It is estimated that 45% of adult snores occasionally while the other 25% are suffering from other serious habitual snoring problems. Some may find a snoring person funny but snoring is not a joke that you should laugh on. Snoring is a serious matter that if left untreated can lead to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It might happen because a person who is snoring, experiences disrupted short period of breathing while sleeping.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when something blocks some parts or all parts of your upper airway when you’re sleeping. Since it is blocked, your diaphragm and chest muscles need to do their work. They need to open your airway so it can pull the air into your lungs. This is the reason why your breath becomes very shallow suddenly. Sometimes, you may also stop breathing shortly. Then you will start breathing again with a loud gasp or snore.
Snoring, aside from being disruptive to a good night’s sleep, it can also increase the risk of developing heart disease. As it can lower the oxygen flow to your organs, causing you uneven heart rhythms.
So, it is important to address this kind of condition and give remedies to it as soon as possible. There are also some anti-snoring devices that you can use to prevent your snoring habit.
What are the Common Causes of Snoring?
Snoring has a lot of causes, below are some of the common factors that contribute to snoring.
- Age. When you reach middle age and up, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat also decreases. Ageing is inevitable but lifestyle can change something. When you have a healthy lifestyle, following appropriate bedtime routines and doing throat exercises, you can prevent snoring.
- Sleep positions. You may not know but your sleeping posture and position can also contribute to your snoring. When you are sleeping with your back flatten on your bed, it causes your throat’s muscles to relax, blocking the airway. So, you might as well change your sleep position to lessen your snoring.
- Some hereditary conditions. Some people have inborn conditions like narrow throat, enlarged adenoids, cleft palate and other physical conditions that contribute to snoring. These cannot be avoided but with a proper and healthy lifestyle, you can minimize your snoring habit.
- Nasal problems. Even some blocked airways or a stuffy nose makes snoring possible. Since you are having difficulty in inhaling, it can create a vacuum in your throat, causing you to snore.
- Gaining too much weight. The formation of fatty tissues and having poor muscle tone can increase snoring. You better watch your weight, so you may not carry excess weight around your throat and neck. Make sure to have a regular and proper exercise to maintain your appropriate weight. Most of the time losing weight is one of the good solutions to stop your snoring habit.
- Alcohol, smoking, and medications. If you are an alcoholic or chain smoker person you are more likely to suffer from snoring. Also, if you are taking some medications like tranquillizers, it can also increase your snoring as your muscles are more relaxed.
List of Anti-snoring Devices to Help you Stop Snoring
There are a lot of anti-snoring devices that you can buy in different stores-physical stores or online shops. However, we recommend you to ask your doctor first before purchasing and using it to avoid other complications. We know that you wanted to end your snoring habit but make sure to have a consultation first before trying it.
To give you an idea of what are some of the devices that can stop your snoring, we made a list below.
- Oral appliances. Oral appliances are usually dental mouthpieces. These mouthpieces can help you improve the position of your tongue, soft palate and jaw. With this, you keep your air passage open, preventing you to snore.
If you want to have oral appliances, you may ask your dental specialist to make you one. There are few dental clinics that offer dental mouthpiece to stop your snoring. Aside from talking to your dentist, you must also talk to your sleep specialist. This is to assure that the dental mouthpiece is working as intended.
If you have a dental mouthpiece it is recommended to visit your dentist at least once every 6 months. That is done to check if it still fits you as well as to assess your oral health.
Some possible side effects of oral appliances are jaw pain, facial discomfort, dry mouth and even excessive salivation.
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This device involves a mask that you need to wear over your nose and mouth while you are sleeping. The mask directs pressurized air coming from a small bedside pump to your airway. It is considered as the most effective and reliable device to stop snoring, however, some find it uncomfortable to wear.
Conclusion
Snoring is a kind of condition that should not be neglected. It will not only disturb you and your partner’s good night of sleep but it also affects your health. So, you might as well cure it as soon as possible to avoid other serious health problems.
Osmin Denture Clinic & Smile Diana Dentistry Inc. is happy to help you with your snoring habit. If you are interested in getting an anti-snoring device, you may contact us. Schedule your appointment today!
