Recent Articles
Using Surgery To Prevent Snoring
Sep 22, 2008 Snoring/Sleep Apnea Leave a comment
If snoring really aggravates your sleeping partner then it may be time for you to consider surgery to prevent snoring. Surgery for some people is a radical method to resolve their snoring dilemma but for a number of people it is the only way to stop. There are quite a few types of surgeries that can be performed but not all of them have the same success and every surgery has its own pros and cons.
If you find yourself making chainsaw noises at night then schedule an appointment with your doctor to check out your snoring problem especially if you have tried all the snoring prevention device and over the counter remedy to no effect.
Widening Airways
Surgery to prevent snoring works to widen the airways and relieve your breathing. One procedure that is used to prevent your snoring is Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. It’s quite a mouthful and it certainly does a lot. When you go under the knife you will be removing your tonsils, part of the soft palate and the uvula.
Surgery to prevent snoring using this procedure appears to be temporary. Only about half of patients who have undergone treatment using this surgical procedure report any improvement after two years. Using this procedure to prevent snoring appears to be temporary. Others find that inside two years they have the same old problems once more with snoring.
Laser Procedures
There is a surgery to prevent snoring that uses lasers if you find that the cost of the above procedure seems to be too much for you then. . You will shorten your uvula with this procedure. Lasers are also used to vaporize parts of your soft palate with this surgical procedure.
This procedure uses only local anesthetic compared to the general anesthetic used in the above procedure
This is a recommended procedure if you have already had your tonsils removed. However you should be warned that it is not completely effective. Although their snoring was much better than before, many people who have undergone the procedure reported that their sleeping partners were still not happy with their snoring.
Palate Stiffening
Surgery to prevent snoring that involves stiffening the palate of the mouth is also performed. It is considered quite effective for many people, with a high rate of people finding relief in the long term. Though in the short term more than 90% of people are able to cure their snoring problems using this procedure. If you think that you could benefit from surgery to prevent snoring then you should talk to your doctor about having this procedure done. Although not completely effective it may help to reduce your snoring problems.
Control Snoring By Making Lifestyle Changes
Sep 22, 2008 Snoring/Sleep Apnea 2 Comments
People often joke about snoring and there are people who do not take it very seriously.
On the other hand snoring at night may possibly be a sign of a sleeping disorder, or other serious illnesses. It can drive couples apart, as it creates tension in the bedroom when you are continually waking up your partner.
You can now purchase a large selection of over the counter snoring cures, but before you head to the pharmacy learn how to control you snoring with a few lifestyle changes. Looking at your habits before bedtime can help you understand why you are snoring and teach you how to control snoring.
Create A Healthy Lifestyle
Learn how to control snoring by having a healthy lifestyle. Has your snoring increased lately due to an increase in your weight? Did you know that the two are related? Obesity and being overweight in general can contribute to snoring. An excessive amount of throat tissue or floppy throat tissue leads to snoring. One way to beat this is by increasing your exercise. Losing weight can assist in managing your snoring.
Smoking is bad for you; learn how to control your snoring by trying to reduce or even quit your smoking habit. Smoking or even being exposed to second hand cigarette smoke, causes breathing problems. A lot of smokers experience lung and nasal congestion. This is further complicated by the fact that smoking relaxes the throat muscles, which can results in snoring. Giving up smoking will help control snoring as well as improve your overall health.
Looking at things such as excessive alcohol will also show you how to control snoring. Before bedtime avoid alcohol. If you have to drink alcohol before you sleep limit yourself to one or two drinks at most. You will find that cutting down on alcohol helps to prevent snoring.
If you have trouble getting to sleep and take sleeping pills then this could be another reason that you are snoring. Sleeping pills also sedate the muscles in the throat making them go lax and eventually you will start snoring.
Did you know that the way you sleep can control your snoring. Lying on your back will encourage snoring while lying on your side will help prevent snoring.
It can be difficult to sleep on your side if you have been sleeping on your back for a long time. One way to train yourself to sleep on your side is to place a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of your pajamas. This way whenever you sleep on your back you will be prevented from doing so and slowly you will start sleeping on your side.
These lifesytyle changes can not only help you control snoring, but help in all other areas of your life.
Stop Snoring Remedies
Sep 19, 2008 Snoring/Sleep Apnea Leave a comment
Snoring is a very common problem, especially in adult men. Snoring is the blockage of airflow when you are sleeping, and the loud sound of snoring is nothing more than the palate and the throat rubbing against one another in an effort to gain air. Snoring is a relatively harmless problem, but it is a problem none the less. What are the stop snoring remedies?
There are a few simple steps that can be taken in order to cure snoring without having to head to the doctor’s office. In some cases these steps may not be successful as your snoring problem could be the result of a more serious problem such as enlarged adenoids or tonsils, in which case you should consult a doctor. Check out some of these preventative measures that are explained below.
1. Sleeping on your back: Sleeping on your back can be a big cause of snoring. In this case you will want to make an effort to move your sleep position to sleeping on your side. Although it is hard to control exactly how you sleep, there is a trick that will greatly help you to sleep on your side. If you will take a tennis ball and put it in a sock and then put it in the back of your pants (around the small of your back) you will roll over on your back only to quickly roll back onto your side.
