Snoring is often taken as a joke between families and friends but snoring is actually a serious health problem.
People who snore do not sleep properly and risk stopping breathing whilst their families often also can’t sleep for all the noise.
Snorers find it frustrating as the remedies they try often do not work properly for them and they wake up in the morning feeling tired. Remedies could be a mouth guard to open the airway passages, nose guards or trying to sleep in a special position.
Snoring happens when the throat muscles relax, the tongue falls backwards and the airway becomes narrow. If this airway is blocked the flow of air causes a vibration. The blockage can be because the neck is thicker due to excess weight, medications, ageing or alcohol.
Things You Can Do To Control Snoring and Sleep Better
How To Reduce or Treat Snoring
There are throat exercises you can do to strengthen the throat muscles and it’s best to lose some weight if you are carrying excess kilos.
Start some breathing exercises, aerobics or walking as these will help you to breathe fuller, lower congestion and increase your lung capacity so you will snore less.
Another tip is not sleeping on your back and to lift the top of the bed by about 90-100 cm.
Some snorers say that the separators which spread your nasal passages work very well also.
However, you should always take snoring seriously as it may be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea.
This is a serious condition where the person who suffers from snoring stops breathing during the night. Not just once, but many times, imagine being choked over and over again while you sleep. Sleep apnoea can lead to extreme fatigue, depression, heart damage and stroke.
This is why we need to understand that snoring is a serious issue.
If you have obstructive sleep apnoea or snore often, are sleepy during the day, gasp for breath or get up with a start during the night then visit your doctor and get it checked.
They can do tests to see if you have sleep apnoea and if you do they will recommend a face mask machine to ensure you keep breathing properly at night.
The mask is the standard treatment for severe, continuous snoring and sleep apnoea. It puts air pressure into the throat. It works well but is a bit awkward however it is worth it if you are a serious snorer as the machine will keep you breathing properly while you sleep.
People who have ignored advice and do not use the machine when they needed to have ended up with serious health conditions. The statistics for the number of deaths from untreated sleep apnoea are unfortunately not current and many people with sleep apnoea remain undiagnosed.
If you need help with snoring or think you have sleep apnoea or need to lose weight, clear your sinus issues or learn to breathe better contact your doctor or sleep breathing trained dental practitioner for some help, so you can sleep better and safer.
At Evolve Dental Healing we are dedicated to assisting in the diagnosis and treatment of snoring, sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnoea – call us today to find out how we can help you 07 3720 1811
Rachel is the founder and principal dentist at Evolve Dental Healing with over 30 years experience, practising holistically since 2001. Not your typical dentist, Rachel is a passionate opinion leader, challenging convention to empower people to make better dental and health choices, helping thousands to have healthy natural smiles. A respected writer and presenter on holistic dentistry, health and wellness it is Rachel’s mission to revolutionise the way people look at their dental health.
