Snoring does not only keep you awake the whole night, but it can also annoy your spouse and even destroy your happy relationship. Your partner may have to put in ear plugs to avoid the noise you cause him/her. Just imagine if you had to use separate bedrooms or even divorce because your spouse can't take it any longer. sounds familiar!!
Besides making you a subject of ridicule, snoring may represent a serious symptom of a sleeping disorder that may be dangerous to your health. According to health specialists, snoring deprives you of adequate rest and disturbs sleeping patterns. Severe snoring may result in serious problems such as sleep apnea (loud snoring interrupted by frequent episodes of suffocation).
Snoring may keep you awake the whole night, and the following day you are tired, your performance at work or school is badly affected and you feel as though you could sleep on your desk at work?
Although some may hear their own snores when they're half awake, most snorers are often unaware that they snore until they are told of it.
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When we sleep, throat muscles become too lax (go into a relax mode), then they may collapse onto the air passages, blocking the free flow of air at the back of the mouth and the nose. When you breathe in your sleep, the tongue, muscles of the upper throat and the soft palate (roof of the mouth that separates nasal and oral cavities) collide with the uvula. Air is force through a narrow airway, causing a loud vibration.
Sometimes the uvula (that soft tissue hovering from the soft palate over the back of your tongue) and throat muscles become swollen, causing an obstruction when you breathe. The swelling is often resultant from nasal blockage. People suffering from nasal polyps often breathe through their mouth, pressing the uvula against the palate, causing it to swell.
Other irritants that may cause the uvula and throat muscles to swell include:
- Alcohol consumption
- Tobacco smoke
- Enlarged tonsils
- Dextromethorphanated cough mixture
- Sleeping pills
- Nasal blockage/polyps
- Deviated nasal septum
- Large adenoids (common in children and overweight people)
- Fat/bulky neck tissue
- Large or swollen uvula
- Allergies to mold, dust and certain foods (wheat, eggs and milk)
Beside alcohol consumption, strangulation and other neck injuries may play a role in your snoring ordeal. Injuries from natural causes such as accidents might not be avoided, but certain activities such as wrestling sports are avoidable suspects of neck injuries that may result in snoring. You will also need to be careful with the collars of your shirt. Too tight collars may irritate neck tissues. |
