Is Snoring Curable?
For the longest amount of time, snoring has been considered as just a mere nuisance. But, times have changed, and today, people are beginning to realize that snoring is not something they should ignore. This realization is to the delight of millions of frustrated housemates and bed partners all over the world. To sleep and snoring experts, snoring is sometimes a sign that something is amiss and could possibly warrant further investigation.
Every time you snore, you spend a lot of energy just so you can breathe. Snoring is similar to having a raised temperature. It tells you that there is something happening with your body but it doesn’t directly tell you what.
Snoring takes place when the airways of a person have narrowed. This causes the air passing through it as you breathe, to vibrate the throat’s soft tissue. Snoring is regarded as not normal in principle. Physicians want to know the exact reason why a person snores in order to give the best possible treatment instead of making the snorer take things into his own hands. They want to ensure that the body isn’t highlighting the symptoms of sleep apnea or sleep-disordered breathing.
When sleep apnea occurs, the snorer stops breathing, often hundreds of times throughout the night. It is important to receive proper diagnosis due to the numerous implications sleep apnea can have along with other associated health concerns. Sleep apnea increases the risk of diabetes, heart attack, and depression. However, even when snoring is the result of nasal congestion or seasonal allergies, there are some treatments that can help improve these conditions that physicians will recommend.
So, is snoring curable, then? Well yes, it is. In fact, there are several options you can try that can help you address your “noisy” and frustrating snoring problem.
Possible Treatment Options for Light Snoring
Light snoring is on the bottom end of severity however it can still cause a huge level of annoyance when someone is trying to get to sleep. Here are some things you can consider when looking to fix your light snoring. There are lots of effective products that help eliminate light snoring some of which include; anti snore mouthguards, nasal strips and chinstraps.
- Weight Loss
Excess weight adds excess tissue to the neck area which can restrict and press the airways. This can then lead to vibrations that can produce snores. When left on their own, people who continue to add several pounds each year may suffer from sleep apnea. However, if they gained some weight and started snoring then, losing the excess weight may help reduce the snoring. Aside from that, losing those unwanted pounds can also carry many positive health benefits.
- Changing Sleep Position
If you have been snoring every time you sleep on your back, it might be time to try sleeping on your side. Since the throat experiences greater pressure when you lie on your back, shifting to your side may help get rid of that ugly snore. Snorers who sleep on their back are possibly used to being elbowed by their bed partners every now and then. To keep those bruises at bay, experts suggest a crafty trick. You can try sewing a tennis ball into the front pocket of your old shirt then wear this shirt backwards when you sleep. It will be pretty uncomfortable to lie on your back so you will not be tempted to sleep this way at all!
- Sleep with a Humidifier
If your snores are brought about by allergies or nasal congestion, and they get worse when the air is dry, it might help to sleep with a humidifier, and it definitely won’t hurt at all. However, there might be a kernel of truth in lots of home remedies, yet they are not really the entire story. Believing you could cure snoring by using a humidifier reduces the gravity of snoring instead of encouraging you to bring it to your physician’s attention.
- Say Goodbye to that Nightcap
You can try this. Occasional snorers might find their problems exacerbated by adult beverages before bed. This is because alcohol relaxes the body’s muscles to a greater extent. Alcohol before bed may also result in a more disturbed and less restful sleep. That is the reason why it is wise to skip nightcaps even if you do not snore.
Possible Treatment Options for Medium Snoring
Medium Levels of snoring like light snoring can be address using particular products depending on the type of snoring involved. Two common ways of doing this are using the following;
- Nasal Valves
You can consider using nasal dilators. FDA approved nasal valves for sleep apnea treatment and might be available over the counter for those who have problems with snoring. But, some of these are only 1-time use and not really cheap although the results and feedback from people is very positive.
- Oral Devices
You can consider using a type of mouth device like an anti-snoring mouthpiece or tongue restrainer. In somebody with sleep apnea, either does not respond to or does not tolerate treatments with CPAP Machines or continuous positive airway pressure, then a kind of mouth guard that moves the jaw can be very advantageous. Experts say that such devices can also provide benefits to those who snore and again feedback for certain devices is very good.
Possible Treatment Option for Heavy Snoring
Experts consider CPAP as a gold standard. If you are a heavy chronic snorer, you can consider surgery as one option. You might be also suffering from sleep apnea. Surgery can be considered only in cases where CPAP treatments did not prove effective and a team of specialists and physicians have conducted comprehensive sleep assessment and come up with a great plan. Generally, snoring or sleep apnea surgery is a last step or further down the line in treatment options.
One of the surgeries recommended for heavy snoring is UP3 or UPPP or also known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, which gets rid of the uvula hanging from the soft palate’s roof along with other soft palatal tissue to expand the throat’s opening.
Somnoplasty is another surgery for snoring. It is done along with coblation-channeling, which is a surgical technique, which shrinks the throat tissues using heat to help one breathe easily. Some treatments are required. Another option is infection of the sclerosing agents to soft palate. Such agents cause pharynx tissues to scar and as scars evolve, tissues shrink as well. While all of such measures may minimize snoring, relapse occurrence of snoring is quite high with such techniques.
Another common surgical procedure to fight against snoring involves removing the tonsils and the procedure is called tonsillectomy. It can reduce sleep apnea or snoring symptoms in some cases effectively.
The Bottom Line
Never ignore your snoring, particular if you have some other health conditions or you’re feeling tired and lethargic during the daytime. Some people tend to explain their symptoms and might be missing something. With the breakthrough in Wearable Technology the ability to track and analyze snoring and sleep is now possible. This means the guess work is taken out of the ability to diagnose your snoring from the comfort of your own home. Sometimes it can be trick to know what level of snoring you are experiencing at night especially if you are single and have no way of really knowing for sure whether you snore or not.
So in conclusion if you are looking to cure your snoring there are options available that will work. In order to help make this process easier we select and outline the best anti snoring products available in order to make it easier and quicker to get results. Check out the Snorefocus Blog and indeed the other articles on this site and you will easily find the best option to your snoring issue.
