Tips For
Snorers
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Lose weight. Striking changes can sometimes be seen in the
snoring pattern with the loss of only a few pounds or
kilograms.
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Decrease or stop intake of alcohol, antihistamines,
sleeping pills, or any other drugs that may be contributing
to the problem. All these medicines can cause relaxation of
the muscles, and some (namely, alcohol) can cause actual
swelling of the tissues. These chemicals can be dangerous;
they can convert simple snoring into sleep apnea, with all
its problems. Ask your doctor whether any of your
prescription medicines may be contributing to the snoring
problem.
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Sleep regularly, and sleep long enough to decrease the
amount of deep sleep. The more tired you are, the more deep
sleep you will have. Sleep deprivation itself predisposes
one to snoring. Regular sleep habits, and adequate time for
sleep every night, will help to prevent this
tendency.
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Sleep on your side. Lying on your back narrows the airway
more than does lying on your side. Some people pin clothes
pegs to the back of their pajamas, or sew a tennis ball to
their pyjamas between the shoulder blades, to make it more
comfortable to sleep on their side.
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Humidify the air that you breathe at night. Dry air causes
irritation in the nose and airways and can cause
obstruction.
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Stop smoking and exposing yourself to irritants. Chronic
swelling of the mucous membranes from smoking can cause
snoring.
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Raise the head of the bed. This simple maneuver
often helps to open the airway. A brick placed
underneath the legs at the head of the bed is all
you need.
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Anyone who snores significantly should see a doctor
for an ear, nose, and throat examination (to rule
out anatomical or inflammatory causes for
narrowing) and for a blood-pressure
measurement.
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Allergies can be the cause of swelling in the nose
and throat - either acute or chronic. If you
suspect allergy may be a contributing factor, see
your doctor.
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Chronic snoring in children merits medical
attention. It can cause decreased performance at
school, irritability, inability to concentrate, and
personality change, all reflections of excessive
daytime fatigue.
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More than three hundred patents have been
registered for simple antisnoring devices. Some of
the most successful of these are orthodontic-type
devices that hold the airway open. These may be
helpful to some people, especially milder cases;
are usually inexpensive; and have no side effects
or complications.
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Surgical treatment for snoring should be a last
resort, and usually involves removing the uvula,
some of the tissues of the soft palate, and even
some of the muscle on the side wall of the pharynx.
This can be done by an ear, nose, and throat
surgeon, using traditional surgical techniques to
trim away these tissues or using laser surgery.
These surgeries are particularly helpful for those
people who have a large redundant uvula or a large
soft palate. The success rate in curing snoring
approaches 80 percent. Like all surgeries, both
types involve some complications and are not
appropriate for everyone. Consult your
doctor.
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If you suspect that you may have sleep apnea, and
not simple snoring, it is important that you have
an adequate medical assessment, preferably a sleep
study. Surgery alone may not cure sleep
apnea.
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