 |
Why
Do I Snore? A Simple-To-Understand Guide To What Causes Snoring
& How To Stop It For Good
By Dr. Rick Donald
Snoring
is definitely no laughing matter. You may think its funny,
even make jokes about it, but please, think again. Snoring
is not only an annoying inconvenience for those sleeping within
earshot, it can also be an indication of more deep-seated
health issues. Snoring has been linked to marriage break-ups,
engagements being called off, being socially black-listed
when weekends away with friends are organized ... even death.
Now this last complication is a big call I know. And I am
not talking here about a frustrated sleeping partner finally
flipping out and pulling the trigger. Instead I am referring
to actually dying either in your sleep, or departing from
this world as a direct result of your snoring.
Scary thought isn't it, but it does occasionally happen. And
unfortunately, the probability of this occurring actually
affects more people than most of us would care to imagine.
If someone does die as a result of their snoring, it's usually
due to complications that have arisen because they suffer
from the respiratory disorder Obstructive Sleep Apnea (O.S.A.).
However luckily most snorers suffer from what is often referred
to as 'simple snoring'. They do not have the breathing disorder
Sleep Apnea and this article primarily refers to this more
common form of snoring. If you do feel that you may have O.S.A.,
always have it checked out by a healthcare professional because
as mentioned, it can lead to serious health issues developing.
Now, a few snoring facts ...
- 1
in every 3 Americans snore - maybe you sleep with one of
them or in fact snore yourself?
- Once
a snorer, always a snorer - unfortunately it's a lifetime
health issue
- Snoring
usually becomes more entrenched and gets louder and louder
as you age.
But there's
light at the end of the tunnel - with the correct dietary
and lifestyle adaptations, snoring can usually be controlled
and in many cases even stopped altogether.
Sounds too good to be true? Well read on, but first let's
look at the mechanics of why you snore.
Physiologically, your snoring is most likely to be the result
of a partial obstruction of your airways at the back of your
throat. This obstruction occurs because when you sleep your
neck and throat muscles relax, which can lead to a narrowing
of these airways so that your breathing becomes labored and
noisy as your air intake is forced through a smaller opening.
And the end result? Your uvula and soft palate at the back
of your throat then vibrate against your relaxed tongue, causing
that all too familiar snoring sound . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Then the deeper you sleep, the more your respiratory muscles
relax and your airways narrow even further so that to sustain
normal breathing, the airflow becomes even more forceful and
the louder you snore. Until of course your frustrated sleeping
partner elbows you in the ribs to force you to turn over.
Now, the main causes of snoring can be summarized as follows:
Physiological causes:
- Poor
muscle tone in the back of the tongue, the soft palate and
throat
- Excessive
bulkiness or thickness of the throat, neck tissue or tongue
- Enlarged
adenoids or tonsils, especially in children
- A
swollen or enlarged thyroid gland in the neck (known as
a goiter)
- An
under active thyroid (known as hypothyroidism)
- Obstructed
upper respiratory tract, stuffy nose or clogged sinuses
- A
structural abnormality, such as a deviated septum or cranial
distortion
- Ineffective
neural control of the mucus membranes in the head and neck
- Overweight
and obesity, especially around the neck and upper abdomen
- Aging
(which causes a general loss of muscle tone)
Lifestyle
causes:
- Allergies
to inhalants (eg dust), causing upper respiratory tract
congestion
- Allergies
or intolerance of certain foods (eg lactose in milk products)
- High
carbohydrate diet, especially refined carbohydrates
- Colds,
flu and other respiratory tract diseases (both viral and
bacterial)
- Excessive
use of decongestants (they dry up the nasal passages)
- Sleeping
tablets and other relaxants (they relax the throat muscles
too!)
- Alcohol
(which both relaxes and dilates - ie swells - the throat
muscles)
- Smoking
(which inflames and swells the upper airways)
- Previous
throat or oral surgery
- Missing
a significant amount of teeth (changes the shape of the
mouth)
Even if
you can identify with some or many of these causes of your
snoring, there is light at the end of the tunnel, so please
don't lose heart! For the majority of snorers, your problem
CAN be brought under control and the cure to your snoring
may well be as simple as making some environmental changes.
In essence, barring structural abnormalities, stopping your
snoring in both the short and especially the long term often
simply comes down to making appropriate dietary and lifestyle
changes. And there is no permanent quick fix or wonder pill
to prevent common snoring, so you can immediately stop searching
for that one!
Instead for the common snorer, stopping or at least significantly
reducing snoring is all about monitoring both:
1. the fuel that you put into your body (ie your food and
drink)
AND
2. the lifestyle that you lead.
Yes, from time to time you may come across some effective
short term solution to stopping your snoring, but if you really
want the long term solution - in other words, giving yourself
half a chance of killing your snoring problem for good - then
you will need to make appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes
as well, or your dream of silent nights just won't turn into
reality.
Now I'm sorry to be blunt here, but fact is fact. There is
just too much stop snoring hype, too many short term 'solutions'
that allow your snoring to return with a vengeance as soon
as you stop using them, too many silver bullets that don't
really offer much relief at all and not enough quality information
about how to put a permanent end to your snoring.
Instead, if you are really serious about permanently stopping
your snoring, take a good look at your diet and lifestyle
choices first BEFORE you consider other treatment protocols.
You will most likely save yourself a lot of time and money,
apart from avoiding the frustration of trying product after
product, only to find that the underlying problems that are
causing your snoring in the first place are still there!
Dr Rick Donald is a well respected Australian Clinical Nutritionist
whose latest book, 'Essential Stop Snoring Secrets', has recently
been released on the web. To find out more information about
this book, any other of Dr Rick's books and publications or
his stop snoring program, visit http://www.stopmysnoringnow.com/stopsnoring.html
Dr Rick Donald © Melbourne 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED This
document may be copied but only if it is used in its entirety
without modification and only if an appropriate reference
is made to the author.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Rick_Donald
|
