Whether it is the loud snorts and rasps or just gentle snuffles, just about every person snores at one time. Estimates reveal that snoring affects 25% of adults regularly and 45% of adults occasionally. Based on gender, snoring affects a slightly higher percentage of men than women.
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Therefore, snoring is common and widespread. However, it can be light and occasional or may signify a serious sleep-related breathing problem, thus causing variation in its severity and health impact. Therefore, it's important to know the relationship between snoring and sleep, what causes snoring, whether it can affect sleep, and how to manage it.
During breathing, air passes through the mouth, nose, and throat. Snoring results from restriction of the airway, causing tissues such as the adenoids, tonsils, soft palate, and tongue to vibrate against each other as air finds its way through. These vibrations produce a rattling or rumbling noise. Snoring is likely to affect some people more than others.
Below are some conditions that lead to a higher risk of snoring.
Excess Body Fat
Too much fat exerts pressure on the soft tissues and compresses the airway
Using Alcohol and Other Sedatives
They relax muscles, thus restricting airflow
Pregnancy Hormones
These hormones cause inflammation in the nose
Allergies, Colds, Flu, or Irritants in the Air
They cause nasal congestion and inflammation
Having Bulky Soft Tissue such as Enlarged Adenoids, Tonsils, or Tongue
Bulky soft tissues compress the airway, thus causing vibrations
Snoring affects sleep in a bad way. Let's discuss the common question facing people who snore: does snoring affect sleep quality? First, people who snore may not pass the entire sleep cycle due to breathing problems. They may sleep lightly since the body tries to remain awake. People may not realize they are snoring when asleep but tend to toss and turn. You may have a dry and sore throat after waking up and feel fatigued during the day.
Second, snoring for the long term may lead to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If this health disorder goes untreated, it may severely affect sleep and overall health. Untreated OSA may cause drowsiness during the day and serious health implications such as high blood pressure, depression, stroke, cardiovascular issues, and diabetes.
Below are ways you can manage snoring and sleep better:
Making some lifestyle adjustments can help curb snoring. These include:
Being obese or overweight is among the risk factors for snoring. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight can help control snoring and help sleep better.
Limit alcohol intake since it promotes snoring. You should also limit the use of other sedative medications.
Avoid sleeping positions such as back sleeping as it is easier to obstruct your airway. Since getting used to a new position can be a challenge, you can look for specialty devices. Besides, raising the top part of your bed using a pillow elevates your head and can help curb snoring. You may need to elevate the entire mattress too for this treatment method to work.
You can use anti-snoring mouthpieces to hold the tongue or jaw such that it does not obstruct your airway when sleeping. The anti-snoring mouthpiece can be a tongue retaining device that holds the tongue in place and prevents it from sliding back toward the throat or a mandibular advancement device type that holds the lower jaw forward.
Mouth exercises that strengthen the tongue, mouth, and throat can prevent the slackening of muscles that surround the airway. These exercises include tongue stretch, tongue slide, cheek hook, breathing via the nose, or even singing.
You can try different methods to treat snoring, including changing your sleeping position, performing mouth exercises, or changing your sleeping position. However, you may not get the desired outcomes until you have the right mattress. You need quality sleep, and achieving that requires the right mattress. Find the best mattress for you at Land of Sleep locations today!