Dreaming of Sleep: Silencing snoring for restful nights.

Notes from Dr. Norman Blumenstock:
This a decent article about snoring. Unfortunately it doesn’t mention it’s connection to obstructive sleep apnea.

POSTED BY LOUISE PYPER / FEBRUARY 19, 2014 /

As children we all used to tease our parents and grandparents for snoring. It is not just the ‘old folk’ who snores, some of us can start snoring in our late teens and early twenties.

Snoring usually happens when something is partially obstructing your airways. The sound comes from you throat where air flows pass relaxed tissue and as you breathe the tissue starts for vibrate, causing the snoring sound. Snoring is not particularly dangerous, but can be depending on how your parter might ‘deal’ with the constant snoring.
There are different grades of snoring:

• Grade one – snoring is almost harmless, where snoring is infrequent and the sound is not very loud.
• Grade two – snoring is when a person snores on a regular basis (more than 3 times per week). They might also have mild breathing issues during sleep making them feel tired and sleepy the next day.
• Grade three – snoring is when a person snores very loudly each and every night. People suffering from Grade Three snoring may have obstructive sleep apnoea, which can lead to the airways being completely obstructed for up to 10 seconds. This can cause an individual to wake from a deep sleep during the night making them feel extremely tired the next day. This may effect your day-to-day life as you might experience poor memory, poor concentration, headaches, anxiety, depression, irritability and a short temper.

If you think you or your partner might be suffering from snoring you should try these methods:

1. Sleep on your side – lying on your back or stomach can be stressful on your neck.
2. Lose weight – excess body weight especially around the neck puts pressure on your airway.
3. Stay away from alcohol and sleeping pills – both of them can depress your central nervous system and relax the muscles in your throat.
4. Sort out your allergies – when your nose is partially blocked you will automatically start breathing through your mouth.
5. Get a mouthguard – to keep your teeth together when sleeping.
6. Stop smoking – as it damages your respiratory system.
7. Elevate your upper body – by raising the head of the bed or propping up your upper body to decrease the stress on your neck
8. Ozone therapy – might also improve your snoring and sleeping habits as Ozone Therapy increases oxygen levels in the blood, improves blood circulation, balances the body’s metabolism, relieves stress and anxiety and improves sleep. Ozone Therapy also combats allergy causing substances and will improve your overall health.

It is very important to keep a regular sleep schedule, by going to bed at a set time and waking up at a set time. This way you can insure you are getting your 7-8 hours of sleep. If you are pregnant and you start snoring all of a sudden it is best to go see your GP. It is no surprise that pregnant women start to snore as they have gained some extra body weight. When you snore your baby might get deprived of oxygen especially if you are a Grade Three snorer.

Snoring is not the end of the world. Try these steps and if none had worked visit your GP as something sinister might be going on.

Are you the culprit or the victim?