Snoring maybe caused by several things, not just by nature. Our lifestyles and
health factors can also contribute to our chances of suffering from
snoring.
The following are some examples:
1.) Obesity
Being overweight causes fat to build up around the throat, constricting
the airways more than usual. This can contribute to other conditions
such as a deviated septum, resulting in much more frequent snoring.
There is no quick fix for it. You simply have to lose the weight. They
can take a long time, especially when you're not sleeping well. Since
stress can contribute to bad lifestyle choices and sleeplessness can
contribute stress, sometimes the cause of snoring is also a cause of
continuing obesity. It really can be a vicious cycle.
2.) Drinking too much / Excessive alcohol
Acohol relaxes the throat muscles which as we learned will be the
immediate problem of excessive snoring. By eliminating any alcoholic
beverages just before bedtime you can avoid many of the problems
associated with the snoring.
3.) Smoking
There are many reasons not to smoke and among them are the
modification to your throat. Over time mucous will build up in the
throat to ease the smoke and nicotine passing through it and reduce
inflammation. A larger than normal amount of mucous can be released
which will cause the small blood vessels in the lungs to swell along
with the throat. When this happens the air ways are again being blocked
causing the increased snoring. Sleep apnea is also a problem caused by
these blockages and can cause breathing interruptions. These
interruptions are caused by irregular breathing patterns. This results
to snoring and poor sleep.
4.) Sleep Patterns
Going to
bed at the same time and getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep will help keep
your snoring in check. When your sleep pattern is interrupted your
breathing will become unbalanced which can cause snoring.
Noises from your bed partner or other things will also cause unbalanced
breathing and snoring. Try to make your sleeping area as quiet as
possible. Sometimes soothing sounds or white noises from a recording
will help mask other disturbing sounds.
5.) Sleeping
Positions-Due to gravity pulling on their tongue and throat muscles,
people who sleep on their backs usually have more problems with snoring
than ones who sleep on their sides. Along with the gravity the throat is
in a more restful position, which causes parts of the throat and tongue
to drop down and restrict the air flow cause a person to snore.
By
sleeping in an elevated position there will be some relief. The
recommended amount is about 30 degrees. With this elevation your
diaphragm is relaxed and the tongue won't restrict the air flow through
the throat area.
6.) Allergies,hay fever and smoking may lead to narrowed nasal passages and aggravate snoring.
7.) Drying of the nasal cavities - allergy medications.
8.) Cold and flu - blocked noses.
9.) Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage.
10.) Pot belly - large stomach.
11.) Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
12.) Enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
13.) Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
14.) Swelling of the thyroid gland or goitre.
15.) Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
16.) Medications that initiate relaxation, can cause throat muscle relaxation, eg sleeping tablets, anesthetic drugs, oral steroids and epilepsy drugs.
17.) Abnormal lumps: such as nasal polyps, a large tongue or thyroid
swellings can narrow the airway. In children large tonsils and adenoids
are a common cause of snoring.
18.) Inherited factors: Variations in the shape of the jaw, airway, face or nose may result in some people having a small airway.
In general terms, the main contributor to snoring is a
simple restriction to the airways and this is as a result of any one of
the above factors. In most cases it is as a result of the softening of
the tissue surrounding the airways, or the pressure applied by excess
weight on the air passages.
There are many ways to control snoring and they come in a variety of natural remedies and manufactured prevention devices.
Article Source: www.EzineArticles.com
