Snoring is one of the most common health conditions that can affect anyone. Men and people who are overweight are more frequently affected by it and has a tendency to worsen with age. Snoring is basically due to the vibration of the respiratory structures and the sound either soft or in many cases loud and unpleasant is a result of the obstructed air movement while breathing during sleeping. The air flow obstruction is mainly due to the following reasons,

• Obstruction of nasal airways

Snoring for some people happen only during allergy seasons or when the persons has a sinus infection. Deformities of the nose such as a structural change of the nose or nasal polyps can be the causes of obstruction

• Poor muscle tone in the throat and tongue

The muscle strength in the throat and tongue can be too relaxed. This can cause them to collapse and fall back on the airway. This collapse can be cause during alcohol consumption, deep sleep, for some sleeping pills, smoking or by the normal aging process.

• Bulky throat tissue

Obesity or being overweight, having large tonsils and adenoids is the main cause for having a bulky throat.

• Long soft palate and/or uvula

The uvula is the dangling tissue in the back of the tongue. When a long soft palate or a long uvula can narrow the opening from the nose to the throat causing an obstruction in the airway

There are some serious health risks with habitual snoring. Snoring while sleeping might be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) which can lead to several problems such as,

• Interruptions of breathing
• Frequent waking from sleep
• Light sleeping

This is a result of frequent waking up from sleeping.

• Strain on the heart

Having OSA for a long period of time will lead to increase in blood pressure which causes risks of heart attacks and strokes

• Poor night’s sleep

There are many two types of remedies that a person can do to stop snoring as self-help cures and medical cures.

Self-help cures

Although there are many devices in the market that have shown to help stop snoring nothing has been backed by research. However, there are a few lifestyle changes that can be done in order to stop snoring like, Weight loss to reduce the fatty layer in the region around the neck through exercise it also helps in toning the muscles in the body from arms, legs, abs, chest and the area around the neck. Quit smoking since it is one of the main causes that affect the breathing patterns and will irritate the membranes around the throat. Avoid alcohol, sedatives and sleeping pills since they are mainly used to relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing. Finally, there are a few bedtime remedies such as having regular sleep patterns, clearing nasal cavity, keeping the bedroom air moist, changing sleeping patterns and sleeping on the side rather than on the back.

Medical Cures

If these self-help cures are ineffective and the snoring is constant there are medical cures such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP), palatal implants and somnoplasty.