight sleep. He rouses and moves to another sleeping position, then resumes sleep. After a while he will once again begin snoring. This activity often happens several times during the night, each night. Although this condition rarely appears on children, it is very important that parents should watch out for symptoms that come along with it.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include
• Poor speech habits - talking that sounds like words over a mouthful of hot potato.
• Reduced growth rate. Children suffering from sleep apnea use more energy in breathing during the night. During meals, they tend to eat slowly since it is hard for them to breathe and chew at the same time. The result is, they have insufficient nutrients to support their growth.
• Hyperactivity. Lack of sleep can cause drowsiness on children during the day. To stay awake, children act frantically.
• Poor performance in school. Since children do not get the right sleep during the night, they tend to appear tired and lack the concentration to focus at school, thus, having a poor performance.
When these symptoms are visible, it is imperative for parents to bring their child to a pediatrician and have him examined. A child can be happy and smiling when he is brought to the doctor and therefore, it is difficult to diagnose if he really has sleep apnea. Parents are advised to record their child's snoring so that the doctor can analyze the situation in actually.
Meanwhile, sleep apnea is not the sole reason why children snore. Other reasons include allergy attack, obesity, asthma, and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis.
Some allergy attacks can cause swelling on the linings of the nose that can direct to the enlargement of adenoids. This keeps the child from breathing normally. This causes the child to snore. After the allergy attack, the snoring stops.
Obesity can also lead to snoring. In fact, 20% and 40% of the obese children snore. This is because fats can form around the throat that can cause constriction and makes the limited airways. Also, fats in the stomach can cause the diaphragm to function irregularly
Asthma is said to be another cause why children snore. A study revealed that 40% of the children diagnosed with asthma snore.
Enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis also results to snoring. While cold or tonsillitis can be cured by decongestant and antibiotics, adenoid enlargement is treated by surgical procedure to remove adenoids and tonsils.
Underdevelopment of the jaw inside the womb can cause snoring as well. There is also the possibility that the nerves and the muscles cannot control the airway properly and cause that child to snore.
Occasional snoring may be normal to children. Recent studies show that 3 to 12 percent of children between the age of 1 and 9 snore. But frequency doesn’t mean normality. Habitual snoring can be a cause of a more serious medical condition called obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or simply, sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by loud snoring with periods of breathing interruptions. Interruptions may be short or prolonged, usually between 5 to 30 seconds. During this period, the child's could not get straight sleep. He rouses and moves to another sleeping position, then resumes sleep. After a while he will once again begin snoring. This activity often happens several times during the night, each night. Although this condition rarely appears on children, it is very important that parents should watch out for symptoms that come along with it.
Symptoms of sleep apnea include
• Poor speech habits - talking that sounds like words over a mouthful of hot potato.
• Reduced growth rate. Children suffering from sleep apnea use more energy in breathing during the night. During meals, they tend to eat slowly since it is hard for them to breathe and chew at the same time. The result is, they have insufficient nutrients to support their growth.
• Hyperactivity. Lack of sleep can cause drowsiness on children during the day. To stay awake, children act frantically.
• Poor performance in school. Since children do not get the right sleep during the night, they tend to appear tired and lack the concentration to focus at school, thus, having a poor performance.
When these symptoms are visible, it is imperative for parents to bring their child to a pediatrician and have him examined. A child can be happy and smiling when he is brought to the doctor and therefore, it is difficult to diagnose if he really has sleep apnea. Parents are advised to record their child's snoring so that the doctor can analyze the situation in actually.
Meanwhile, sleep apnea is not the sole reason why children snore. Other reasons include allergy attack, obesity, asthma, and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis.
Some allergy attacks can cause swelling on the linings of the nose that can direct to the enlargement of adenoids. This keeps the child from breathing normally. This causes the child to snore. After the allergy attack, the snoring stops.
