Homeopathic Remedies for Snoring
Do you snore? Does your spouse snore? Does one of your friends or family members snore? Are you looking for remedies to cure your snoring problem? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Over the years, the number of snorers globally has risen mostly because of our lifestyle changes and the fact that we neglect to take care of certain issues either as a result of lack of information or time constraints. Quite often things are left on the long finger and many of you will be familiar, the longer something is left the less chance there is of action being taken to rectify it in many cases until one day when you realise enough is enough and decide something must change.
If you are reading this article, you’re probably looking for a snoring solution either for you or someone else. You may be considering homeopathic remedies for your snoring problem, or perhaps have never even thought of homeopathy as a solution for snoring until now. Either way we’ll journey through the homeopathic remedies you can try and indeed give a quick introduction about homeopathy and whether it works or not. Let’s start by talking about snoring to get a better understanding of this disorder.
Reasons Why We Snore?
Snoring is a disorder that results from blockages in your airway. This condition can result from different reasons. In some rare cases, you can inherit snoring from your parents or grandparents.
There are different reasons why you can experience difficulty while breathing. When the air is not moving freely, your throat tissues start vibrating leading to the snoring sound. Most people either have excess throat tissue or floppy tissues that causes vibration when the air passes through.
Additionally, your tongue position can also affect the air passage again resulting in snoring. Below is a list of the most probable causes of snoring, these factors can be crucial in terms of causing snoring conditions for many people;
Age
As you continue your journey through life you age, your throat muscles begin to narrow. Unfortunately you can’t do anything about this process (although surgery is an option for some) but you can consider changing a few factors in your life to reduce the effects aging has on developing snoring. Check below on the section of homeopathic remedies to snoring. Another reason why you might end up snoring due to age is that your muscle tone continues to weaken as you age. This causes your throat muscles to collapse whenever you sleep in the wrong position.
Overweight
As you gain extra weight, fat tissues deposit around your throat muscles. That reduces the size of your throat hence resulting to snoring. That is why even if you’re overweight, you should try enrolling in a gym near you, find a hobby that involves exercise like hillwalking, fishing, and golf or do some simple exercises at home or install a tread mill and exercise as you watch your t.v programmes.
Gender
Generally, men have a narrower breathing space compared to women. Therefore, men are more likely to snore compared to women. A narrower throat, in this case, is more likely linked to hereditary. Like was stated earlier, there are some factors about snoring you just can’t avoid and gender is one of them. All the same, there are a few lifestyle adjustments that we are going to discuss below, that will enable you to reduce your chances of snoring regardless of these hereditary factors.
Sinus and Nasal Problems
If you have any problems in your nasal passage, it will complicate your breathing. That leads to snoring since the blockage in your airway creates a vacuum and disturbs airflow leading to excess vibrations occurring.
Alcohol
Most people are used to drinking late at night before sleeping. Simply because it makes them feel relaxed and they can easily slip into a deeper sleep. As much as drinking alcohol will help you have that deep sleep, it also causes your muscles to over relax. The after effect is your throat muscles will weaken hence causing a blockage in your airway which results in
Smoking
Cigarette smoking is harmful to your health in so many ways. It also causes snoring which directly affect your health and also your partner’s too.
Sleeping Pills and Medications
Tranquilizers will give some people the perceived sleep they need. However, it is advisable that you get the required dosage from a certified doctor. It can lead to snoring and other health problems, if not monitored much in the same way alcohol can. Be careful when considering sleeping pills as a solution to sleep. Sleeping pills can be masking the real problem, perhaps its stress that’s causing your insomnia if so you may be better served by learning how to deal with your stress naturally through workshops, or reading certain books to prevent the impact stress has on your life in the future etc.
Sleep Posture
When you sleep on your back, gravity causes your throat muscles to collapse backwards and cause a blockage to your airway. That will result in restriction and You should consider changing your sleeping position to a side position which has proven too effective in many instances.
Schedule a Doctor’s Appointment to Rule out Serious Causes of Snoring
As soon as you realize you have a chronic snoring problem, visit your doctor or sleep and even snoring specialist in order to get a proper diagnosis and assessment. Your snoring might be a sign of a serious complication for instance sleep Apnea. If you have trouble sleeping and staying awake during the day, and you’re always extremely tired, then you should take precautions in order to protect your health. Other red flags to a serious snoring-related problem include;
- Choking at night or breathing stops completely for a few seconds.
- Heavy snoring and extreme fatigue during the day.
- In some cases, you might find yourself falling asleep in the middle of a conversation or even when eating your meals.
Now lets move on to who is at the greatest risk of sufferin from snoring and why snoring can be a real problem if left unchecked.
Who is at Risk of Suffering from Snoring?
Some people are more prone to snoring than others. Here are some of those groups;
- If your parents are or were snorers, you might have a higher chance of being a snorer in the future if you aren’t already.
