If I snore a lot, what should I do to stop suffering from it?

The cause of increased sleepiness, irritability, and bad mood during the daytime may be snoring, which prevents you from getting a good night's sleep. Moreover, such changes are experienced not only by the snorer himself, but also by close people. According to statistics, snoring constantly or periodically bothers more than half of the world's population. Therefore, the question of what to do if a person snores is not uncommon on thematic forums on the Internet. It is quite possible to help normalize night sleep, but to do this, you need to know exactly the main reasons for the appearance of booming sounds.

Causes of severe snoring

1. Incorrect sleeping position. Snoring often occurs if a person sleeps on his back. This position promotes hyperventilation of the lungs. To solve this problem, just turn the sleeping person on his side.
2. Obesity. Excess soft tissue in the throat area creates a barrier to the passage of air through it. The solution to this issue will only be getting rid of excess weight.
3. Alcohol consumption. Alcohol has a relaxing effect on the throat muscles. Snoring in this case is inevitable. Solution to the problem: stop drinking alcohol in the evening.
4. Structural features: Narrow airways, a long tongue, a deviated nasal septum or soft palate can cause snoring. Emphasizes estet-portal.com. The solution to the problem: surgery, which can remove excess soft tissue from the mouth and throat.
5. The presence of diseases of various origins. The most serious of all reasons, requiring immediate medical attention.

Why is it important to get rid of this habit in a timely manner?

Snoring is a phenomenon that often causes harm to health.

For example, a snorer’s airways may become stuck together, causing the person to start breathing through the mouth, and this is not always good: firstly, in this case, the larynx can dry out, and, secondly, the air will enter the lungs unpurified, which will certainly affect their work.

Also, if left untreated, temporary or permanent cessation of breathing during sleep may occur. This occurs because the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract closes, blocking the passage of air into the lungs. If a person turns over on his side at this time, the pathways will open and he will begin to breathe again. But still, even temporary interruptions in the oxygen supply have a negative impact on human health, especially a child, so if this phenomenon is detected, something needs to be done urgently and appropriate measures must be taken.

Symptoms accompanying heavy snoring

Snoring can be both a consequence and a harbinger of some diseases, by listening to which you can diagnose:

• colds or allergies, which are accompanied by swelling of the nasal mucosa;
• tonsillitis or adenoids;
• infectious mononucleosis;
• obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA);
• benign or malignant tumors.

Therefore, if this trouble accompanies you for a long time, you should not leave everything to chance, but should contact an experienced specialist.

Does lifestyle affect snoring?

Undoubtedly, a person’s health status depends on a person’s lifestyle. Doctors recommend following only a healthy lifestyle according to the following rules:

• giving up bad habits (smoking, alcoholic drinks or drugs);
• physical activity (staying in the fresh air, maintaining mobility);
• balanced diet;
• work and rest schedule (refusal to overload);
• maintaining immunity;
• compliance with personal hygiene rules;
• sleep in a comfortable position (on your side);
• balance of psycho-emotional background;
• timely treatment of any diseases (allergies, ENT diseases, viruses and infections).

Only if a person follows all the specified points of a healthy lifestyle can the development of snoring be prevented and even its initial form cured.

Apnea: severe snoring during sleep as a harbinger of stroke

But most often, snoring indicates obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (SAS - from the English "Sleep apnea syndrome"). It is not difficult to recognize this illness: a person snoring in his sleep suddenly freezes for several minutes, and then begins to make sounds with an even greater whistle. The reason for this is the adhesion of the muscles of the oral cavity and pharynx, which leads to cessation of breathing or so-called apnea. If we take into account that up to 500 breathing stops are recorded per night, each of which lasts at least 10 seconds, it turns out that a person’s breathing is interrupted for up to two hours or more during the night.

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

The main symptoms of obstructive apnea include:

• heavy snoring;
• interrupted breathing during sleep:
• high pressure;
• lethargy and drowsiness during the day;
• forgetfulness, irritability, low concentration;
• neck circumference for women is more than 40 cm and for men - 43 cm.

