The causes of snoring are varied. Your weight, health, allergies, and even alcohol consumption can lead to snoring. However, it’s pretty simple in terms of your anatomy. According to the Mayo Clinic, the muscles in your mouth relax as you fall asleep. In some cases, they relax to a point where they partially block your airways, causing vibration as you breathe. The more complete the blockage, the louder the snore. If you wish to stop snoring for good, this article is for you.
Unsurprisingly, men are the most frequent offenders of a peaceful night’s sleep. A full 40% of adult men snore, compared to only 24% of women. It’s an annoying nighttime habit, but it’s overwhelmingly innocent. Let’s dig into the different possible causes of snoring so you can stop snoring tonight!
How to Identify Sleep Apnea
Although most instances of snoring can be easily explained away, recognizing sleep apnea could save your partner’s life. The American Sleep Apnea Association identifies this potentially dangerous sleep disorder as a condition that causes an “involuntary cessation of breathing” during sleep. Left untreated, patients with sleep apnea can stop breathing sometimes “hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.”
This condition is most common in men, primarily men of African or Hispanic descent, but affects a wide range of people, even children. The National Sleep Foundation estimates that more than 18 million Americans have some form of sleep apnea, so it is important to recognize the symptoms.
Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Among the easiest sleep apnea symptoms to identify is the cessation of breath. Unfortunately, these episodes rarely wake the person experiencing sleep apnea. Rather, it is more often than not the partner next to them that notices the pause in breathing. Those who sleep alone or with another heavy sleeper may need additional indicators.
Heavy, regular snoring is the most common sleep apnea symptom. In addition, those with sleep apnea tend to feel tired during the day, occasionally falling asleep during normal activities. It is this combination of reduced oxygen and exhaustion that makes sleep apnea a dangerous condition if ignored.
Patients left untreated are more likely to develop high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and memory loss. Weight gain and impotence are also common results, which can exacerbate the existing condition. Seek out sleep apnea treatment as soon as possible as it may stop snoring completely.
Taking steps to Stop Snoring
If it’s just a run-of-the-mill snoring problem, then there is still the question of how you can maximize your rest for yourself and anyone near you.
Here are a few, simple solutions you can try prior to seeking a sleep specialist in NYC:
- Switch up your position. Gravity is one of the primary causes of snoring when you sleep flat on your back. Try sleeping on your side. If that doesn’t work or you find yourself automatically adjusting back, try raising the head of your bed with an extra pillow to prevent gravity from allowing the relaxed muscles in your mouth and throat to obstruct your airways.
- Take better care of yourself. Unfortunately, obesity dramatically increases your chances of snoring, as do smoking and alcohol consumption. Both smoking and alcohol increase the relaxation of the same muscles that have the potential to block airways. Obesity increases overall pressure in the region.
- Try a nasal strip or external dilator. These handy tools can help to widen your nasal passages as you sleep, allowing for easier breathing and less snoring. Unfortunately, their helpfulness is limited to patients whose snoring originates in their nasal passages.
Snoring Treatment with Dr. Shukla
If you’ve tried these simple steps to stop snoring or suffer from sleep apnea, it is important to seek professional help. Sleep MD offers all the diagnostic tools and medical solutions to treat your snoring for good. With five separate approaches, Dr. Shulka will use your initial consultation to decipher your snoring patterns and match you with the best approach, allowing both you and your partner to rest easy.
