We grew up hearing our folks snoring off and found it pretty funny and irritating at the same time. Normally, the person who snores is completely unaware, whereas the person who bears to hear it knows how irritating it is. We often don’t think about snoring as an issue, but it is indeed a genuine health problem faced by every second person we know.
If statistics are to be believed then as much as 30% percent of people aged above thirty are prone to snoring and there is a 10% extra rise when people reach middle age, with women contributing up to one-third of those snorers.
Is snoring that funny or is it serious health issue?
Snoring is a sleeping disorder which is widely known in the medical arena as an Obstructive Sleep Apnea- OSA – it is a sleep disorder that occurs due to the collapse of the airway in the throat during sleep and causes loud snoring coupled with periodic pauses in breathing. It has been linked with cardiovascular disease and a host of other health problems.
Common causes which trigger snoring
There are some common reasons behind snoring which are given least importance to:
- Age plays a factor when it comes to snoring. When in middle age, the throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in the throat decreases.
- The built up of both men and women are different. Men have narrower air passages than that of a women, and thus, men are more likely to snore.
- Hereditary physical attributes sometimes contribute to snoring like a narrow throat, cleft palate, or enlarged adenoids.
- Allergies and weight gain also contribute to snoring
- Drinking alcohol and taking sedatives before going to bed also adds to the snoring problem as it reduces resting tone of the muscles in the back of the throat, making individuals more prone to snoring. Studies suggest that reducing consumption of alcohol and sedatives 4-5 hours prior to bed could reduce snoring episodes.
Tackling Snoring
Following up with some quick steps and shuffling day-to-day habits can help in controlling this sleep disorder. Here are 5 tips that might come in handy:
- Changing the Sleeping Position: Sleeping on the side might help in getting some relief as lying on the back makes the throat muscles relax and this may block the airways thereby creating a vibrating sound during sleep. Lying back with a pillow adjusting the whole body length can be a great fix as it prevents the body from relaxing back to the laid back position. Even a slight elevation of the upper body makes it easier to breathe which in turn puts off the pressure from the airway.
- Dropping a Few Pounds: Getting away with some weight might be beneficial to this disorder, provided if the snoring has started after gaining those pounds. Losing some from the neck area might be useful as gaining weight in that area squeezes the internal diameter of the throat and places pressure on the chest thereby hindering the smooth passage of air and thus causing an increase in snoring. Obesity triggers Sleep Apnea problems.
- Keeping a check on Diet: monitoring diet for some weeks might be helpful. A close scrutiny on the intake of food in terms of what to take and what not to consume may prove to be a boon. A bit of help from your bed partner or roommate will be helpful. Ask them to rate you on the scale of 1-10 after you start supervising your diet. That way it will be much easier to understand whether certain food consumption is the culprit.
- Avoiding addictions like alcohol, smoke or sedatives before bed: Preventing consumption of alcohol and sedatives before moving to bed will prove useful as this intoxication reduces the resting tone of the muscles in the back of the throat making it more prone to snore. Whereas, smoking prior bed irritates the membrane of the nose and throat, which results in snoring.
- External help: There are many such external devices and procedures which might help in tackling snoring like anti-snoring devices, surgery and medication. All of these possible external remedies to snoring might help in curing this health problem.
It must be noted that snoring may be the result of different problems occurring in an individual’s body. Understanding the problem and then finding out the required remedy is important. For example, if a person has sleep apnea because of his or her being obese then changing sleeping position won’t come to any help. And if the possible handy tactics don’t show any positive results, then it is always advised to consult a physician right away as ignoring such a problem might turn life-threatening in the long run.
No comments:
Post a Comment