This Is Why You Need To Deal With Your Snoring Problem Now
It seems like most people don’t take snoring too seriously. If you have a snoring problem, you’ve probably been teased by your family or friends.
And while this problem can make some people laugh, it can also make others extremely tired, unfocused, and frustrated.
Simply put, snoring interferes with sleep – there’s no other way around it.
Chronic diseases like sleep apnea can cause a ton of problems for your health and loud snoring can leave your partner sleepless.
What’s more, snoring is even a source of conflict and tension between thousands of couples. According to new research, every fourth couple sleeps in separate rooms because of snoring. (1)
Moreover, NSF estimates that around 90 million people in the US cope with snoring problems.
What Exactly Causes Snoring?
Before we tell you how snoring can affect your overall health, let’s talk about what actually causes it.
In short, it happens when the airflow through your nose and mouth is blocked by something.
Now, the airflow can be blocked by a number of different things, including:
1. Clogged Nasal Airways
In some cases, people only snore when they have a sinus infection or during the allergy season.
However, things like a deviated septum and nasal polyps can clog their nasal airways and cause them to snore all the time.
2. Lack Of Throat Muscle Tone
If your tongue and throat muscles are too relaxed, they will collapse during sleep, and fall back into your airway.
That happens when you consume too much alcohol or use sleeping pills.
What’s more, aging can cause the relaxation of these muscles.
A good solution for this problem is a mouthpiece that keeps your tongue in place. If you feel like you need one, check this SnoreRx Review and see a few models.
3. Long Uvula Or Soft Palate
A long uvula or a soft throat palate can significantly narrow the opening in your mouth.
When these organs vibrate during sleep, they usually bump against each other, which cause airway obstructions.
That results in loud snoring during the night.
Why You Need To Deal With Snoring ASAP?
Those are a few things that cause snoring and now we should say a few words about the health risks associated with this problem.
What few people seem to realize is that chronic snorers are at risk for serious health issues, including:
1. Heart Disease
For starters, experts have linked sleep apnea to a number of cardiovascular diseases like coronary artery disease and chronic high blood pressure for decades at this point.
If these issues aren’t handled in a timely manner, they can eventually lead to a heart attack.
Research suggests that people who suffer from sleep apnea have a 50% bigger chance of suffering a heart attack than ordinary people. (2)
Luckily, studies have also shown that treating your sleep apnea with CPAP reduces the risk of a heart attack.
2. Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease
This disease, more commonly referred to as GERD is pretty common in people who suffer from sleep apnea. This condition causes the contents of your stomach to flow back up into your esophagus.
And what causes people who suffer from sleep apnea to develop GERD?
This happens because of the way their throat closes while the air moves in and out of their lungs during the night.
The disorderly way their throats move causes pressure changes, which suck the contents of their belly back up into the esophagus.
3. Excess Weight And Obesity
Did you know that almost 60% of people with sleep apnea are overweight? (3)
This usually happens because the additional fat collected around the neck makes breathing harder during sleep. But, don’t worry too much, there is some good news for you.
Recent research has shown that losing weight can relieve the symptoms related to sleep apnea.
Therefore, if you have a few extra pounds, and your spouse and family members are teasing you about snoring, you should go visit your doctor and ask him to refer you to a sleep specialist.
4. Mental Health Problems
As you saw above, snoring can cause some severe physical problems. What’s worse, it can also have a huge effect on your mental well-being.
As a matter of fact, new research has linked snoring and sleep apnea with mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.
According to a recent study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people who experience more daytime sleepiness have a greater chance of having depression symptoms. (4)
Although scientists are still studying the relationship between the two, treating sleep apnea is known to ease the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
How To Solve Your Snoring Problem?
Snoring may be a huge problem, but luckily, it’s not incurable. There’s a number of different ways you can handle this problem.
You just need to make a few small lifestyle changes, and you’ll be able to reduce your snoring to a minimum.
1. Try Losing Some Weight
This doesn’t mean you should try losing 50 pounds.
Research has shown that even losing a few pounds – around 5% of your overall body weight – can make a huge difference when it comes to snoring.
2. Switch Your Sleeping Position
If you’re sleeping on your back, chances are, you snore at least every once in a while.
Try sleeping on the side if you want to diminish both the intensity and frequency of snoring.
3. Seek Treatment For Respiratory Issues
Lastly, if your snoring problems seem too complicated to handle on your own, get some professional help.
Just talk to the sleep specialist about some of the medication you’re taking. Sleeping pills, for instance, can aggravate your situation.
Final Thoughts
In the end, if you believe there’s even a slight chance you’re suffering from sleep apnea, we recommend you talk a doctor right away.
Here are some of the more common symptoms of acute sleep apnea:
- Loud snoring through the night;
- Breathing problems during sleep;
- Dry mouth and morning headaches;
- Feeling of doziness after a full night of sleep;
- Frequent mood swings and feelings of anxiety.
The bottom line is this – you don’t have to live with uncomfortable snoring for the rest of your life.
So if you have any problems with snoring – don’t hesitate to take action as soon as possible.
