The Relationship Between Excess Weight and Snoring – Does Being Overweight Cause Snoring?
Most of you are probably already familiar with the medical fact that; excess weight can and does lead to serious health problems. Other than strokes, heart disease and high blood pressure; excess weight can and in many circumstances does lead to snoring. Many people never take snoring seriously and to them it may sound like something completely normal. This is especially true if you grew up in a household where dad could snore like a handsaw all night and you or someone else would make jokes about hearing the snoring through the walls and about the house shaking and the windows rattling from the noise. Well, you should know that snoring can in some cases be linked to a range of sleep disorders ranging from mild to severe. The condition of excess weight needs to be attended to and addressed urgently, otherwise other related issues like sleep apnea will arise in the not too distant future assuming that they don’t already exist at present.
The essence of this article therefore, will be to discuss how excess weight and snoring may be related as well as how to curb this kind of situation to ensure healthy sleep routines for the snorer and those around them. It will also aim to address the question does being overweight cause snoring?
Excess weight and Snoring
Snoring is basically the sound caused by air agitation at the back of the throat. This is an indicator that the person is really struggling to breathe and is a sign that air is being restricted as it enters this part of the respiratory system. A word of warning here in that snoring is often a sign of the condition known as sleep apnea and this can be a disorder which can cost you your life in the long term if you don’t seek medical care. If you are obese, the condition happens to be even worse. The thickness of your neck is a major contributor to the restriction of air in the throat because of the excess fat that is putting pressure and restrictions on the person’s airways.
For you to determine whether or not you have excess weight, there are a number of factors that you must consider. The most common one is the Body Mass Index. Generally, anyone who has a BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight. Excess weight is mostly as a result of unhealthy eating and lack of enough physical exercise on a daily basis. In other cases, overweight people are said to have a collar bone size of more than 16.5 inches which is an indicator that the person is carrying excess weight on their body.
Snoring is typically more common in the male gender. This is because unlike women who gain weight in the thighs, men gain weight mostly in their neck and waist region. This means that when they lay back, the fatty tissues around the neck region happen to fall back and apply extra pressure on the throat. These neck tissues lack the required tone to keep the airways open hence leading to blockage. At first you may experience things like; wheezing, snorting and choking. However, this partial or whole blockage leads to snoring after not so long if not treated in the appropriate way.
Researchers have tried to come up with certain tips that could help in reducing snoring. As is sometimes the case these tips can work successfully with some people, and maybe not be as effective with others. It might be worthwhile having a read over them to familiarise yourself with the tips that are suggested in our Stop Snoring Guides Page. In some cases snoring is induced by an inflammation disorder which happens to interfere with the system that helps to regulate your breathing when you are asleep. Such inflammatory problems can be caused by diverse range of things and excess weight is one of them.
However, you don’t have to worry because as soon as you enrol in a weight loss programme, you could eventually stop snoring. Even losing a small amount of weight can make a big impact on your overall health and wellness, not to mention help your snoring situation too. Diet and Fitness is very important and helps contribute to a healthy body and mind.
Useful Ways to Curb Snoring
Excess fat’s and sugars in your food as well as bad eating habits are the main contributors of obesity in our society. Especially nowadays where many people have demanding work and personal life routines, it is often the case that people will prefer to stay an extra hour or two, looking to earn that little bit of extra money to cover next month’s rent or a car loan. Truth is this is at the detriment in many cases to home cooking of healthy food that takes more time to prepare and cook compared to fast food and ready meals.
Lack of enough sleep often leads to fatigue and unnecessary tiredness during the day. Statistics done in the USA, UK and Canada shows that most people who experience such natural clock disorders eat a lot. They are unable to tame their eating habits therefore end up consuming excess fat that adds up to a few more pounds here and there and before the person realises they are tipping the scales in a direction they aren’t happy with.
With dedication and a few rules however, there is a manageable solution that can be implemented on a regular basis, and after time, this will form a new habit if managed correctly. The steps that should be followed would include;
- Cutting all fatty foods from your dinner recipe. This is the most essential step in this journey. In other cases, you can opt to cut the fat from other meals too for faster results i.e. breakfast and lunches.
- Include healthy energy giving foods in your diet to help manage fatigue and tiredness in between main meals. Things like dates can give you a healthy energy boost when a slump hits. Anti-inflammatory foods and foods rich in antioxidants will also serve you well too.
- Ditch those refined carbohydrates and replace them with vegetables and fruits ideally of the organic variety.
- Stay well hydrated through-out the day. Drink lots of water.
- Make sure you pay attention to your meal while eating in order to avoid what we call the mindless eating. Also allow your body adequate time to digest by eating slowly, this will help you stop yourself from overeating in most cases as the body takes a little while to realise the stomach is full.
- Avoid carbonated drinks that have high levels of fructose and processed foods which have high calorie levels.
- Incorporate high-fibre foods to help avoid bloating.
The Benefits of Weight Loss for Snorers
Excess weight not only lowers your self-esteem in public, but can also embarrass you during the thanksgiving sleepover at your relative’s when the snoring starts and the laughing and joking begins. This is because snoring goes hand in hand with excess weight. By working towards cutting down a few pounds, you could save yourself all this trouble and a little more.
Maintaining a consistent workout schedule doesn’t come easy to most people. This is because they can easily lose hope and desire after the initial few weeks have past, or they think they are just too lazy to lift the weights. You should know that for you to get any positive results, you need to be consistent and dedicated to exercising at least three times a week. (Ideally every day is better to help form a new walking habit) Just like other physical activities, the gymnastics may be boring at first but with time you may actually find new and interesting things out there that may help you to live a healthier life. Find an interesting walking spot nearby or drive there and just walk every day for one hour and you will feel the benefits starting to take shape. Walking is a great way to build a routine and is a fantastic starting point for the vast majority of people.
For you to exercise your body, you do not need to go to the gym. You can also try out the home workouts that you can do in the convenience of your home. You therefore have no excuse of missing out on this. It is the amount of effort that you decide to put in that will determine how soon your snoring issue will be eliminated. Look for fun ways to do these activities. Invite a friend along and make the best out of your weight loss programme together. Why not get yourself an activity tracker and set yourself specific goals every week to be more active. They can be a great way to keep you motivated to exercise more and build beneficial habits. They will help you stay on track of your daily step goals and also they can help you monitor the amount of sleep you get during the night. They are highly recommended.
Weight loss may not always work for everyone. There are other ways to curb snoring too that could be a better option for you. Be sure to check out the rest of this site for more help and advice to help you get rid of your snoring once and for all. Don’t let that snore embarrass you again! Check Out Our Top Anti Snoring Device Recommendation Right Here it may be the answer you were looking for all along!