Snoring - About, Causes and Treatment

Snoring – “Sawing Logs”
What causes snoring?
How to stop snoring?

Snoring - "Sawing Logs"

Snoring results from narrowed or blocked airways in either the throat or nasal passageway

This causes inhaled air to move faster and the sound of the snore is the vibrations as air struggles to get through the soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils and/or muscles in the back of your throat

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What causes snoring?

Structural abnormalities

Nasal polyps. Benign growths typically caused by chronic infections and/or allergies. Usually disappear when cause is treated. Can also be removed in outpatient procedure under anaesthesia.
Enlarged adenoids (lymphoid tissue behind the nose)

Being overweight

Excessive fat in neck squeezes throat, making it more likely to collapse during sleep

Allergies / Cold

Allergies and colds causes nasal blockage or narrowing. Having a blocked nose necessitates breathing through the mouth. In the article referenced below by Dr. A Hodson, most children with blocked nose have their lips slightly separated and look relaxed, and so a blocked nose is often missed by doctors. Adults tend to acquire a certain shape to the mouth which displays the upper front teeth.
Common allergies include: consuming wheat, milk; dust; pets; feathers. An article by British doctor Dr A H Hodson talks about the connection between a blocked nose / snoring and allergies. He found out unexpectedly that cutting out dietary wheat and milk stopped his storing. (Also that going on the “Stone Age diet”, omitting typical allergy-causing foods, caused easy weight loss regardless of calorie intake)

Drinking alcohol / Taking sedatives

Just a couple of drinks can depress the central nervous system (CNS). Causes throat muscles in the back of the throat to relax and promotes congestion by dilating nasal blood vessels.

Sleeping on your back

Base of tongue and soft palate rest against the back of the throat, blocking the airway and causing a vibrating sound. The New York Times reported a >2000 person study finding that 54 percent of snorers were “positional snorers“, finding that as a person’s BMI increases with their weight, the likelihood of being a positional snorer decreases.

Overtiredness

When you are overtired throat muscles become more relaxed

Dry air

Sleep Apnea

A likely cause of snoring, if snoring is loud, frequent and combined with excessive daytime sleepiness. More common in men. Also, people with sleep apnea tend to be overweight
A person with sleep apnea stops breathing while asleep. In an attempt to inhale, a suction is created collapsing the windpipe and blocking air flow. Consequently, blood oxygen levels fall causing the brain to wake the person up, who then snorts or gasps for air and then goes back to sleep and resumes snoring, without being consciously aware of being woken up. This cycle of is repeated possibly hundreds of times throughout the night. By preventing the ability to reach the deepest stages of sleep, this results in daytime drowsiness.

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How to stop snoring

The objective of a snoring remedy is to have a more open and smoother airflow through the nose and throat.

Avoid allergens

Dietary allergens

Try avoiding dairy in the evening. May cause mucus build-up in the throat for some. Eating wheat seems to be a common allergy associated with snoring.

Other allergens

Change Your Pillows. Alternatively – put them in the dryer every couple of weeks to control dust mite population
Dust the bedroom. Including overhead fans
Keep pets out of the bedroom

Change Your Sleep Position

Sleep on your side. Reduces gravitational effect on tissues in the throat and helps keep the airways open.
Use a full-length body pillow. Supports your entire body can help you stay on your side
Elevate your head. Prevents tissues in the throat from falling into air passages. Achieved by using extra or special pillows (can cause neck pain), or else raising head-end of bed

Lose weight

Losing weight doesn’t help everyone. If you started snoring after gaining weight, losing it may help.

Avoid Alcohol 3 to 4 hrs before bed

Open nasal passages

Works if the problem is in your nose, but not if within the soft palate. Allows air to move through more slowly than when passageways are narrowed, making snoring less likely.

Use nasal strips. Small plastic strips put pressure on either side of nose to lift /open nasal passages
Take a decongestant or antihistamine just before going to bed.
Saltwater nasal rinse
Use a neti pot. Alternatively, rinse using a spray bottle of saltwater solution whilst showering before bed.

Peppermint mouthwash gargle

Shrinks nose and throat linings

Moisten nasal passages

Use a humidifier or steam vaporizer in the bedroom.
Keep well hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to moisten secretions in the nose and soft palate.
Take a hot, steamy shower before bed

Get plenty of sleep

When you are overtired throat muscles become more relaxed

MSM

Spray or apply a 16% solution of MSM inside each nostril before going to bed. This works for 80-90% of cases by stopping tissue vibrations at the back of the throat.

MSM

Research at Oregon Health Sciences University with 35 subjects suffering from chronic snoring has shown that MSM, as a 16 percent water solution administered to each nostril 15 minutes before sleep, provided significant reduction in 80 percent of the subjects after one to four days of use. As a control, in eight patients showing relief with MSM, saline solution was substituted for MSM without their knowledge. Seven of eight patients resumed loud snoring. The change occurred within 24 hours of the substitution. After the MSM treatment was restored, these eight again showed a significant reduction of snoring. “On Our Way Back to Health With Sulfur” By Beth M. Ley

Research at Oregon Health Sciences University with 35 subjects suffering from chronic snoring has shown that MSM, as a 16 percent water solution administered to each nostril 15 minutes before sleep, provided significant reduction in 80 percent of the subjects after one to four days of use.
As a control, in eight patients showing relief with MSM, saline solution was substituted for MSM without their knowledge. Seven of eight patients resumed loud snoring. The change occurred within 24 hours of the substitution. After the MSM treatment was restored, these eight again showed a significant reduction of snoring. “On Our Way Back to Health With Sulfur” By Beth M. Ley

Herbs

Nettle tea. Purported to help any respiratory inflammation related to allergies. Drink up to 3 cups of Nettle Leaf Tea a day – the last cup just before bed.
Oak or Oregon Grape root. Make a cup of tea using 2 teaspoons of either herb. Allow tea to steep for 15 minutes and then strain. Use tea cooled to room temperature to gargle or as a nasal rinse.