Snoring is not only annoying for your roommates, it can also have health consequences. Here you can find out more about the causes, consequences and methods against snoring.
Snoring: origins and causes
Snoring is a common nocturnal phenomenon that can affect those affected and relatives alike. The reason for the sleep noises is your throat muscles, which relax completely when you sleep.
This can cause your tongue to fall in such a way that it blocks your airway. The soft palate and uvula can also sink from above and make your breathing more difficult. The obstructed airflow is then expressed in snoring noises.
Snoring is especially common when you sleep on your back. Other factors that encourage snoring include the Pharmacy magazine according to:
- Infection of the upper respiratory tract (e.g. in Colds)
- alcohol
- Smoke
- Medication (e.g. sleeping pills)
- Obesity
- Allergies
Snoring: health consequences
Snoring is not only exhausting for people who sleep in the same room, it can also have serious health consequences. Snoring can develop into sleep apnea or it can already be a symptom of apnea.
At a Sleep apnea breath pauses in addition to snoring. It is particularly common in overweight men and manifests itself as loud and jerky snoring. Other symptoms that can occur with sleep apnea according to the pharmacy survey are:
- Feeling of pressure in the head
- dry mouth
- heartburn
- night sweats
- high blood pressure
- Cardiac arrhythmias.
Since those affected wake up more often at night due to the pauses in breathing, they also often suffer from a chronic sleep deficit, feel tired and weak and can concentrate much more difficultly during the day.
According to the pharmacy survey, heavy snoring can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. This is because the blood vessels can be damaged by the obstructed airflow. So if you suffer from particularly heavy snoring, it is better to have the exact causes clarified with medical advice (for example in a sleep laboratory).
This is how you can fight snoring
To reduce your snoring during the night, you should first research the possible causes and minimize these factors as much as possible. Specifically, that means:
- Renounce Alcohol and cigarette consumption.
- Also sedative drugs (like antidepressants and sleeping pills) encourage snoring. however, only ever stop taking them off after a doctor’s recommendation.
- Avoid to sleep on your back. For example, if you sleep on your side, you can put a long, sturdy pillow in your back. A real secret trick for those who sleep on their backs: there is a small ball on the inside that you sew into the back of your pajama top. This is how you wake up again and again when you land on your back at night.
- If you still want to sleep on your back, you can pad the top of your bed with a few pillows so that your Upper body slightly raised lies.
- Even if the head falls towards the chest at night, a blockage can arise in the respiratory tract. So pay attention to one healthy posture of your head and avoid pillows that are too high.
- Make sure your bedroom as clean as possible and above all is free of heavy dust deposits. Especially with allergy sufferers: inside, dust can irritate the respiratory tract and promote snoring.
- Give up in the evening heavy meals. If the stomach and intestines are full, the lungs push upwards and the airflow is more easily blocked. Therefore, pay attention to healthy food in the evening that is not too heavy and stays in the stomach for a long time. You can find ideas and recipes in this article: Healthy dinner: These dishes are optimal
- If you are overweight, you may be able to reduce snoring by losing weight. However, avoid crash and zero diets, instead rely on a healthy and long-term weight loss strategy. We’ll show you tips and tricks for this here: Lose weight effectively: this is how it works in a healthy and sustainable way
Against snoring: other methods and aids
In addition to general measures, there are other methods you can use to reduce snoring. For example, if the reason is the position of your jaw, aligners can fix the problem. These are individually adapted by the dentist and orthodontist.
With sleep apnea, breathing masks with positive pressure ventilation and flexible tubes can also help to keep the airways free. Sometimes only an operation can help to correct anatomical problems in the respiratory tract.
In the pharmacy you can also get plasters and clips to prevent snoring. They are supposed to lift the nostrils and thereby prevent blockages of the air flow. However, there is no guarantee of their effectiveness.
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Sleep rhythm: tips for healthy sleep
- Sleep disorders: tips for a more peaceful sleep
- The best sleeping position: how to find it