Causes Of Snoring
Snoring is characterized by a sound produced by the vocal chords and throat when a person is sleeping. Often, the patient does not know that he or she snores because this condition only occurs during sleeping. In most cases, the patient learns that he or she snores after being told by a roommate or partner.
There are many different reasons why a person snores. Most of the time, this is because of fat deposits around the throat that prevent normal passage of air as the patient sleeps. This is the main reason why most, if not all, overweight and obese people snore. Another reason is when the tongue falls back against the throat when the patient is lying on the back. A quick remedy is to make the person lie on the side.
Although there are many devices being sold that promise to cure snoring once and for all, most of these devices rarely work on a long-term basis. The best thing that a person can do is to try to prevent snoring through natural means and to keep fit and healthy to avoid clogging the airways during sleep.
Prevention Of Snoring
If the patient wants to really cease snoring, then it is essential that he or she know how severe it already is and its possible cause. Knowing the reason behind the snoring could help in finding the right treatment for the problem.
There are already a number of devices available to help those who snore. These are non-invasive but could be expensive. Also, there is no real guarantee that these will work. Trying some non-invasive cures first makes sense if the patient wants to see if there is something that can be done to lessen or prevent snoring the natural way. Here are some of the natural measures that the patient can do:
- Work at shedding off some pounds if overweight. This will help remove the fats in the throat.
- Adopt proper sleeping posture by sleeping on both sides.
- Limit the intake of medications.
- Avoid alcohol consumption.
- Stop smoking as this can weaken the throat muscles.
- The patient’s nasal passages should be cleared with nasal sprays before sleeping.
- Sleep with the head elevated.
If the snoring persists after trying these preventive measures, then it may be time for the patient to seek medical help. This is because the snoring might already be a symptom of something serious like sleep apnea.