- Men statistically have a higher probability of snoring compared to women.
- If you’ve recently packed on some extra weight, then you might end up snoring.
- If you have any allergies
- Smokers have a higher chance of suffering from snoring compared to non-smokers.
- If you have a deviated septum, you are more likely to suffer from snoring.
Next we will list some of the health risks relating to snoring that are worth knowing;
Heath risks of Snoring
Snoring will affect your health in one way or another. Below are some of the verified ways through which snoring can affect you;
- Arrhythmias; if you’ve suffered from snoring over a long period of time, there is a possibility of developing an irregular heart arrhythmia (rhythm). Recent research done on snoring individuals have found out that they are more prone to suffer from arrhythmias more than non-snorers.
- Heart Disease
- GERD
- Mental Health issues
- Constant Headaches
- Excess weight gain
- Nocturia
- Stroke
Next we will move onto some of the natural ways to solve a snoring issue.
Homeopathic Remedies to Snoring
It is evident by now that snoring can result in serious health effects. For this reason, scientists have developed different ways to deal with snoring. Yes, you’ve heard that right. There are tons of solutions to your snoring problem, of course some being more effective than others.
You can choose to use anti-snoring devices that will help you reduce the snoring. However, they might not be permanent solutions in some cases they can help greatly. Research shows that some of these devices reduce snoring to 0% as soon as you start using them, but there’s a strong possibility of snoring reoccurring after you stop using them. Some of the anti-snoring devices include;
- Anti-snoring mouthpiece e.g. AirSnore
- Anti-snoring Nasal Strips
- Anti-snoring pillows
- Anti-snoring chin straps
- Smart mattresses
- And lastly, you can go for surgical procedures in extreme cases such as with chronic snoring and Sleep You should also note that this procedure is not recommended as your first solution.
For the best experiences with anti-snoring devices, you can check out our list of the best products on the market in each category.
There are also non product related ways to deal with snoring. They include;
- Practicing a healthy sleep routine. This means you wake up at the same time every day and sleep at the same time every night.
- Avoiding heavy meals and drinks four hours before you sleep
- Exercising to lose the extra weight, as well as throat exercises for snoring
- Sleeping on your side rather sleeping on your back
- You can also opt for homeopathic remedies for snoring.
Let’s go on now to homeopathy and how it can improve snoring.
What Do Homeopathic Remedies for Snoring Mean?
Homeopathy can be described as letting the body heal itself by using physical, emotional and spiritual methods. This is in direct opposition to western medicine practices which solely focuses on symptoms to detect the type of illness in a person, and then treating the symptoms, without having a look at what might be the source of the problem, and trying to address this.
There is a contradiction of sorts between homeopathy and western medical practices. Homeopathy believes that the more diluted a treatment is the more potent and powerful it becomes. This is in complete contrast to western medicine principles where there is a belief that the more watered down a substance is the less powerful and potent it is. Homeopathy works on the belief that if a patient recieves a stronger dose of a particular substance as in western medicine this causes the body to naturally fight against this substance which leads to aggrivation of the current symptoms, or indeed the development of others.
The basics to this form of homeopathic treatment is that it uses herbal medicine that is FDA approved to trigger the body using small doses into naturally curing the ailment, using the body’s assistance. Homeopaths are the people who practise the art of homeopathy. The main idea of homeopathy is built around the following principles:
Like cures like
This principle originates from ancient Greek times and starts by observation of the patient suffering from a disease. The observation is not only based on the medical history of the patient, but also the family history and any physical or emotional history. The practitioner then uses a remedy that mostly relates to the patient’s symptoms to activate the body to work in unison to treat the disease in a holistic way.
Minimum Dose
The Homeopath will prescribe very low amounts of the treatment to be used, compared to western medicine practise. Even though strong herbs could actually help the healing process of the disease, they can also cause side effects. Reducing the concentrations through dilutions results in the patients experiencing a quicker recovery and better results in some cases.
Single Dose
The homeopath will then prescribe a single dose at a time which helps him or her determine if that is the right cure for you or not. That will allow the practitioner to properly observe your recovery without confusing it with other overlapping treatments for related or unrelated conditions, as with western medicine.
When it comes to snoring, there are different treatments you can opt for. They include;
Homeopathic Remedies for Snoring
It is important to note that before trying homeopathy as a solution to snoring or indeed any other ailment, you should carry out a little more research into the potential benefits and indeed be aware of risks. You must protect yourself first and foremost. Never take any substance from any person who is not qualified in the field of homeopathy, or isn’t an approved homeopath.
Study the field of homeopathy further if it interests you to know more. This will enable you to make more informed choices concerning your health and indeed make possible lifestyle changes.
