Bombs Away! Is There a Cure for Snoring?

Nearly everyone knows or is related to someone who snores – and nearly all snorers are the constant butt of jokes. However, snoring may actually lead to a condition called obstructive sleep apnea, and contribute to a heightened risk of hypertension, chest pains, strokes, and heart attacks. If you are seeking a cure for snoring then continue reading on...

Jest no more, for you may be one of those responsible of someone’s sleepless night – and you may find yourself suffering from snoring before long.

There are hundreds of purported cures being marketed as snore-stoppers. Their methods range from herbal pills to contraptions that fit over the mouth and down the throat. Most of the techniques can actually be barbaric, but to the desperate – and the sleepless bed partner – any reported remedy is as good as FDA approved even if it might not be.

So, is there a sure-fire cure for the midnight bombing in bed? To know how to solve the problem, we have to know how snoring occurs.

Part of your throat is made of weak tissue, which can block your airway when you breathe. At the right position, air passing through such a blocked airway can cause vibrations, which compose the trilling bass the makes up snores.

To cure snoring, therefore, we must get to the root of the problem: the flabby, or flapping, airway.

Although there is no one cure for snoring, experts and researchers suggest the following measures to reduce or remove snoring altogether.

• Lose Weight. Most snorers are also obese. Most obese individuals’ larger, fatter necks also have flabby airways, which ultimately lead them to snore more often.

• Stay Off the Booze. Alcohol relaxes nerves, blood vessels, and tissues all about the body, including the airways. This relaxation can cause airways to be partially blocked, and can even make snoring sound louder.

• Put that Cigarette Out. Listen to the Surgeon General and stop smoking! Cigarette smoking can cause the mucous membranes in your nose and throat to swell, so that your airway is increasingly blocked as you smoke more and longer. Cigarette smoking can also cause the tiny blood vessels in your lungs to be blocked or constricted, so that you are always short of breath, even in your sleep.

• Sleep in a Different Position. Snoring often occurs when you sleep on your back. Try sleeping on your side, or prop your head up at least three inches with pillows just in case you roll onto your back during sleep.

• Get Sleep, Don’t Drink It. Stay away from antihistamines, tranquilizers, or sleeping pills.

• Eat Right. The so-called rich foods – cakes, chocolate, pizza, fried chicken – are rich in oils or carbohydrates which can weigh heavily on your stomach. Try to avoid eating them before sleeping, and avoid sleeping on a full stomach, at the very least. This extra weight can press hard on your diaphragm, restricting your breathing and leading you to snore.

• Breathe Some Steam. Steam inhalations can help unblock your airways, especially if laced with some eucalyptus oil. This treatment is not yet approved by any health agency, so consult your family doctor before attempting it.

• Get Some Surgery Done. There are two options for anti-snoring surgery. Urulopalatopharyngoplasty is surgery on the tongue or palate, and involves removal of enlarged tonsils, adenoids, or other tissue which may heighten snoring.

Somnoplasty, on the other hand, makes use of a needle electrode emitting a radio frequency sound wave. This wave scars the base of the tongue or palate, hardening the soft tissue and lessening snoring. This surgery, however, can make swallowing painful and difficult. Its effects also last for only up to five years.

Remember, there is no panacea for snoring – but there are measures that you can take to make sure that you and your sleeping partner can have sweet dreams all night. Try out all of them, stick with what will work, and don’t move on to surgery until you’ve tried everything out.

In the meantime, may you have happy adventures as you experiment with a cure for snoring – and may you have uninterrupted nights in no time.