Posts Tagged ‘Tennis Ball’
Snoring: Why Do We Snore?
Most of us snore at one or another, if not all the time. Some snore loudly, some just purr. Surveys have produced different results, but it is probable that about half of us over the age of 30 snore. The probability of snoring increases with age and obesity and about 60% of men and 40% of women do it regularly, even more do it infrequently.
Snoring is caused when there is an obstruction to the free flow of air in the back of the throat and or nose. This area is ‘collapsible’, so the noise is usually produced by the flapping of the uvula against the soft (upper) palate. Therefore, weak throat muscles or a ‘fat neck’ can aggravate the condition. Consumption of alcohol in the late evening increases the chances of snoring because it relaxes the throat muscles and sleeping on one’s back allows the tongue to slip back and partially block the airway. Also, not everyone is built to exactly the same proportions - some have a longer, narrower palate, which is more collapsible and others have a longer uvula, which is more flappable.
Acupuncture
Some say wearing a ring on one of the little fingers helps because it puts pressure on a relevant acupuncture point. Others put a tennis ball in a sock and sew the sock to the back of their pyjamas. One doctor even suggested that playing the didgeridoo could cure snoring by tightening up and toning the throat muscles.
Consume Less Alcohol
Drinking less the evening, losing weight and sleeping on your side are the best ‘home’ remedies. However, there are also surgical appliances on the market and surgery is available too. The appliances vary, but they range from adhesive strips to hold the nostrils open to ‘mandibular advancement splints’, which, worn in the mouth, ’set the jaws to their optimum position’ [!].
The Social, Psychological, Physical and Medical Problems Cause By Snoring
Snoring can cause serious social, psychological, physical and medical problems and should not be taken too lightly. Socially, families may suffer from having a heavy snorer in the household. Friends and colleagues may not invite a heavy snorer to ’sleep over’ or go on holiday or on business trips together. Psychologically, a snorer may feel ostracised, embarrassed or even victimized for something that is really totally beyond his or her control. Physically, snorers suffer from lack of sleep and all that that entails; for example, daytime drowsiness and the inability to concentrate for log periods of time, which in turn can cause problems at work and in the car - a high proportion of road accidents is caused by the driver dozing at the wheel. Medically, a recent Australian survey reported that, after treatment, heavy snorers were 64% less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, because heavy snoring, which can also be sleep apnoea, puts extra stress on the heart. Obstructive apnoea is the condition where a snorer stops breathing due to complete obstruction of the airway for up to ten seconds seven times an hour while sleeping. This can happen between 30 and 300 times a night. After years of apnoea, hypertension and an enlarged heart may result.
Light snoring is not really serious but even that means obstructed breathing, which is not a good thing. Heavy snoring can be a sign of a problem or a warning of problems to come. A doctor can help; snoring is neither funny nor hopeless.
By: Michael Russell
About the Author:
How To Help Snoring
Need Help For Snoring? How To Help Snoring
To most snoring is a laughing matter. But, if you suffer from snoring or love somebody does, then it’s deadly serious. If Snoring Causes problems for you, just imagine what it does for the person sleeping beside you. One of the biggest problems snoring causes is that it disrupts the sleep of those around you. Simply put, snoring is a serious condition that requires your attention.
If you live with someone that snores on a nightly basis, you may be searching for ways to help snoring. Anything that will ease the noise and give you a night of blissful sleep. A commitment to trial and error should provide you with the opportunities to experiment with different methods to help snoring until you determine the one that works best for you.
Help Snoring With A Tennis Ball
An easy way to help to stop snoring is the modification of the snoring persons sleeping position. If this person snores less when sleeping on their side, consider implementing a sleeping idea that keeps your partner asleep and still keeps them on their side. Purchase a tennis ball and sew it into the back of the pajamas that your partner wears to bed. Positioning this tennis ball provides a discomfort when the person rolls over onto their back, and forces them to return to their side and maintains a snore free position. This way to help snoring does not work for everyone but it is a good place to start. The use of the tennis ball is to modify the sleeping style and pattern of the snoring individual. This simple idea is that the ball will keep the person from sleeping on the back and increase the desired behavior of side sleeping. It is believed that the tennis ball will provide the stimulus to create and modify the unwanted behavior and soon the tennis ball will no longer be necessary once the habit is changed.
Don’t Use A Pillow To Help Snoring
It has been determined that for a person that suffers from snoring, pillows only further enhance the problem. Anything that actively places a kink in the neck while sleeping can cause an individual to snore. For someone that is prone to snoring, this is a combination that will most definitely lead to a noisy and disruptive night. So, a quick home remedy for snoring might be to get rid of the pillows all together and thus prevent that initial kink in the neck and the subsequent struggle over pillow comfort and snore volume.
The Head Of The Bed
Another simple idea in the box of goodies to help stop snoring is to raise the head of the bed. Raising the head of the bed, by placing the two feet of the bed on bricks or another supportive product can reduce often reduce the snoring of the person sleeping in the bed. This is a very easy way to help snoring and is one that is also beneficial for those that become congested during the night or are suffering from a cold or intense allergies. By elevating the upper torso it is possible to prevent the nasal passages from becoming congested and forcing the snoring individual to sleep with their mouth open and thereby increase the sound and amount of snoring that occurs. It’s worth a try.