Which Cures Are Most Effective To Stop Snoring?
Snoring is a fairly common problem, affecting about 55 million men and women in the United States. Elderly or overweight persons are particularly prone to snore. One in 15 adults in America suffers from moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and many cases are most likely undiagnosed.
Why Do We Snore?
Medically, snoring is a result of a obstructed airway when you lay down, forcing our lungs to inhale harder to make up for the lack of air. During this process, the collapsible parts of our airway, the soft palate and the uvula start vibrating, causing the dreaded snoring sound. The blockage of a person’s airways can have many different reasons. It may be the tongue falling backwards into the airway, because the muscles are too relaxed (for example after alcohol consumption), a narrowed airway due to excess soft tissue in the neck (common in overweight persons), or a stuffy nose due to an allergy or cold – or one of many, many other reasons. For some snorers, there may be even several causes involved, and some may even need immediate medical attention.
How Do I Stop Snoring?
Snoring is a sleep disorder that may have social and medical consequences if not treated. For each cause of snoring there is a different cure, and successful treatment depends on your diagnosis. The good news is, there is a solution for almost every snoring problem!
Most snorers tend to take a ‘hit and miss’ trying to find a solution to stop their snoring – with the inevitable disappointing results. If you identify first what causes your snoring, you are more likely to find a treatment that will work for you.
Do over-the-counter devices work?
The American Academy of Otolaryngology puts it this way: “While a person may find a product that works for him or her, underlying poor sleep quality may remain.” This confirms how important it is to find and treat the source of your snoring. Snorers who have tried and reviewed different snoring aids at Amazon.com
What Causes Your Snoring?
Finding out which type of snorer you are is the key to stopping your snoring. Identify the cause of your snoring and take the recommended steps to cure it:
Are You A Mouth Snorer?
Open your mouth and make a snoring sound. Now close your mouth and try to make the same noise. If you can only snore with your mouth open then you are a ‘mouth breather’. The consequences of breathing through your mouth while you sleep are not only snoring, but often also a dry mouth, bad breath, all of which are undesirable and unpleasant for others.
Anti-snoring aids that promote breathing through your nose by effectively blocking air intake through your mouth are the best devices for mouth snorers:
Are You A Nose Snorer?
Slightly press your finger on your left nostril to keep it closed. With your mouth shut, breathe through your right nostril. If the right nostril tends to collapse, slightly prop it open with the tip of your pinkie. Now test your other nostril.
If breathing is easier with a nostril propped open, nasal dilators or nasal strips may solve your snoring problem.
Best Snoring Treatment For Nose Snorers:
Are You A Tongue Snorer?
Stick out your tongue and grip it between your teeth. Now try to make a snoring sound. If the sound is reduced with your tongue in this position then you are probably what is known as a ‘tongue base snorer’.
The appropriate control for this type of snoring is a jaw supporter or chin strap.
Snoring Cures:
Talk To Your Doctor!
Talk to your ENT doctor about your snoring problem. While snoring by itself is common and usually just annoying, you need to make sure that it’s not a severe airflow blockage that prevents you from getting quality sleep at night. This so called sleep apnea may become dangerous if you leave it untreated. You can consult an ENT specialist or your dentist. ENT specialists will help you with problems in your nose and throat. Your dentist may be able to prescribe you snoring devices like a snoring mouthpiece that will help you stop snoring.
May I Need Snoring Surgery?
If you seem to have tried everything but nothing works then maybe your only option is to get a surgical procedure to cure your snoring issues. In case of a snoring surgery, doctors remove the extra tissue from the airways. The surgeon will remove tissue from inside the nose or from back of your throat like tonsils or excess tissues.
