Snore Relief And Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Snoring occurs because of the vibrations of tissues against each other in the back of the nose and mouth. These tissues block the airway and consist of the soft palate, the uvula, the tonsils, the throat or the adenoids. Snoring occurs during sleep because deep sleep is what cause the relaxation of the throat muscles. This will partially closes the airway. This narrowing of the airway obstructs the air flow, which causes the snoring.

According to the National Institutes of Health, 12 million Americans have OSA obstructive sleep apnea and it is as common as diabetes. OSA sufferers can have as many as 20 to 30 involuntary breathing pauses per hour during sleep. If you couldn’t figure it out that is a lot. This occurs because the throat muscles and tongue relax and obstruct the opening of the airway.

There are two types of snoring - primary snoring and snoring indicative of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If you are a snorer, you can conduct a sleep study called a polysomnogram, to determine which type of snoring you suffer from one of the two types of snoring, primary snoring, which is also called simple or basic snoring, shouldn’t concern you all that much. A person will not suffer from any health problems or lose out on any sleep because of primary snoring. If you snore loudly or hear some snoring loudly this is a sign that they have primary snoring. Primary snoring results from various types of nasal passage blockages.

If you suffer from this type of condition you will have trouble staying awake during the day and have frequent headaches. If OSA is left untreated, you may have high blood pressure and increased risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart disease. 90% of OSA sufferers are undiagnosed sadly

The other type of snoring is more of a health concern and a doctor should be contacted. OSA can occasionally cause a complete blockage of the air passages for up to 10 seconds. The worst case scenario is death from suffocation. 

A narrower airway will cause louder noise because there will be more friction. There are many reasons why this occurs, e.g., you are in poor physical condition, you drink alcohol before bed, you smoke, you sleep on your back, you have bad eating habits, you take sleeping pills and antihistamines, you have a deviated septum and frequent cold’s and flu’s. There are many reasons that a person snores but also many ways to cure your snoring problem without resulting in surgery.

You should always look for way to cure your snoring problem before going to see the doctor. The doctor isn’t a free service you can to for every little concern. You should try all methods before going to the doctor. You can try sleeping on your side, nasal strips, chin straps, anti snoring pillow, attaching a tennis ball to your shirt to prevent you from rolling on your back. You can try simple breathing exercises to increase the level of your breathing.

Lastly, don’t give up if you are a snore. You can beat the snoring monster if you work at it often. Never give up because you feel it’s a burden you will just have to live with. If your partner begs and pleads with you every night to roll over and shut up, do it for them.