Obesity can also lead to snoring. In fact, 20% and 40% of the obese children snore. This is because fats can form around the throat that can cause constriction and makes the limited airways. Also, fats in the stomach can cause the diaphragm to function irregularly
Asthma is said to be another cause why children snore. A study revealed that 40% of the children diagnosed with asthma snore.
Enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis also results to snoring. While cold or tonsillitis can be cured by decongestant and antibiotics, adenoid enlargement is treated by surgical procedure to remove adenoids and tonsils.
Underdevelopment of the jaw inside the womb can cause snoring as well. There is also the possibility that the nerves and the muscles cannot control the airway properly and cause that child to snore.
The Culprits: Causes of Snoring
by Tatya H.P.
So what truly cause snoring. This may be quite a hard-to-answer question when were talking of only one cause. For in fact, there are many basic contributors that all funnel into the greater source of the problem.
Medically, snoring is defined as a noise caused by vibration from the airways of the respiratory tract that only appears during sleep.
The big question here is that, why, of all state, do we only experience snoring during restful moments?
Well, while we breathe 24/7, the likelihood that one snores during waking hours is very slim. This is due to the factor that only relaxed muscles can result to snoring.
During sleep, all our voluntary muscles are relaxed. The throat, in the same way as the triceps are relaxed is also resting while we sleep. The fact that tissues in the throat are soft, adds to the eventual output of vibrating sounds.
Once this tissue eases out, the passage of air will turn into a narrower passage. As you can see, narrowed passages causes louder noise because there is more room for friction, thus the vibration.
These same factors are also pointed as the reasons why there are differences in the loudness, pitch and tone of snores.
The loudness of snore is affected by the force of the wind that comes through the air passages. Therefore, when the speed of wind is faster, the snore, in general, is louder and more resonant. This answers why babies are capable of snoring too. However, theirs is not typically considered as snoring but only as mild noises created by the respiratory tract. This must never be ignored though since it may be the early sign that something is jammed in your child's respiration tunnel.
But while it may appear to both genders at any age, men are more often affected by this condition than women and middle-aged men are most likely to be the victims.
This is due to the reason that men have more fleshy necks since theirs are a bit wider than women's. This factor combined with the speed of air, the result is most likely to be snoring.
Meanwhile, women by nature produce progesterone hormones. This is known to inhibit snoring, thus they are less susceptible towards the irritable sounds. Because this actual hormone helps in relieving a person from this nighttime dilemma, some anti-snoring devices are known to use progesterone as their basic ingredient.
Lifestyle and health factors are also thought of as culprits of snoring. These include:
§ Allergies that cause clogs in the air paths.
§ Drying of the nasal cavities due to several elements including allergy medications.
§ Cold and flu, this explains why some people only experience snoring when they are sick.
§ Excessive intake of alcohol.
§ Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage. Often, surgeries done on conditions not directly related to snoring can also contribute to the frequency and intensity of the snores.
§ Abnormally large belly or guts.
§ Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
§ Abnormal enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
§ Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
§ Swelling of the thyroid gland or goiter.
§ Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
§ Medications that initiate relaxation
§ Obesity
§ Inefficient neural control on the nasal membranes.
So what truly cause snoring. This may be quite a hard-to-answer question when were talking of only one cause. For in fact, there are many basic contributors that all funnel into the greater source of the problem.
Medically, snoring is defined as a noise caused by vibration from the airways of the respiratory tract that only appears during sleep.
The big question here is that, why, of all state, do we only experience snoring during restful moments?
Well, while we breathe 24/7, the likelihood that one snores during waking hours is very slim. This is due to the factor that only relaxed muscles can result to snoring.
During sleep, all our voluntary muscles are relaxed. The throat, in the same way as the triceps are relaxed is also resting while we sleep. The fact that tissues in the throat are soft, adds to the eventual output of vibrating sounds.
Once this tissue eases out, the passage of air will turn into a narrower passage. As you can see, narrowed passages causes louder noise because there is more room for friction, thus the vibration.
These same factors are also pointed as the reasons why there are differences in the loudness, pitch and tone of snores.
