How Do I Stop Snoring

Snoring is really noisy breathing when sleeping. Fact is that this a common problem among all ages and both genders. It may occur nightly or intermittently.

Snoring leads to fragmented and unrefreshing sleep which results in day time tiredness and sleepiness. Problem is that snoring causes disruption to the sleep of whoever may be sharing the bed or the room with her or him. This may also lead to relationship problems as being woken up regularly by someone else's snoring is going to disrupt sleep and lead to other problems.

What happens is that the muscles in your throat relax while you are asleep, your tongue falls backward and your throat becomes narro and "floppy". As you breathe, the walls of the throat begin to vibrate - generally when you breathe in, but also, to a lesser extent, when you breathe out. These vibrations lead to the characteristic sound of snoring. The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration and the louder your snoring. Sometimes the walls of the throat collapse completely so that it is completely occluded, creating a condition called apnea (cessation of breathing). This is a serious condition which requires medical attention.
Source: http://www.sleepfoundation.org

Surgery is one option to cure the snoring problem. However, surgery is costly and also it does not really guarantee that the problem can be resolved. Aside from that, there is the "downtime" that you face for the surgery and the recovery.

When you think about "how do I stop snoring", there are also non-surgical remedies.

Amongst the options available are:
- Drug therapies
- Devices
- Appliances

There are many people who use drugs that are medically prescribed that provide some relief from snoring and other related complications.

Basically, these drugs are intended to achieve three things:
o open the nasal passage
o stimulate respiration
o prevent the deep occurrence of Rapid Eye Movement (R.E.M.) sleep

Anti-snoring devices which range from simple to complex. A lot of these devices are available in drug stores or through direct mail. The most common of these are described here.

The "Sandler" Pillow (TM)%
The Sandler pillow (named after its inventor) is designed to compel the sleeper to sleep on his/her side. Since sleeping on the side generally closes the mouth, this can prevent some kinds of mild snoring from occurring (the vibration is still there, but the snoring does not escape the mouth).

The Snore Ball
The snore ball is a device that the snorer puts on the back while sleeping (i.e. putting it in a pouch on the back of their pajamas). When the person moves to sleep on their back - and thus generally opens the mouth while sleeping and emit loud snoring - the snore ball gives them a wake up call of discomfort.

Sleep Position Monitor
The Slepp Position Monitor emits a beeping noise whenever a snorer shifts to where they are sleeping on their back (and hence the mouth typically opens and more/louder snoring occurs).

Nasal Strips
Nasal strips are extremely popular anti-snoring remedies. They are used to widen the nasal valve and thus open up the airway to the throat and lungs. These strips are made (usually) of plastic, adhere to the nose, and are worn throughout the night.

Nasal Dilators
Nasal dilators are most often made of plastic or stainless steel coil, and are inserted into the nostrils during sleep. The impact of these dilators is that they help keep the airway open (similar to nasal strips), and thus cut down on vibration that leads to snoring.

Throat Sprays
Throat Sprays deliver natural lubricating oils to the back of the throat. This can dramatically reduce the amount of vibrations that occur in the trachea during sleep, and thus effectively diminish (if not outright end) snoring. It should also be noted that throat sprays, if used too frequently, can actually cause throat irritation. This can ironically lead to more snoring! As such, users to ensure that the follow the recommended daily dose.

Thronton Adjustable Positioners (TAPs)

TAPs, similar to MAAs (discussed above), push the lower jaw forward and thus keep the tongue from blocking the airway to the lungs (and subsequently preventing noise-causing vibration).

Palate Lifters

Palate lifters expand the palate, and thus reduce vibration in the airway.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

CPAP is the most popular treatment for people suffering from Sleep Apnea.

CPAP's come in a range of sizes, and (not unlike laptop computers); some are easier to carry around than others. However, as you can guess the lighter and more modern the CPAP, the higher the price tag. Some people, too, are a bit reluctant to wear this kind of appliance (which looks rather intimidating to some) while they sleep.

Appliances are mechanisms that are worn inside the mouth and either work on the jaw, the tongue, the palates, or in some cases, all three. A few of them are described here.

Oral Appliances

A number of oral appliances designed by medical professionals (including dentists) are available on the market, and are currently being used with success by millions of people around the world. Couple of brand names include The Silencer%u2122 and the Equalizer%u2122.

The intent of these oral appliances is to act either on the tongue or the jaw and are crafted to achieve a few main anti-snoring goals:

- Keep the mouth shut, and thus prevent the emission of the snoring sound (due to vibration in the trachea)
- Push the jaw slightly forward, thus preventing the tongue from falling backwards during deep sleep and thus obstructing the airway
- Enlarge the airway itself and enable a smoother inhale/exhale, thus reducing vibration

Tongue Retraining Appliances

Tongue retraining appliances are designed to move the tongue forward, and thus alleviate any obstruction to the airway.

These appliances use suction power to literally hold the tongue away from the airflow for several hours; thus preventing the tongue from casually returning to its trained position, which is blocking the airway.

