April 19 - National Snoring Week - 22nd-26th April

Snoring is a nightmare, especially if you’re not the one snoring! The worst thing is that even if you’re the one snoring, you don’t even sleep well. No one is rested in the morning, whether it is the person who snores or the person who hears snoring. I even know someone who snores so loudly that she wake herself up… And yes, snoring affects both men and women.

Why do we snore?

There are actually several reasons for snoring. The British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association, which helps people control their snoring, offers a simple and free online test to find out the cause(s) of your snoring. When we have a cold and a stuffy nose, we are going to snore no matter what. The snoring noise comes from an airway obstruction, in the throat area like the jaw, the tongue, the palate, or the nose. The cause of this obstruction is physical but most of the time there are external factors that create it, and it can be avoided by changing our habits.

“External” causes:

Some causes are easier to remedy than others. Snoring can be caused by smoking, drinking or sleeping pills. Overeating and/or lack of exercise (i.e. being overweight) can induce snoring too. Your sleeping position can also be a factor: when you sleep on your back you are more likely to snore, as gravity kicks in and increases the tendency of the tongue and soft palate to fall back on the throat, blocking the air.

Temporary causes

Nasal congestion can be caused by a cold but also by respiratory allergies. Allergic rhinitis can lead to a stuffed nose and sneezing, among other things, and that doesn’t help to have a good night’s sleep. Thankfully, respiratory allergies are usually temporary. If you can avoid the cause of the allergic reaction, such as dust particles, pet hair, smoke and anything with a strong smell, you should be able to prevent the snoring.

Physical causes

Snoring can be caused by the size and shape of your nostrils (which creates naturally nasal congestion), or by the fact that you sleep with your mouth open.

Sleep apnoea

Suffering from OSA, Obtrusive Sleep Apnoea, means that you stop breathing temporarily during your sleep, every night. The lungs no longer receive air because of an obstruction of the upper airway, due to lack of tone in your throat muscles. The sleep disorder is made worse by sleeping on your back, smoking, drinking and so on, and induces snoring. If you think you may suffer from OSA you can be diagnosed in a sleep clinic.

Treatments

There is no cure for snoring, just ways of controlling the causes. First of all, avoid smoking, drinking, and try and lose weight if a fat neck is what causes your snoring. Basically, work on reducing all the “external” causes. You can also use devices to open your nostrils or hold the lower jaw and tongue forward (“Mandibular Advancement Devices”) as well as mouth-breathing devices. Changing pillows and trying nasal strips or dilators can suffice to stop snoring. Find the right remedy for you in our online shop now! And if nothing else works, you can also undergo surgery.

Why not use National (Stop) Snoring Week to try and stop snoring? Try and follow the 90 Day Snore-No-More Plan created by the British Snoring charity, and share your experience with your fellow Ostrich blog readers!