The loudness of snore is affected by the force of the wind that comes through the air passages. Therefore, when the speed of wind is faster, the snore, in general, is louder and more resonant. This answers why babies are capable of snoring too. However, theirs is not typically considered as snoring but only as mild noises created by the respiratory tract. This must never be ignored though since it may be the early sign that something is jammed in your child's respiration tunnel.
But while it may appear to both genders at any age, men are more often affected by this condition than women and middle-aged men are most likely to be the victims.
This is due to the reason that men have more fleshy necks since theirs are a bit wider than women's. This factor combined with the speed of air, the result is most likely to be snoring.
Meanwhile, women by nature produce progesterone hormones. This is known to inhibit snoring, thus they are less susceptible towards the irritable sounds. Because this actual hormone helps in relieving a person from this nighttime dilemma, some anti-snoring devices are known to use progesterone as their basic ingredient.
Lifestyle and health factors are also thought of as culprits of snoring. These include:
§ Allergies that cause clogs in the air paths.
§ Drying of the nasal cavities due to several elements including allergy medications.
§ Cold and flu, this explains why some people only experience snoring when they are sick.
§ Excessive intake of alcohol.
§ Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage. Often, surgeries done on conditions not directly related to snoring can also contribute to the frequency and intensity of the snores.
§ Abnormally large belly or guts.
§ Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
§ Abnormal enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
§ Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
§ Swelling of the thyroid gland or goiter.
§ Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
§ Medications that initiate relaxation
§ Obesity
§ Inefficient neural control on the nasal membranes.
Causes and Cures for Snoring
by Tatya H.P.
The sounds of snoring are possible since there are collapsible parts at the back of our mouth that relaxes when we sleep. Once these are at their relaxed states, the air flow will drive them to flip since they are dangling loose nearest to the throat. These structures will then strike each other as air passes which then cause them to vibrate and create sounds.
Persons bothered by this condition are affected by one of these following causes:
Excess fleshy structure in the throat- With more tissues that collide, it is more likely that snoring can occur. This explains why people snore when they have abnormal tonsils or adenoids. Overweight individuals, on the other hand, have larger necks that narrow the air passage while adding more obstructions due to the presence of excess tissues. Although rare, cysts and tumors can also directly cause snoring.
Some people have extra long uvula and soft palate. These muscles can dangle as a person breathes. These act as flutter valves that impede the normal air passage through the throat.
Obstruction in the nasal passage can also inhibit the movement of air from nose to lungs- If the person has stuffy nose, he is encouraged to breathe extra hard which then creates the vacuum in the throat. The parts that dangle loosely in this section of the respiratory tract are then subject to excessive movements. While a person doesn't normally snore, the possibility that he would during hay fever season is high. Thus, many reports of snoring only when they have colds.
Problems with the nose construction- The nasal septum, the underlying bone of the nosal bridge that separates one nostril from the other, can also have deformities that may cause obstruction in the air flow.
Mouth breathing can also directly result to snores- Once the jaws drop during our sleep, a space will be created that would allow the tongue to fall back towards the throat. Again, this would create the obstruction that will encourage vibration, thus creating snores.
Having said all these, we then suggest that cures can be initiated when any of these results are directly counter acted.
Say for the excess tissues in the throat, the best possible cure is to remove the tissues that cause the blockage. This can be done through surgeries or through loosing weight.
There are many techniques used to surgically eliminate unwanted tissues. Some actually scrape these tissues while other allow electrically-induced disintegration of such muscles which will then be reabsorbed by the body. As for weight loss, there are also various methods of loosing pounds. Only, the person has to follow a comprehensive exercise or diet plan that will best fit his condition. Surgery is also used when the main cause of snoring is deviated nasal septum. This choice of cure will of course require careful examination and determined decision.
Mouth breathing, on the other hand, is best cured by shifting to nasal breathing. Many exercises had been devised to actualize this as much as there are a number of stop snoring devices that encourage the shift of breathing.
Problems on nasal passage are a bit less complicated to resolve. There are various stop snoring aids that aim to maximize the size of the nostrils through the use of clips and straps to facilitate better breathing.
