ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Thirty-seven million Americans snore on a regular basis. But the habit doesn’t just affect the snorer. According to snoring divorce statistics, snoring is the third leading cause of divorce in the US behind infidelity and financial issues. Here are some tips for stopping your snore.
It’s the night-time noise that your bed partner dreads! Snoring can ruin a restful sleep for you and others.
Ryan Soose, MD, Otolaryngologist/Sleep Medicine, at UPMC, says, “It’s estimated that anywhere between 25 percent and up to 50 percent of the US population snores on a regular basis.”
Snoring happens when muscles in your tongue, roof of your mouth, and throat relax and constrict airflow. The result is a vibration of tissues that creates noise. There are many possible causes including: allergies, the shape of your throat, weight gain, large tonsils or adenoids, or sometimes sleep apnea, a condition that causes pauses in breathing while you sleep. And… Dr. Soose says, “Even though there’s hundreds of treatments available, the vast majority are either unproven or ineffective.”
So, what does help? Sleeping on your side. In one study, about half of snorers with sleep apnea were able to stop when they changed to this position. Also, avoid alcohol as it can further relax muscles. Losing weight decreases pressure on your windpipe and allows more air to pass. Nasal dilator strips and this over-the-counter treatment called Theravent may also help some people. Theravent uses your own breathing to create gentle pressure that naturally opens nasal airways. If snoring is severe, you should see a sleep specialist. A CPAP machine, mouthguard, or surgery might be better options for you.
If you’re not sure if you snore, try downloading an app, like Snorelab. It will record sounds and let you listen to them the next day. By the way, about 40 percent of men habitually snore compared to 24 percent of women.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor
Sources:
https://disturbmenot.co/snoring-statistics/
http://curemysleepapnea.com/sleepsource/2013/11/21/sleep-divorce-can-snoring-cause/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02sRG5y_pFg
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/well/live/snoring-causes-solutions.html
https://www.iosleep.com/collections/theravent
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/well/live/snoring-causes-solutions.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/12/well/live/snoring-causes-solutions.html
https://disturbmenot.co/snoring-statistics/
STOP YOUR SNORE!
REPORT #2988
BACKGROUND: At one point or another in life, we have all snored. It is common in the United States where about ninety million Americans suffer from snoring and as many as half of those have obstructive sleep apnea disorder. Sleep apnea is a serious condition, which can lead to serious problems for your heart health if left untreated. Some symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, waking up with a dry mouth, and not paying attention while awake. Mayo Clinic identifies many ways to stop your snore like lifestyle changes, treatment for allergies or the use of certain devices to open a blocked airway.
(Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sleep-apnea/symptoms-causes/syc-20377631#:~:text=Sleep%20apnea%20is%20a%20potentially,occurs%20when%20throat%20muscles%20relax https://sleepalliance.com/blog/90-million-americans-suffer-from-snoring-how-serious-is-your-snoring-issue#:~:text=Snoring%20can%20do%20a%20lot,Obstructive%20Sleep%20Apnea%20(OSA).)
CAUSES: There are different things that can cause sleep apnea and snoring, for starters, obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea is caused when the muscles in the back of your throat relax and narrows the airway or shuts itself as you breathe in, not getting enough air. This can repeat itself five to thirty times an hour and can impair your ability to sleep deeply. Some factors are weight gain, neck circumference, smoking, nasal congestion and even other medical conditions. Gender and age play a role as well. Older males are more likely to suffer from sleep apnea.
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: Sleep apnea can be detected by a doctor and treatment is pretty simple. Natural ways to change milder cases of sleep apnea include simple things like losing weight and working out, not sleeping on your back, drinking alcohol moderately or at all and quitting smoking. If those options do not work, a CPAP machine is the most useful tool that helps keep your passageways open. Some people do find CPAP machine masks to be uncomfortable and loud and if that is the case, there are oral devices that look like mouth guards that position the jaw and open that airway as well.
* For More Information, Contact: Kai Hill
Free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs from Ivanhoe. To sign up: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
