According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 90 million Americans describe themselves as snorers. Although it can be annoying, it’s widely considered a harmless behavior. In some cases however, snoring can be a warning signal of something worlds more critical. If you, or someone you love snores, read on to learn more about what snoring could be saying about your health.
Your throat muscles are supposed to naturally relax while sleeping, narrowing the airway. As you take breaths, vibrations are sent through that results in the snore. The more constricted the airway, the louder the snoring will be. This is especially true when sleeping on your back because the relaxed airway “falls” to the exterior of the throat causing the snoring sound to intensify. If the airway is blocked, this may make the snoring even harsher.
As we age, our throat muscles become more pliable and relaxed so snoring becomes more common the older we get. Biological reasons also come into play here as well. Allergy induced inflammation in the nose and a deviated septum can also narrow the throat, which essentially is something you can’t control. On the other hand, alcohol consumption can have the same throat muscle relaxing effect, thus inducing a snore.
According to the Sleep Foundation referenced herein, more than half of the US population will snore at least…
once in their lifetimes, and this may be by genetic design. About 40 percent of men are consistent snorers, as compared to 24 percent of women. Surprisingly, if either your mom or dad snores, you’re likely to suffer the same fate.
If you’ve been told that you snore every once in a while, small lifestyle changes could eradicate this. As stated earlier, sleeping on your back can exacerbate the problem so aim to sleep on the side more often. Also, cutting out alcohol before bed and keeping your body fat composition at a healthy rate can prevent the thickening of throat tissues, which narrow the airway significantly. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, utilizing sleeping nasal strips or decongestants regularly can help alleviate the symptoms.
Oropharyngeal therapy, which are exercises for the tongue and mouth can alleviate snoring as well.
If the above don’t help at all, contact a physician immediately. This is especially important if you regularly wake yourself due to snoring. If your doctor suggests that you suffer from sleep apnea, which is breath interruption while sleeping, they may recommend positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, surgery or oral devices, among others, to ensure that your airway doesn’t narrow or close while you’re asleep.
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