Snore

Characteristics of Sleep Apnea and Snoring and Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS)

Snoring occurs when the breath moves through a passage that is too small. When you are sleeping, the throat muscles relax and the tongue falls backwards. The walls of the throat becomes floppy so they vibrate when you breathe. If something like tongue, enlarged tonsils, deviated septum in nose narrows the passage in throat, snoring occurs.

It is not necessary to take snoring as a health risk. The problem arises when there is not enough air that can get through nose or mouth and your breathing stops for few seconds – a condition that is called sleep apnea. This condition signals the brain to wake you up to get your breathing going again. May be you are not aware of this condition of yours but your body is. As a result, most people with this disorder are sleepy during the day. There is a higher risk of stroke and death to people who suffers sleep apnea. Sleep apnea increases the number of inflammatory mediators in the body that are associated with heart disease and diabetes. Before menopause, the risk of developing sleep apnea in women is 10 to 50 percent less lower than a man’s. It goes up after menopause. The reason behind this is probably estrogen is a stimulant that encourages breathing. When estrogen level decreases after menopause, so does this breathing boost. The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy increases chances of developing snoring and sleep apnea.

Some things that you can do are:
- Spend a night at sleep center where your sleep pattern is observed.
- Lose weight.
- Be a side sleeper.
- See a dentist.

Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS)

- Restless Legs Syndrome is a neurological disorder.
- RLS causes itchy, crawly, tingly feelings in legs.
- There is a strong genetic component to RLS.

Some things that you can do are:
- See your doctor for an evaluation.
- Get your iron levels checked.
- Consider medication.

| More

If you found this post informative, why not sign up to receive new posts ?
It's simple, and free, and you can even opt to receive by email:
Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to Good Health Tips by Email

Why do people snore and how to stop snoring?

Snoring is a sleep disorder. Snoring is a loud, hoarse, or harsh breathing (vibratory) sound that happens while one is a asleep. It happens when the airways at the back of the throat are obstructed. Every time you breathe your throat muscles are vibrating and when your airways are blocked or irritated – and when those vibrations are stopped – you snore.

When you are awake, you breathe in through your nose (and mouth) and the air passes in a steady stream that easily goes through your throat and down into your lungs. However, when we are asleep, these same muscles relaxes causing the airway in the back of your throat to become narrower. When air passes through the narrower opening, it hits and cause the relaxed soft floppy palate tissues surrounding the opening to vibrate like a flag in the wind, which in effect cause the sounds of snoring.

Symptoms of Snoring

Snoring can also lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, lack of concentration, dry and sore throat, weight gain, headaches, hypertension.

Causes of Snoring

- Sleep apnea : Sleep apnea, a disruption of breathing while asleep, is a deceiving sleep disorder. Not everyone who snores has sleep apnea–and not everyone who has untreated sleep apnea snores.
- Overweight.
- Deviated nasal symptom.
- Tongue enlargement.
- Sleeping on your back.
- Allergy.
- Poor muscle tone of the palate.
- Small oropharynx (area of your throat that passes the vocal chords).
- Nasal blockage.
- Cigarette Smoking.
- Alcohol and sleeping pills.
- Aging.
- Goiter- Swelling of the thyroid gland present in the neck.
- Breathing through nose.
- Eating a large meal shortly before bedtime.

How to cure Snoring

- Steam inhalation, tea, nasal strips.
- Follow a regular sleeping pattern.
- Sleeping on the side.
- Avoid caffeine before sleeping.
- Take little bit of honey before sleeping.
- Nasal Separator – fits into both nostrils keeping nasal passages open.
- Loose weight.
- Elevate your head when you sleep.
- Steer clear of dairy products before going to bed. Dairy causes mucus buildup.
- Don’t drink alcoholic beverages, take sleeping pills, tranquilizers, or antihistamines right before going to sleep, they will cause your muscles to relax and limit your air passage way.
- Quit smoking
- Dry air can irritate membranes in the nose and throat. Keep your room moist.
- Surgery attempts to increase the size of the airway to make nighttime breathing easier and stop snoring.

Exercises that can help:

- Repeat each vowel (a-e-i-o-u) out loud for three minutes throughout day.
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth. Slide your tongue backwards for 3 minutes a day
- With mouth open, move jaw to the right and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on left side.
- With mouth open, contract the muscle at the back of your throat repeatedly for 30 seconds.