The sounds of snoring are possible since there are collapsible parts at the back of our mouth that relaxes when we sleep. Once these are at their relaxed states, the air flow will drive them to flip since they are dangling loose nearest to the throat. These structures will then strike each other as air passes which then cause them to vibrate and create sounds.
Persons bothered by this condition are affected by one of these following causes:
Excess fleshy structure in the throat- With more tissues that collide, it is more likely that snoring can occur. This explains why people snore when they have abnormal tonsils or adenoids. Overweight individuals, on the other hand, have larger necks that narrow the air passage while adding more obstructions due to the presence of excess tissues. Although rare, cysts and tumors can also directly cause snoring.
Some people have extra long uvula and soft palate. These muscles can dangle as a person breathes. These act as flutter valves that impede the normal air passage through the throat.
Obstruction in the nasal passage can also inhibit the movement of air from nose to lungs- If the person has stuffy nose, he is encouraged to breathe extra hard which then creates the vacuum in the throat. The parts that dangle loosely in this section of the respiratory tract are then subject to excessive movements. While a person doesn't normally snore, the possibility that he would during hay fever season is high. Thus, many reports of snoring only when they have colds.
Problems with the nose construction- The nasal septum, the underlying bone of the nosal bridge that separates one nostril from the other, can also have deformities that may cause obstruction in the air flow.
Mouth breathing can also directly result to snores- Once the jaws drop during our sleep, a space will be created that would allow the tongue to fall back towards the throat. Again, this would create the obstruction that will encourage vibration, thus creating snores.
Having said all these, we then suggest that cures can be initiated when any of these results are directly counter acted.
Say for the excess tissues in the throat, the best possible cure is to remove the tissues that cause the blockage. This can be done through surgeries or through loosing weight.
There are many techniques used to surgically eliminate unwanted tissues. Some actually scrape these tissues while other allow electrically-induced disintegration of such muscles which will then be reabsorbed by the body. As for weight loss, there are also various methods of loosing pounds. Only, the person has to follow a comprehensive exercise or diet plan that will best fit his condition. Surgery is also used when the main cause of snoring is deviated nasal septum. This choice of cure will of course require careful examination and determined decision.
Mouth breathing, on the other hand, is best cured by shifting to nasal breathing. Many exercises had been devised to actualize this as much as there are a number of stop snoring devices that encourage the shift of breathing.
Problems on nasal passage are a bit less complicated to resolve. There are various stop snoring aids that aim to maximize the size of the nostrils through the use of clips and straps to facilitate better breathing.
Top Anti Snoring Devices You Can Avail
by Tatya H.P.
Hearing a person who snores can be amusing, it can even be funny. But if you are living with someone who snores, a relative or a family member perhaps, then the sound might become very disturbing. If you cannot get a good night sleep and always wake up several times in the middle of the night by a sound that can be as loud as a lawnmower or a jet engine in action, then you should be thinking of anti snoring devices as a solution to the problem.
Here are popular anti snoring devices you can buy for your family member and stop him from disturbing your sleep:
• Anti snoring pillow
One of the reasons why people snore is because they have an improper sleeping position. This causes the air passage to stretch and tighten making it more difficult for air to come in and out. To solve this, there are anti snoring pillows that relax your airways and maintain the right sleeping position to prevent a person from snoring throughout the night.
• Throat spray
One natural remedy to stop snoring is the snoring spray. Formulated with natural ingredients, snoring spray contains essential oils that when sprayed on the throat, provide a lubrication that reduces that amount of vibration, hence effectively reduce snoring. However, it is ironic that when throat spray is used frequently, it can lead to more snoring.
Before using throat spray, the doctor's evaluation on the patient is necessary to avoid any other complication.
• Nasal dilators
Usually made of stainless steel coil or plastic, nasal dilators help keep the air passage open which cut down the throat's vibration which leads to snoring. Nasal dilators are used by inserting it into the nostrils.
