If you are a snorer, chances are you don’t even know it. You go to sleep at night, have a few dreams and wake up the next morning feeling rested and as though nothing interesting happened. Your spouse, on the other hand, may have endured a different kind of evening slumber. Instead she (or he) suffered through a night of eardrum bursting, snores, snorts and listening to anxiety inducing false breathing starts. She (or he) got little sleep, tossed and turned, prayed, and maybe even coughed loudly on purpose in order to “accidentally” wake you up. In some cases, the offended spouse may have implanted her (or his) elbow firmly into your side and then collected up her (or his) pillow and left to make the couch her (or his) new bed. If you continue on like this, it won’t be long before you chase away your pets and children too—and then what?
For the sake of your marriage and your health, you really need to look into snoring remedies. You see, snoring can be a sign of bigger problems like sleep apnea, a disorder that causes you to stop breathing while you sleep. In other cases, it could be a result of obesity, over eating, too much alcohol or sinus problems. Either way, finding a remedy is important.
Possible Snoring Remedies
Changes in lifestyle: The first remedy will help you in more ways than just snoring. Changing your lifestyle—eating less, losing weight, and not drinking—can all drastically improve your snoring and ward off many other illnesses that are caused by the same symptoms.
Breathing strips: There are sticky strips available on the market that can open up your nasal passages and help you breathe easier. Since most snoring actually happens in the throat, these breathing strips may not help your particular problem, but they have been shown to help some.
Sleeping position adjustment: As your spouse can probably tell you, snoring most often occurs when we sleep on out back. That means that sleeping on your side can be one of the easiest snoring remedies around. Sewing a large bead into the back of your sleep shirt will make it uncomfortable to sleep on your back and may be successful in reducing your snoring.
Throat sprays: Makers of throat sprays claim that, by keeping the throat moist, you can reduce make the airflow move more smoothly in your throat and reduce the vibrations that can be heard as snoring.
Mouth pieces: If your lower jaw and tongue move toward the back of your throat as you sleep, this could be causing the snoring. If so, a plastic mouth piece can keep your lower jaw and tongue pulled forward and stop the noise, blockage and vibration.
If none of the above snoring remedies work, then it is time to visit your primary care physician. He or she can have you tested for sleep apnea. If he or she determines that you are ceasing to breathe as you sleep that he or she will have you begin to sleep with a CPAP machine. The CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine has a mask that blows air into your nose and stops your breathing from being interrupted. It is also possible that you may need surgery to correct the airway obstruction, but again that is something for your primary care physician to determine.
It is important that you not wait too long before obtaining a diagnosis from your physician. Sleep apnea is a very serious condition that can lead to daytime drowsiness and possible death, so you want to make sure you get a diagnosis and the CPAP as soon as possible.
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