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 evaluation of doctor 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.
For a mother, nothing can be sweeter than to hear her child’s mumbling gentle sounds in his/her sleep, but if the sound is the minor version of the adults’ snores, it might mean something else.
Take note of this, for infants and children, snoring will always be a strange and deadly predicament. Usually, the typical causes of this are sinusitis or adenoid enlargement. Sinusitis can be cured by simple decongestants and antibiotics. Adenoid enlargement meanwhile will require surgery, wherein the tonsils and adenoids will be removed.
Snoring for children on the other hand, can possibly be an indication of obstructive sleep apnea, where breathing stops for 60 seconds at most, and usually followed with a snort or gasp. And the truth is that sleep apnea is more delicate for children than for adults, parents should really pay attention to the possible sleeping disorder of their kids.
The common effect of snoring for young children is that they could possibly suffer from nighttime and cough asthma. So if adults are recommended not to disregard their snoring, then how much more for children.
There are also findings which claims that when a child in middle school shows lower academic performance, they are more likely snoring during this period.
All of these presented facts are enough to convince the parents to take the necessary actions the moment their children show such symptoms.
However, do not panic when such a situation happens. You can consult a physician first to ensure if the child has caught an illness related to snoring already. Meanwhile, if your child produces mild snoring, which is affected by certain allergy or illness, experts states that it can possibly be treated at home. More likely, the way you treat your cold.
The following are suggested methods:
• Saltwater, this is good to eradicate the blockage problems caused by the mucus. Though saltwater nasal drops are available in drugstores, however, one can do a formula at home. Just melt ¼ teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water. Sterilize the water by boiling it. You can place it in a nose dropper as soon as it cools down.
• You can also try to take oral decongestant intended for children. According to some doctors, decongestants doesn’t actually cure an allergy or cold, but it relieves the symptoms. It may reduce the snoring since it helps the children enhance their breathing. When using this medication, be sure to have the right dosage for the child’s age.
• Avoid products that include antihistamines, this can trigger snoring since this is identified to be a sedating medicine. Sedating medicines cut down the muscle tone of the throat’s tissues since it tends to relax muscles and nerves, when the muscle tone falls down, the tendency is that it will trigger snoring.
• Observe your child as he sleeps, then seek for the best position where he can keep his airway open, through this he will be able to breathe comfortably. M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Lucinda Halstead, said that there are some children who are comfortable in lying on their sides while their heads support a little on the headrest.
Keeping your children safe is one of your priorities as a parent. Taking the time out to observe them now would greatly diminish the chances of having bigger problems in the future.
It is undeniable that snoring actually causes major problems, if not in general health then maybe with relationships. There is no wonder then why too many people want to quit snoring. Add to it the fact that everyone deserves some rest after a day of tiring work.
The sad part though is that snoring is not a voluntary act. Most snorers are not even aware that they snore unless someone tells them so. And they can either control muscles from dangling or initiate the actual snoring.
It is quite hard to isolate the actual causes of snoring from the contributing factors. Nevertheless, there are various methods of knowing which are the culprits. In the medical community, it is well known that knowledge of the causes can drive the cure to arise. Thus, it is crucial that one is able to pinpoint which among the factors aggravates the condition.
Once any root cause is properly identified, it would now be easier to find a cure that will leave everyone worry-free. By then, it would be much easier to quit snoring, it may take lots of trials and investigations though.
It all stream down from self-realization. Knowing yourself can create ways to eliminate the factors that help result to the problem. Thus, if you know that you are presently subjected to specific stimuli that create the channel for the causes then you will be able to find some ways to get around the stimulant.
Say, if you are a smoker, you are likely at a higher risk towards snoring. Smoking has been associated with too many conditions that are not only considered generally threatening but fatal. While snoring may not be a life- threatening condition, it still can affect various aspects of lifestyles that can deprive you of specific pleasures.
When a person smokes, the substance and the smoke itself cause the cells of the esophagus to react. Once this occurs, the chain reaction would result to the development of excess mucus to help the lining of the esophagus adopt to the new and harsher condition. Thus, when there are unwanted substances in the air passage, these may cause the obstruction, which then helps in the aggravation of snoring.
If this seems to be your problem, you can easily find your way out from snoring once you begin to quit smoking.
The case is different though with drinking alcohol right before bed time. Alcohol is known to induce relaxation. The fact is, once the muscles in the throat are overly relaxed, they tend to fall back from their positions towards the spaces in the throat that may obstruct the normal passage of air
Overweight individuals are also more susceptible to snoring than most individuals. It has been observed that the bigger one gets, the more likely he is to produce the annoying sounds during the night. This condition is not exactly because the person is obese but because if one is heavier then he must have more tissues lining in his neck.
These can potentially cause the problems that lead to snoring since more tissues can obstruct normal breathing.
Some people, on the other hand, suffer from various forms of allergies that can eventually lead to snores.
There are other possibilities as to what might actually cause your snores. You just have to find ways to know them. Your physician can be the best source of help as well as consultation and evaluation properly given by an otolaryngologist, a specialist in problems concerning the throat, mouth and the nose.
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.
The most often question raised to any condition is – can it be cured? Well, that actually depends on the nature of the disease, disorder, or syndrome and what knowledge do the medical and scientific communities have with regards to the problem.
Luckily, snoring is not much of a difficult condition to treat. The nature of which is also well-known that most consider it normal. So normal that many tend not to get bothered of its effects, especially when mild.
Treatments for snoring depend on the diagnosis gathered. While snoring may appear to have no types, it must be understood that there are certain kinds of snoring that excessively disrupts sleep and there are those that do not cause any harm at all.
Examination of the physiology and anatomy of the throat and the underlying tissues will reveal where the problems root. Usually, snoring stems from loose muscles that flaps back and forth when air runs through the throat. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, snoring can also be due to allergies, deformities, infections and abnormal enlargement of adenoids and tonsils. All of which, if carefully examined, will lead us back to the obstruction of air passage.
Normally, prevention of the main causes can treat snoring. This includes abstinence from smoking, drinking alcohol and other relaxants, and maintenance of an ideal weight. All these have adverse effects not only on the body but can directly cause loose muscles to vibrate abnormally.
Treatments to stop snoring can include lifestyle-changing habits, use of stop snoring aids and more intensive surgeries. The choice is normally set for the snorer to take, depending on the aggravation of the condition.
As we have mentioned earlier, simple measures can contribute largely to the treatment of the condition. Stop snoring aids, on the other hand, would require patience to find what fits for you.
The market offers a great variety of snoring aids including nasal breathing devices, adjustable beds, oral and dental appliances and pressurized masks.
Nasal breathing devices normally aim to keep your nasal passages open or your jaws from dropping. You may find nasal strips, nasal clips, chin up strips and chin straps under this category. These products normally require you to breathe using your nose rather than your mouth since mouth breathing typically ends up to snoring. It has been observed that a switch from mouth to nasal breathing can eliminate a number of snoring types.
Mouth pieces or oral devices aim to position the tongue away from blocking the air passage. You should seek dental specialist if you are considering the use of such devices as solutions to nighttime dilemma.
Surgery, on the other hand, is an irreversible decision. Therefore, you should be careful if you truly are considering this option. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP is known to be the traditional method of trimming excess tissues in the throat. A more modern approach uses laser thus the name Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP.
Removal of unnecessary tissues in the throat enlarges the air passage which helps reduce the collapse of the muscles.
Approaches to be used in line with your condition vary according to your personal preference and the immediate need to cure your condition. It is best to seek medical help first or get yourself educated with your options before running under the knife or strapping your mouth with some device.