• Nasal strips
Like nasal dilators, nasal strips are used to open the airways on the nose and keep the right amount of airflow during sleep. Nasal strips are often made of plastic. This is one of the more popular anti snoring devices since it is cheap, safe, and effective. In fact, nasal strips are used by athletes for better airflow and respiratory efficiency while playing.
• Sleep Position Monitor
This device emits a beeping noise to alert the snorer when he shifts to a position where snoring usually occur (sleeping on their back). However, if you are a relative of a snorer and would want his snoring to stop, then this device may become a whole new problem. But, the aim of this device is not to replace the snorer from keeping you a wake in the middle of the night. Instead, it is there to create a brand new sleeping habit.
Once the snorer starts to sleep on his side, the sleep position monitor can be removed.
• Snore ball
Snore ball is placed at the back of the snorer (inside his pajama). When he changes his sleeping position from side to back, the snore ball emits discomfort, a.k.a. pain. In other words, it prevents the snorer from sleeping on his back. It might not be the device a person wants to feel in the middle of the night but some really need it in order to change his sleeping position for good. Some people use golf balls, baseballs or tennis balls as snore balls.
All these anti snoring devices can prevent a person from snoring, however, snoring can be caused by other medical condition that may need medical attention. To be safe, have your relative or family member be checked by a doctor to know exactly what treatment does he need.
Hearing a person who snores can be amusing, it can even be funny. But if you are living with someone who snores, a relative or a family member perhaps, then the sound might become very disturbing. If you cannot get a good night sleep and always wake up several times in the middle of the night by a sound that can be as loud as a lawnmower or a jet engine in action, then you should be thinking of anti snoring devices as a solution to the problem.
Here are popular anti snoring devices you can buy for your family member and stop him from disturbing your sleep:
• Anti snoring pillow
One of the reasons why people snore is because they have an improper sleeping position. This causes the air passage to stretch and tighten making it more difficult for air to come in and out. To solve this, there are anti snoring pillows that relax your airways and maintain the right sleeping position to prevent a person from snoring throughout the night.
• Throat spray
One natural remedy to stop snoring is the snoring spray. Formulated with natural ingredients, snoring spray contains essential oils that when sprayed on the throat, provide a lubrication that reduces that amount of vibration, hence effectively reduce snoring. However, it is ironic that when throat spray is used frequently, it can lead to more snoring.
Before using throat spray, the doctor's evaluation on the patient is necessary to avoid any other complication.
• Nasal dilators
Usually made of stainless steel coil or plastic, nasal dilators help keep the air passage open which cut down the throat's vibration which leads to snoring. Nasal dilators are used by inserting it into the nostrils.
• Nasal strips
Like nasal dilators, nasal strips are used to open the airways on the nose and keep the right amount of airflow during sleep. Nasal strips are often made of plastic. This is one of the more popular anti snoring devices since it is cheap, safe, and effective. In fact, nasal strips are used by athletes for better airflow and respiratory efficiency while playing.
• Sleep Position Monitor
This device emits a beeping noise to alert the snorer when he shifts to a position where snoring usually occur (sleeping on their back). However, if you are a relative of a snorer and would want his snoring to stop, then this device may become a whole new problem. But, the aim of this device is not to replace the snorer from keeping you a wake in the middle of the night. Instead, it is there to create a brand new sleeping habit.
Once the snorer starts to sleep on his side, the sleep position monitor can be removed.
• Snore ball
Snore ball is placed at the back of the snorer (inside his pajama). When he changes his sleeping position from side to back, the snore ball emits discomfort, a.k.a. pain. In other words, it prevents the snorer from sleeping on his back. It might not be the device a person wants to feel in the middle of the night but some really need it in order to change his sleeping position for good. Some people use golf balls, baseballs or tennis balls as snore balls.
All these anti snoring devices can prevent a person from snoring, however, snoring can be caused by other medical condition that may need medical attention. To be safe, have your relative or family member be checked by a doctor to know exactly what treatment does he need.
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