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The loud rough rattling noise that you make in the night while sleeping by vibration of the soft palate (the back of the roof of the mouth) and the uvula (the prominent structure dangling down at the back of the mouth) is termed Snoring.
On inspiration, air on its way to the lungs travels by the tongue, the soft palate, the uvula, and the tonsils. When you are awake, the muscles in the back of the throat tighten to hold these structures in place and prevent them from collapsing and vibrating in the airway. During sleep, the soft palate and uvula may vibrate causing the sounds of snoring. Snoring is believed to occur in anywhere from 30% of women to over 40% of men.
Snoring is primarily a symptom of Sleep Apnea. When loud snoring is interrupted by frequent episodes of totally obstructed breathing, it is known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Snoring Cures depend on the diagnosis. Snoring can be cured by various treatments now offered by many otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeons. There are surgical as well as non surgical methods available to cure snoring.
Causes of Snoring: Studies have found that some causes of snoring are:
Heredity: You can inherit a narrow throat, which can cause snoring.
Being overweight: Excess weight and fatty tissue in the neck cause the throat to become smaller.
Being middle-aged or beyond: As you age, your throat become narrower, and the muscle tone in the throat decreases.
Being male: Men have narrower air passages than do women and are more likely to snore.
A history of smoking: If you have been smoking since long, it can cause snoring.
Lack of fitness: Poor muscle tone and lax muscles contribute to snoring.
Nasal deformities, such as a deviated septum, cause obstructed breathing.
Enlarged adenoids or tonsils cause obstruction and additional vibration during breathing.
A long soft-palate or uvula dangles and can cause fluttery noises during relaxed breathing.
Alcohol or medications (sleeping pills or antihistamines) increase relaxation of the throat and tongue muscles, which make snoring more likely.
Allergies, asthma, a cold, or sinus infections block nasal airways and make inhalation difficult. This creates a vacuum in the throat, and noisy breathing.
Sleeping on one's back and on overly soft pillows: If you are moderate snorers, you would tend to snore only when sleeping on your back.
Cures for Snoring: Snoring can be cut down drastically by some treatment methods. Most common methods are:
- Loose weight.
- Avoid alcohol
- Use Nasal Dilator strips (e.g., Breathe-rite strips)
- Use dental appliances to prevent tongue from falling back
- Surgery (e.g., correction of a deviated septum)
- Palatoplasty -- stiffening of the palate using surgery or injection
- Use CPAP mask (a device you wear on the nose while sleeping to decrease snoring and sleep apnea).
- Adjust your sleeping position that might alleviate snoring. Pillows increase the angle of the neck and can contribute to obstruction of the airway, which causes snoring.
Natural remedy to cure snoring: If you suffer from mild or occasional snoring, you should try the following self-help remedies:
Adopt a healthy and athletic lifestyle to develop good muscle tone and lose weight.
Avoid tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines before bedtime.
Avoid alcohol for at least four hours and heavy meals or snacks for three hours before retiring.
Establish regular sleeping patterns
Sleep on your side rather than your back.
Cure for snoring in case of Sleep Apnea (OSA: Obstructive Sleep Apnea):
Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty, Genioglossus ,Hyod Advancement , Mandibular Myotomy are some extremely popular surgical methods of curing snoring caused due to OSA.
Snoring is a sign that there is some problem in the respiratory passage and hence it should not be overlooked as an old age symptom or common occurrence, it could be a serious disease also. There lots of remedies but there is no best one. It’s just that you need to try different methods and see what suits you best.
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