Mandibular Advancement Appliances (MAAs)

"Mandibular Advancement Appliances" are also called "Mandibular Advancement Splints". MAAs are very popular anti-snoring appliances. They look like traditional athletic mouth guards, and are used to keep the jaw in place and prevent it from falling back during sleep, and thus blocking the airway.

Allergy Alert!

People are typically aware of major allergies but not to things that promote congestion, runny eyes, and minor breathing difficulty. The idea here is to carefully monitor any adverse reactions that you might have to food, drink, or anything at all (including pets!). Anything that leads to congestion can enhance snoring.

So if, for example, you discover that an hour after you drink milk you feel stuffy, then watch out if you're a snorer! Simply changing your diet around, or in this case choosing to avoid milk - or at least not drink it close to bedtime - could substantially improve your snoring problem.

Weight Loss

Excess weight can contribute to snoring due to excess skin in the neck area providing more flesh/tissue for air to vibrate against.

In light of this, losing weight can not only lead to profound health improvement and lowering the risk of a dizzying array of problems (such as heart disease and stroke), but it can also lead to a snore-free life; a nice bonus indeed!

Healthy Living

A healthy lifestyle is conducive to not snoring. Some healthy living suggestions that can help alleviate or outright cease some forms of snoring are:

- avoiding alcohol (promotes too much relaxation of the trachea)
- avoiding sleeping pills (same as above)
- quitting smoking (can irritate the trachea and lead to congestion)
- avoiding caffeine and other diuretics (dehydration can lead to respiratory problems)

Throat Exercises

Exercises that help strengthen and tone the muscles in the throat can help alleviate snoring and, in some cases, actually get rid of it altogether. Here are three simples way of improving throat strength/toning throat muscles:

- Take a pencil and hold it between the teeth for up to 5 minutes. The grip should be firm, but not painful at all.
- Take your finger and gently press against your chin for a few minutes (no more than 3).
- Push your tongue against your lower row of teeth for about five minutes.

These exercises should be performed just before bedtime, and no strain should occur. It should not at all be a painful experience! The goal is simply to retrain some of the throat muscles that have lost their tone through a variety of factors, including age itself. Any or all of the above exercises should help tighten the neck muscles, and thus lead to less airway vibration (and subsequent snoring).

Additional exercises that help tone the overall body can also help with snoring. There are a number of factors, however, that will determine if the fat that has gathered around the neck is actually going to reduce; if an individual is genetically predisposed to acquire fat in that area, it could last for quite a while.

Throat Muscle Toners

Throat muscle toners help strengthen the muscles in the throat, thus reducing some of the loose skin and hanging tissue that can lead to vibration, and hence, lead to snoring.

These throat muscle toners generally aim to achieve the following:
- restore throat muscle strength
- keep the air channel open
- allow the air to flow to the lungs without any obstruction

Muscle toners are, like most non-surgical devices, un-medicated, non-habit forming, and generally inexpensive. Throat muscle toners come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and even colors to suit individual preferences and requirements.

There are a number of books that provide a natural way for those people who ask "how do I stop snoring".

The Stop Snoring Exercise Program

Christian Goodman who is the creator of The Stop Snoring Exercise Program has based his book on his own experience of having nored horribly for 20 years and then having found the cure.

His program first diagnoses your snoring problem and then gives you a simple, step-by-step program that is aimed specifically at YOUR causes for snoring.

He provides a complete, step by step guide to stop your snoring with a total of 24 exercises you can use.

You don't have to use them all. The introduction quickly let's you diagnose your airway blocks in just 3 minutes. After that, you can choose from 7 different programs based on how much time you have each day to exercise... even if you have just 3 minutes a day.

He has also included the exercises on audio, so you can download them and burn them to a CD and exercise the program wherever you are. If you (or your snoring partner) easily forgets these easy "chores", this is an amazing way to make sure you get results.

The guide is completely illustrated so the exercises become crystal-clear. It literally takes you by the hand, step-by-step to make sure you do the exercises correctly.

Cost: $49
Guarantee: Test for 8 weeks
Website: The Stop Snoring Exercise Program

Stop Your Snoring Now (TM)

Juan Walker, an eight-year snorer, uses his experience in curing his snoring in producing
Stop Your Snoring Now (TM) . He did it without surgical procedures, medications, over-the-counter products or devices.

He shows you the fast and easy way to stop snoring in as little as 7 days, so you too can start living a better life, getting a great night's rest (along with your significant other), and waking up feeling refreshed and full of energy.

Cost: $29.95 (Limited time special offer)
Guarantee: Risk-Free 60 Day Money Back Guarantee
Website: Stop Your Snoring Now

Snoring can be cured for most people. It does need action on your part. Whatever device or program you decide on, make sure you put in the time and effort to make it work.

Especially with eBooks, you have the opportunity to practice their exercises and if you find that it does not work, you can get a refund.