The insidiousness of apnea is that it causes complications of the cardiovascular system. Most of these patients suffer from high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Apnea can be dealt with. To do this, special devices are used that supply air under pressure into a person’s respiratory tract during sleep.

What you can do on your own to stop snoring

Medication therapy and surgical treatment do not always help to completely get rid of snoring. But there are methods and methods that can improve breathing during sleep or reduce the likelihood of episodes of apnea (stopping breathing), in which the development of severe complications will not be long in coming.

The following ways can help a snorer:

• Improving sleep quality;
• Use of special devices;
• Physiotherapy;
• Traditional therapy.

It is better to use them all together, then the result of the fight against snoring will be obvious.

Improving sleep quality

If your loved one and you suffer from snoring, you should take care to improve the quality of your night's rest. Snoring is less of a concern if the following conditions are met:

1. The bedroom should have cool and sufficiently humidified air at night. Therefore, before going to bed, the room must be ventilated; the temperature should be at 18-20 degrees Celsius. Special devices help humidify the air during the heating season and in dry weather.
2. It is necessary to choose a high-quality orthopedic mattress and pillow for sleeping. Their use allows you to correctly position your head, neck and body during sleep, which reduces the likelihood of problems with the passage of air flow.
3. It is better for a snorer to sleep on the side, since the soft tissues of the throat sink more on the back. To avoid turning over in your sleep, you can attach a clothespin to the back of your pajamas or put a tennis ball in a specially attached pocket.
4. You need to eat no later than 2 hours before bedtime; in the evening hours you should also avoid drinking alcoholic beverages.
5. In the evening, it is advisable to walk longer in the fresh air.

When snoring, in most cases, the spouses of the person suffering from the problem do not get enough sleep. So that their quality of life does not suffer, it is advisable not to sleep with a snorer in the same bed or even room; for some, high-quality earplugs help.

Anti-snoring devices

The problem of rhonchopathy affects millions of people around the world, so it is not surprising that the pharmaceutical market offers several types of various devices that help normalize breathing during sleep. These are intraoral devices and nasal devices, electronic pulse devices, and complex devices. They usually help if they are chosen correctly for the snorer, that is, taking into account the cause of the pathology and the structure of the nasopharynx. Therefore, when deciding to purchase them, it is advisable to first consult with a qualified otolaryngologist.

Intraoral devices

Intraoral devices are inserts similar in shape to the mouth guards used by boxers. Depending on the design, such devices either push the jaw forward or help create a correct bite in the supine position.

Types of intraoral anti-snoring devices:

• Simple mouthguards made of silicone. They are freely sold in pharmacies, but are not entirely convenient to use. Silicone devices cannot be adjusted to individual characteristics in the structure of the jaw, which often leads to discomfort during sleep.
• Mouth guards, the design of which allows for their adjustment. This helps to choose the position of the mouthguard in which snoring stops and the person does not feel discomfort.
• Mouthguards made of thermolabile materials. They are considered the most comfortable to use. Before the first use, they must be soaked in hot water, then inserted into the mouth and bitten, thus creating a mouth guard modeled after the structural features of the jaw.

Intraoral devices made in the shape of a regular nipple are also produced. With the help of convex parts, soft tissues acquire an anatomically correct position in the oral cavity, and breathing occurs through the nose.

Intraoral anti-snoring devices are most effective if the lower jaw is underdeveloped from birth or is displaced backwards, and they also help if the problem is caused by a large tongue. But their use is useless if snoring is caused by pathologies that impair nasal breathing - polyps, sinusitis. They are also ineffective for obesity and serious diseases, which are the root cause of snoring.

