About half of the men and a quarter of all women snore regularly. Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age and are more common in people who are overweight. The tissue in the back of the throat becomes looser and the greater amount of fat in the back of the throat narrows the airway and vibrates as they sleep. If you cannot breathe through your nose due to nasal obstructions you are more likely to snore.
In the early stages the person snoring suffers no consequences in many cases except the elbow in the ribs from their spouse who cannot sleep. Often sleeping on your side will help as when you are on your back the weight of you jaw and tongue fall back narrowing your airway causing you to labor to breathe resulting in snoring. Sleeping on your side the jaw and tongue fall with gravity away from your airway and you can breathe easier decreasing snoring. Sewing tennis balls into the back of your pajamas to prevent you from rolling onto your back is another home aid. Some people benefit from snore strips on their nose if they have nasal obstructions. Loosing weight will help open up the airway and decrease snoring. Alcohol consumption and drugs to help us sleep also increase snoring. Dental oral appliances much like a sports night guard or a retainer worn at night can hold the lower jaw forward and thus open the airway to allow a person to breathe easier and reduce snoring.
Check back for more information on snoring problems and sleep apnea in our next post.
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