New ways to cure snoring
A video from Abraham The Pharmacist discusses exercises to stop snoring – an extract from the video info is shown below.
“Complete guide on how to stop snoring naturally. I show tongue exercises that help stop snoring as well as useful tips for snoring. Hey everyone, this weeks video is about snoring and natural ways you can stop snoring.
The idea came to me at 3am while I was in Malta last week with my friends. I didn’t get much sleep that night as one of my friends is a heavy snorer and I wasn’t aware of this until the first night. Hopefully this video will help him and many other people who snore around the world, feel free to share on to friends and family. Lastly a big thank you to David for helping me demonstrate the exercises.
CAUSES OF SNORING: Snoring is caused by things such as your tongue, mouth, throat or airways in your nose vibrating as you breathe. It happens because these parts of your body relax and narrow when you’re asleep. You’re more likely to snore if you: • Are overweight • Smoke • Drink too much alcohol • Sleep on your back Sometimes it’s caused by a condition like sleep apnoea, which is when your airways become temporarily blocked as you sleep. I’ve put more information about this below.
OROPHARYNGEAL EXERCISES: A study done by Vanessa Ieto. Ph.D., of the Sleep Laboratory of the University of São Paulo in Brazil and her associates. Showed that eight minutes of oropharyngeal exercises performed three times a day for 3 months significantly reduced snoring. The study showed a decrease in frequency of loud snoring by 36% and the total power of snoring by 59% after 3 months of exercising. Here are the exercises, • Push tip of tongue against hard palate and slide tongue backward (20 times). • Suck entire tongue up against palate (20 times). • Force back of tongue against floor of mouth while touching tip of tongue to bottom incisors (20 times). • Elevation soft palate and uvula while intermittently saying “A” (20 times). • Place finger in mouth while pressing buccinator muscle outward (10 times per side). • Chew and deglutinate on both sides of mouth whenever eating.
TIPS TO STOP SNORING: • Maintain a healthy weight and diet. Being overweight by just a few kilos can lead to snoring. Fatty tissue around your neck squeezes the airway and prevents air flowing in and out freely. •Try to sleep on your side rather than your back. While sleeping on your back, your tongue, chin and any excess fatty tissue under your chin can relax and squash your airway. Sleeping on your side prevents this. Try taping a tennis ball to the back of your sleepwear, or buy a special pillow or bed wedge to help keep you on your side. • Avoid alcohol before going to bed. Alcohol makes your muscles relax more than usual during a normal night’s sleep.
This may encourage the back of your throat to collapse as you breathe, which causes snoring. • Quit or cut down on smoking. Cigarette smoke irritates the lining of your nose and throat, causing swelling and catarrh. This means airflow is decreased and you’re more likely to snore. • Keep your nose clear, so that you breathe in through your nose rather than your mouth. If an allergy is blocking your nose, try antihistamine tablets or a nasal spray. Ask your pharmacist for advice, or see your GP, if you’re affected by an allergy or any other condition that affects your nose or breathing. • There are a range of stop-snoring treatments and devices on sale. These include nasal strips, which open the nostrils wider, throat sprays and devices known as mandibular advancement devices (MAD), which reposition the jaw to improve airflow.
SLEEP APNOEA: If you feel sleepy during the day, or make gasping or choking noises while you sleep – please see your healthcare professional as you may have sleep apnoea, which can be serious if not treated.”