Nose devices

This category of anti-snoring products includes strips and nasal dilators or otherwise clips:

1. Stripes. Fixed externally on the wings of the nose, their use ensures the expansion of the nasal passages, as a result of which nasal breathing becomes easier. Expansion occurs due to the spring elements that make up the base of the sticker. Strips from some manufacturers additionally contain essential oils, which is suitable for the treatment of acute and chronic runny nose. Anti-snoring stickers on the nose help to cope with the problem if it is caused by a deviated nasal septum, tumors, or swelling of the walls. The pharmacy sells Snoring Ex, Breeze Rait, Nose Plaster strips.
2. Nasal dilators (clips). They are inserted into the nasal passages, which allows them to expand. The internal parts of the device are most often made of soft silicone, but there are also clips with magnetic inserts. Modern devices are practically invisible and in most cases do not cause any unpleasant sensations.

Electronic alarm clock

The design of the electronic device includes a microphone and a sound analyzer capable of detecting snoring. Typically, such devices are attached to the wrist and are shaped like a wristwatch. As soon as the sleeper begins to make vibrating sounds, the device sends a current discharge, forcing him to wake up.

An electronic alarm clock is suitable for situations where snoring is accompanied by prolonged pauses in breathing during sleep. Unfortunately, such a device does not solve the main problem, but only forces you to change your body position. With prolonged use, chronic lack of sleep occurs, leading to serious pathologies. Therefore, it is recommended to use it simultaneously with other methods of treating snoring.

Cipap

The term Sipap refers to a special technique, the principle of which is based on creating a certain pressure in the respiratory tract. This allows the soft tissues and muscles of the nasopharynx to be maintained in a normal position, that is, the main factor that causes snoring is eliminated.

CPAP therapy is carried out using a special device consisting of a compressor (pumps air), a face mask and a tube through which air is supplied.

The device can be used independently; its operation is silent, so it does not interfere with sleep. CPAP therapy is considered the best option for preventing sleep apnea. This technique is often recommended if snoring is accompanied by prolonged and frequently recurring episodes of apnea.

The CPAP technique for severe forms of rhonchopathy prevents:

• Problems with the cardiovascular system. Normalizing breathing with the help of the device reduces the risk of developing heart attacks and strokes;
• The appearance of chronic lack of sleep;
• Deterioration in physical and intellectual performance.

CPAP therapy is used not only for snoring. Its purpose is indicated for psycho-emotional stress, problems with sexual function, chronic fatigue, and heart rhythm disturbances.

Methods of control and preventive measures against severe snoring

There are several methods to combat severe snoring. They are applied depending on what causes it:

• Surgery: Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty allows you to adjust the soft tissues of the mouth and throat so that they do not block the airways. Laser surgery and somnoplasty are more expensive procedures. In the first case, a laser is used, in the second - radio waves.
• Anti-snoring strips help widen the wings of the nose, which makes it easier for air to pass through.
• Special devices for the nasopharynx or mouth are selected by the doctor after determining the cause of snoring.
• Buteyko method. It is based on the harmonization of breathing function, which allows you to achieve good results.
• Exercises. Special exercises strengthen the muscles of the nasopharynx:

1. Move your jaw back and forth, up to 30 times.
2. Pronounce the vowel “and” while tensing the muscles of the nasopharynx and neck.
3. Stick your tongue out as far as possible until you feel tension in the muscles at its base. After this, try to stick your tongue as far into your throat as possible. Perform each exercise 30 times.

Preventative measures to prevent severe snoring

To avoid disturbing your bunkmate’s sleep at night, you can take the following measures:

• in the evening, before going to bed, clear your nasopharynx with saline solution or vasoconstrictor drops. Gargle with it to reduce swelling;
• sleep on your side with your head on the pillow;
• give up alcohol in the evening;
• do not overeat before bedtime;
• Avoid taking sedatives and antihistamines before bed.

And most importantly, consult a doctor in time. The appearance of snoring indicates serious health problems, the solution of which requires special medical care.

After all, snoring can not only destroy a happy family, but also stop the heart. And this cannot be allowed under any circumstances, agrees estet-portal.com.

Medicine

Most likely, only a few men want to be cured of snoring through surgery. And you should agree to it only as a last resort. If folk remedies, lifestyle changes and gymnastics do not produce results, you will have to see a specialist. He will help identify the cause of snoring and prescribe medications that are very likely to help get rid of the ailment.