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2. Keeping a close watch on the substances that you intake: Things like smoking and drinking in excess can definitely lead to snoring. It is recommended that you do not drink at least four hours before going to sleep as alcohol relaxes the throat muscles and constricts the air flow. Also, antihistamines and sleeping pills will have the same affect as alcohol thus making it hard for airflow.
3. Watch your weight: If you are overweight or are in the beginning stages of gaining some extra pounds, make an effort to shed those pounds. When you gain weight or are already obese, fat will store up around your neck and will cause the throat to become constricted. This constriction will greatly reduce the amount of air that you take in, thus causing you to snore. If you are overweight make an effort to lose weight by exercising on a daily basis and by eating a healthy and balanced diet. By taking this step you will greatly increase the chances to cure snoring.
4. Try over the counter remedies: There are many medicine and herbal remedies that can be used to help in snoring. There are different medicines, creams, and even devices like nasal strips that will cure snoring in a major way. Before purchasing any of these herbal or synthetic remedies be smart and read up about them. Check online and print consumer articles that help in determining which remedy is right for you. Know that all humans are designed differently so you may have to try a few out before finding one that works for you.
Although snoring is a common problem and these stop snoring remedies should help in many cases, still it is a problem that should not be taken with a grain of salt. Often times snoring can be a product of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing for short periods of time when you are sleeping (usually around 10 to 12 seconds). If these suggestions seem not to work for you, it is a good idea to consult with your doctor to make sure that you do not suffer from sleep apnea. Take these preventative steps and sleep better by using these cures for snoring.
Sleep Position and Snoring: Is there a link?
Sep 17, 2008 Snoring/Sleep Apnea Leave a comment
You may have heard that sometimes there is a connection between your Sleep Position and Snoring.
In many ways this is correct as snoring happens when a person starts breathing through their mouth rather than their nose. This dries up the throat and causes the tissue in this area to vibrate as air passes over it which is the noise we call snoring. Obviously your mouth is more likely to fall open when you sleep on your back, so you see an obvious connection between this sleep position and snoring.
Keeping yourself on your side or stomach is going to help with the problem of snoring tremendously, although this can be difficult for some people.
There is the common advice of sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pajamas so that when you roll onto your back you feel that and are pushed back onto your side. This advice when it comes to your sleep position and snoring cessation can actually backfire as of course it's very uncomfortable to roll onto a tennis ball and many who try this find they wake up during the night every time this happens.
A better idea for keeping yourself in the best sleep position for snoring cessation might be to use some pillows under one of your sides. This can prop you up even when you roll onto your back and keep you from being in a bad position during sleep. You can also try a body pillow or large pillow in front of you to clutch while sleeping; there's something about the action of keeping your arms and legs wrapped around such a pillow that keeps you on your side. The support you get in front might help to keep you in the best sleep position and Snoring cessation.
Your sleep position and snoring are not the only issues when it comes to this habit. If your mouth and throat are overly dry or if you have sinus problems, allergies, asthma, or are severely overweight you can also find that you snore constantly. All of these conditions should be treated whether they cause snoring or not, but usually keeping your bedroom adequately ventilated with a humidifier or warm mist vaporizer can also help. While your sleep position and snoring is often related these other conditions can cause problems related to snoring and may need the attention of a doctor.
Can Warm Hands Help You Sleep?
Feb 15, 2008 Insomnia 2 Comments
Not sure how many of you caught the segment on the Today show a while back, but they were referring to new research about innovative ways to help insomniacs.
Dr. Matthew Ebben of Weill Cornell medical center in NYC said one of the most common sleeping problems from which Americans suffer — insomnia - would be better treated with cognitive behavioral therapy, not a new bed.
I have heard of cognitive behavioral therapy before - it's used to treat all kinds of ailments.
Now they're using it to control the temperature in the hand and feet before you go to bed.
Why? Because during the day, core body heat rises and peaks during the mid-afternoon. Then, in the evening, body temperature begins to falls gradually and rises in the limbs. Rising temperature in the limbs at night has been associated with sleep initiation.
So they are having participants in a study use a biofeedback device, with the hope of teaching insomniacs how to train their body for ideal sleep conditions. Results have found that raising the temperature in the hands and feet before bedtime may promote sleep.
Participants in the study warm their hands and feet through relaxation techniques like visualization and deep breathing, which helps to draw the blood from the core of the body to the extremities, says Dr. Ebben.
Scientists are trying to take advantage of this knowledge to artificially raise the temperature in the limbs of insomniacs – making them sleepy. At the sleep lab, study participants, who have trouble getting to sleep, view a monitor that displays different images, like a setting or rising sun. Temperature probes read the person's hand and foot temperatures, causing the image of the sun to rise if they are successfully raising their temperature, and set if they are cooling down.
Sounds interesting, but am I the only one that wonders if just warming your hands and feet before going to bed will have the same effect?