Only choose practitioners who are members of trusted homeopathic practitioners groups and who have a solid track record and good reviews from previous treatments. The regulation for homeopathic medicine is not as well regulated and while there are many genuine practitioners you must protect yourself against the few who aren’t.
While only true homeopaths can prescribe remedies for you based on an assesment of your situation. We will list below some completely natural, and safe things you can try that you may find beneficial to help ease your snoring issue.
So here are some diet based homeopathic remedies you can try for snoring that are safe. The following remedies aren’t truely homeopathic in that they are more focused on utilising the characteristics and physical properties of food and drink to reduce the chances of snoring. They still adhere to some of the ideas around the principles of homeopathy and the holistic lifestyle which include healthy living and good diet;
Honey
For years, honey has been known as a sweetener that we add to most of our drinks and foods. Well, it can also function as a medicinal treatment for snoring. There are basically two components in honey that make it the ideal treatment for snorers.
- Anti-inflammatory and
- Lubricant
The anti-inflammatory aspect of honey helps to reduce the swelling which may have resulted in your throat, allowing you to breathe more easily. Whereas, the lubricant helps by reducing the vibrations in your throat and reduce the effects of snoring.
Garlic
There are different causes of snoring, that much is known. It might be because your throat muscles have swollen or maybe you might be reacting to an allergy. In case you’ve been experiencing snoring during the cold seasons, you might be snoring because of mucus blocking your nasal passages as a result of a cold or flu.
Garlic will treat your illness easily. Garlic will reduce your mucus build up so that you can breathe with ease. If you clear your nasal way, it means you can now breathe normally hence snoring-free nights.
To take in garlic, simply include it in your diet but sometimes you can also eat it raw. All in all, the results is still the same. But be careful when you eat garlic or take it in its capsule form because it can lead to stinky breath temporarily. Best to take it in the evening after work with your dinner.
Fish
Well, this is where most people freak out. As we all know, red meat is said to have high-fat content. That is the main difference between the white and red meat. However, it can be hard passing off a juicy burger for some fish.
But the truth of the matter is that red meat isn’t as good for your health. The fat content might inflame your airway and result in snoring. So, take a cookbook or watch the best way to fry a fish and prepare a delicious meal. Who knows; you might end up finding fish sweeter than red meat.
Soy Milk
We’ve all grown to love dairy milk. However, for a snorer, you might consider changing your diet a bit. Over recent years, scientists and researchers have put soy milk under the microscope and guess what!
It has resulted in some fruitful reports. Snoring can typically be a reaction to allergic substances for instance pollen, dust, and gluten. Most dairy products are full of gluten which can cause inflammation in your airway. The end result is you end up snoring.
On the other hand, soy milk doesn’t contain any glutton. That is why it is important for snorers to switch to soy milk. A theory that hasn’t been scientifically proven is that dairy milk is believed to contribute to the overproduction of mucus. That mucus will lead to congestion in your airway hence resulting to snoring.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is the perfect lubricant for snorers. It will help keep your tissues moist hence reducing the effect of blockages and vibrations in your air passage. This can again help to reduce the effects of snoring in your airway.
Olive oil also increases the tightness of your palate so that your airway will remain open more allowing more air to flow.
Tea
Tea is quite soothing and will help you reduce certain blockages especially if they are caused by mucus in your airways. That will help reduce any type of congestion build up resulting in snore-free nights.
Other remedies worth considering and which we may cover again include;
- Onions
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Marjoram
Ok so whats the final verdict? who will find the most benefit from using the homeopatic remedies to assist them in addressing their snoring for good?
Final Verdict
The above homeopathic diet remedies will help in some cases however it will depend on the severity of your snoring condition. You can either be a severe, average or mild snorer. For the mild snorer, the food can be enough to reduce snoring since they may only snore during the cold seasons or during special cases. If you have done a little more research and feel that homeopathy might be for you then you can always make an appointment with a trusted homeopath locally and let them assess your situation and recommend a tailored solution that may work in your case.
The average snorer is more frequent and louder than the mild snorer. Certain foods may help reduce mild snoring however many people may still need an anti-snoring device to rid themselves of snoring completely. Think of it as being that extra little assistance needed that makes all the difference.
On the other hand, when it comes to the sever snorers, the food alone will not help. You will need to check out the best anti-snoring device article in order to get better help to address the louder snoring that’s present.
The above foods are healthy and natural and are best included in your regular dishes and routine, regardless of whether you snore or not. The best part is that they are relatively cheap and easy to implement with little or no fuss.
We hope you found this article useful and informative. Please check out our other articles and blog for more information on other effective snoring solutions worth considering. Remember everyone’s snoring condition might be different but in many cases there are specific reasons for the snoring. For mild snoring that comes and goes then the above ideas might be worth considering and experimenting with.
For those of you with more prominent snoring i.e. mild to loud then you may be better served with a specific anti-snoring device better suited to giving maximum results when in use.