Products to Stop Snoring

You are not alone if you are frequently awakened by midnight grunts. So many fall victim to snores, regardless if they are the snorer or the bed partner.

Snoring is the condition simply associated with noise created during sleep. There are various conditions that may be considered as its cause but the bottom line is- it is all due to any blockages directly affecting the throat, mouth and nose.

Snoring may be due to the following conditions:

Excess mass in the throat. This may be caused by extra long soft palate or uvula and excess tissues due to bulky necks. Because the throat is limited in space, it is often not ideal if there would be extra muscles that would be dangling in it.

Overweight people often snore since their necks are a bit stuffier than ordinary-built people. Some children, on the other hand, snore when they have inflamed adenoids or large tonsils.

Poor muscle tone of the throat and the tongue. Muscles during sleep are less tense thus those muscles found in the air passages are likely to be encouraged to collapse or collide with each other. This collision will then cause vibrations that we call snores.

Because of poor muscle tone, the tongue is allowed to fall back to the throat. This then is known to cause blockages since the tongue can possibly obstruct the passage of air.

Poor muscle tone may also be induced through taking alcohol or any substance that causes relaxation before sleep.

To resolve snoring, one either has to find relief from these causes or permanently erase the main source of the condition.

There are various methods of treating the causes of snoring through using stop snoring devices. From nasal strips to adjustable beds, you are sure to find one that will suit your preferences and convenience.

Be warned though that some products are known to induce no relief for the snorer. However, don't jump to conclusions that such don't actually work. Often, it may be because the products are not properly used or they simply don't fit as remedies for a specific type of snoring.

Nasal strips for example should only be used by those people who, for the most parts, is affected by snores rooting from problems in the nasal passages. These nasal strips then are not suited for snorers whose primary problem comes from the blockages found in the mouth.

While most patients are familiar with stop snoring sprays, not all people report that these actually induce relief. Often, people comment of its credibility. This is especially true for those types who claim of "softening throat tissues". It is good to remember that snoring is not caused by either soft or hardened tissues but of those that block the air passages.

Another common product for snoring are the stop snoring pillows. These are not your-ordinary-pillows since they are constructed specifically for people who have the need to lie on their sideward sleeping position.

Lying flat on the back while sleeping can effectively narrow the passages of air. Add the fact that the jaw is often forced to drop to give room for the tongue, thus adding up to the pile of problems caused by blockages.

Before buying any products to treat snoring, it is best to educate yourself well so you can get the best of the benefits.

The Culprits: Causes of Snoring

So what truly cause snoring. This may be quite a hard-to-answer question when were talking of only one cause. For in fact, there are many basic contributors that all funnel into the greater source of the problem.

Medically, snoring is defined as a noise caused by vibration from the airways of the respiratory tract that only appears during sleep.

The big question here is that, why, of all state, do we only experience snoring during restful moments?

Well, while we breathe 24/7, the likelihood that one snores during waking hours is very slim. This is due to the factor that only relaxed muscles can result to snoring.

During sleep, all our voluntary muscles are relaxed. The throat, in the same way as the triceps are relaxed is also resting while we sleep. The fact that tissues in the throat are soft, adds to the eventual output of vibrating sounds.

Once this tissue eases out, the passage of air will turn into a narrower passage. As you can see, narrowed passages causes louder noise because there is more room for friction, thus the vibration.

These same factors are also pointed as the reasons why there are differences in the loudness, pitch and tone of snores.

The loudness of snore is affected by the force of the wind that comes through the air passages. Therefore, when the speed of wind is faster, the snore, in general, is louder and more resonant. This answers why babies are capable of snoring too. However, theirs is not typically considered as snoring but only as mild noises created by the respiratory tract. This must never be ignored though since it may be the early sign that something is jammed in your child's respiration tunnel.

But while it may appear to both genders at any age, men are more often affected by this condition than women and middle-aged men are most likely to be the victims.

This is due to the reason that men have more fleshy necks since theirs are a bit wider than women's. This factor combined with the speed of air, the result is most likely to be snoring.

Meanwhile, women by nature produce progesterone hormones. This is known to inhibit snoring, thus they are less susceptible towards the irritable sounds. Because this actual hormone helps in relieving a person from this nighttime dilemma, some anti-snoring devices are known to use progesterone as their basic ingredient.

Lifestyle and health factors are also thought of as culprits of snoring. These include:

§ Allergies that cause clogs in the air paths.
§ Drying of the nasal cavities due to several elements including allergy medications.
§ Cold and flu, this explains why some people only experience snoring when they are sick.
§ Excessive intake of alcohol.
§ Thickening of the tissues along the nasal passage. Often, surgeries done on conditions not directly related to snoring can also contribute to the frequency and intensity of the snores.
§ Abnormally large belly or guts.
§ Irritation of the air passages due to overuse of nasal sprays.
§ Abnormal enlargement of the tonsils or the adenoids.
§ Smoking which causes inflammation in the air passages.
§ Swelling of the thyroid gland or goiter.
§ Blockage of the airflow due to large tongue.
§ Medications that initiate relaxation
§ Obesity
§ Inefficient neural control on the nasal membranes.