Everyone snores occasionally, even a baby or your beloved pet. But did you know that snoring can affect the quality and quantity of your sleep? Lack of sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, increased health problems and irritability. Snore loud enough and your partner may even banish you to the living room couch.

Sleeping in separate bedrooms is not a solution. In fact there are different types of snoring treatments. Discovering the cause of your snoring and finding the right cure will have a tremendous impact on your quality of sleep, relationship, and overall health.

Please, Stop Snoring

Snoring is like a problem with no solution – especially if it gets in the way of getting a good night’s sleep for both you and your partner. Snoring relief is hard to achieve if you don’t know the cause and severity of your snoring. Identifying the cause will definitely help you choose the right cure.

A non-invasive solution makes more sense to try and see if it reduces or prevents snoring.

1. Elevate the head of your bed
2. Sleep on your side
3. Clear nasal passages
4. Lose weight
5. Limit medications and alcohol

You may also find that snoring persists even with trying the different snoring aid listed above. If your snoring continues then a more complex cure is needed and rest assured, there are still solutions.

What Causes Snoring?

People who snore tend to have nasal and throat tissue that is prone to vibrating. A tongue’s position can also block smooth breathing.

Where Does the Sound Come From?

Snoring is caused by the narrowing of the airway, either from abnormalities of the soft tissues in the throat or poor sleeping habits. A narrow airway tends to get in the way of smooth breathing, thus creating the sound of snoring.

The Way You Snore May Reveal WHY You Snore

In a more obscure way of detecting the cause, the way you snore can lead to different causes like:

• If you snore with your mouth open, the tissues in the throat may be related to your snoring
• If you snore with your mouth closed, the tongue is the suspect
• If you snore only on your back, your snoring is probably mild and an improved sleeping habit and changes in lifestyle might provide the remedy.
• If you snore in all sleep positions, your snoring is more severe and would require a more complex treatment.

Medical Cures and Treatments

If you fail in your efforts to stop snoring, a consultation with your physician or Otolaryngologist may be necessary. If you choose to use an anti snoring device, you may need to consult with a medical professional who specializes in them. The different medical options for snoring are as follows:

• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a machine at your bedside that blows pressurized air into a mask that you wear over your nose or face.
• Dental appliances, oral devices and snoring chin straps are devices which resemble those of mouth guards or chin straps used by athletes that can help open your airway by bringing the lower jaw and tongue forward while you sleep. Most of these appliances, or snoring aid as one might call them, are acrylic and fit inside your mouth or around one’s head and chin to adjust the lower jaw’s position. Dentists specializing in sleep disorders can help you fit for one of these devices.
• Surgeries for snoring include Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), Thermal Ablation Palatoplasty (TAP), tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy are capable of increasing the size of your airway by surgically removing tissues and/or correcting abnormalities. The use of a scalpel, laser or microwave probe would allow surgeons to remove tonsils, adenoids or excess tissue at the back of the throat, inside the nose or jaw reconstruction.

There are a plethora of treatments for alleviating restless nights but before doing so it is best to consult with your doctor to assist in selecting the right snoring remedy for you.