Stop My Snores

The sound of snoring is caused by air struggling to pass through your nose and throat. If they are blocked or obstructed in some way, it can lead to snoring.

One of the more common reasons for snoring is when the muscles in the neck and throat are not well toned. With some simple daily exercises, you can firm up those muscles which will often help with your snoring. Exercises are known to be one of those snoring remedies.

Ask any professional singer and they’ll tell you how important it is to do exercise daily that will help keep their air passages clear. Singers do exercises that help to tone their jaws, their tongues and their throats. Strong muscles in these areas will help them perform better.

These same type of exercises can help with a snoring problem in many cases, by helping to keep the airways clear and breathing easier.

Besides, you never know - these exercise might just help you win American Idol some day!

Here are 7 easy exercises that you can do anywhere to help tone your muscles:

1. Slowly open and close your mouth, to its fullest. Do it in a controlled way and ensure that your lips meet when your mouth is closed.

2. Pucker up as if you’re going to blow someone a kiss, then hold it for 5 seconds before relaxing.

3. Practice your smile - make it big and exaggerated. Hold it for 5 second before relaxing.

4. Press your lips together and hold them tightly for 5 seconds, then relax.

5. Press your lips together and then make a sipping noise, as if you were sipping a drink.

6. Stick your tongue out as far as you can. Keep it straight and horizontal - don’t let it droop.

7. Stick your tongue out to it’s maximum and then move it side to side - touching the corner of your lips on both sides.

Practice these exercises for a few minutes every day and you may find your snoring problem will disappear before you know it.

Posted January 2, 2009 Comments(0)

Sleep apnea is perhaps the commonest sleep disorder and affects almost 18,000,000 Americans. A sleeping disorder that is characterized by interrupted breathing while sleeping, it is also undoubtedly the most dangerous of all sleeping disorders because it starves the brain of vital oxygen and can occasionally prove to be fatal.

There are two completely distinct types of sleep apnea. Central sleep apnea is in effect a neurological condition where breathing is interrupted as a result of signals sent out by the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea by contrast is in essence a mechanical problem where the windpipe is blocked either by too much tissue or as a result of the unusual collapse or relaxation of the muscles around the windpipe. In both cases however the results are basically identical with numerous interruptions to normal breathing which starve the brain of oxygen and place the sufferer at greater risk from such things as hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

Unluckily, diagnosing sleep apnea can prove to be difficult as snoring, which is a common symptom and frequently results in sleep apnea being referred to as the snoring disease, is also commonly seen as a symptom of numerous medical problems. Snoring is certainly generally present with sleep apnea as the brain responds to a drop in oxygen by waking the sufferer enough to restart the breathing process and this often leads to snoring.

This repeated awakening during the night also produces a very poor quality of sleep and it is not at all uncommon for sleep apnea sufferers to get up in the morning feeling more tired than when they went to bed. This also results in feelings of sheer exhaustion during the day and a tremendous wish to sleep.

But, tiredness resulting from poor quality sleep is only part of the problem and a range of other symptoms will almost certainly be seen including morning headaches, a lack of memory and a difficulty in concentrating.

Without treatment the increasing exhaustion from sleep apnea can produce serious psychological problems beginning with simple touchiness and progressing to depression with noticeable changes in both behavior and mood.

Both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea are treatable and, as long as the problem is diagnosed early enough, this treatment is often quite easy. For example, a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea arising out of nasal congestion can normally be treated with nothing more than decongestants. Likewise, many cases of sleep apnea which are not particularly serious may be treated using a mask which is worn while sleeping and that provides air at a constant pressure to keep the airway open. Finally, in the most serious cases of sleep apnea surgery may be required and can be very effective, though it could also result in various complications and has to be approached with care.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember with sleep apnea is that as it carries with it the potentially fatal risk of respiratory failure sufferers should not be tempted to take sleeping pills or to use other forms of sleep enhancers without the approval of a doctor.

Natural sleep remedies without question provide an effective complement to medically prescribed treatments and herbs that are designed to improve the duration and quality of sleep may well be of assistance in the management of the excessive daytime sleepiness usually accompanying sleep apnea. Also, things like aromatherapy, chromatherapy and guided relaxation and meditation can help in reducing the insomnia and anxiety which accompany sleep apnea.

Posted November 11, 2008 Comments(1)

Although it has been known for some time now that children who suffer from sleep apnea generally display relatively low scores on IQ tests (typically having an average of 85 as opposed to a score of 101 for children who are not suffering from sleep apnea) one thing that we have not known until recently is that this results from chemical changes within the brain. As a result an otherwise clever child may well produce a run of the mill performance because of nothing more than a sleep disorder that, in the majority of cases, can be treated quite simply.

In a study conducted at the Hopkin’s Children’s Centre in Baltimore, 31 children between the ages of 6 and 16 (19 of whom had severe sleep apnea) were examined using a special form or magnetic resonance imager (MRI) and it was noted that the children with sleep apnea showed major changes in both the hippocampus and right frontal cortex which are sections of the brain which are associated with higher mental function and learning.

This study also showed that these children were suffering from altered levels of three brain chemicals which were indicative of brain damage. This alteration of the chemistry of the brain brought about by sleep apnea may or may not be lasting and, at this time, additional studies are needed to see whether this effect can be reversed.

However, even if reversal is possible and the chemistry of the brain and cognitive function can be normalized, kids with sleep apnea are going to suffer a loss in learning as long as they are suffering from untreated sleep apnea and will certainly not be able to wind back the clock and recapture this period of learning.

Naturally, parents should already be on the lookout for the signs of sleep apnea in their children and this study clearly demonstrates that early diagnosis and treatment of this sleeping disorder could have a substantial affect on your child’s success in life.

The signs of sleep apnea include frequent pauses in breathing during sleep which frequently result in an arousal from sleep and tossing and turning in bed. Kids may also display labored or loud breathing, snoring, gasping, coughing and, at times, bedwetting at an age when this phase should normally have passed.

Parents can also notice a child sleeping in an odd position, possible with their bottom sticking up in the air and their head tilted back in an unconscious effort to keep their airway clear.

In the majority of cases child sleep apnea can be treated by the surgical removal of the adenoids or tonsils, or by removing excess tissue from the back of the throat or nose. In addition, a continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) machine (or pediatric CPAP) can also be employed to provide the child with an airflow delivered through a mask worn during sleep to keep the airway open.

In itself child sleep apnea is debilitating for any kid and the effect of night after night of poor quality sleep are going to take their toll on your child. But, when you combine this with an impairment of your child’s IQ, it becomes imperative that you act as soon as you can to get this condition diagnosed and treated.

Posted September 19, 2008 Comments(0)

It has been felt for some time now that too little or low quality sleep in teens results in a drop in grades in school, but it was not until quite recently that a formal research study confirmed that teenagers with poor sleeping habits do indeed have lower grades.

Here are 10 tips to ensure that an otherwise healthy child does not suffer from sleeping problems and can get the quality of sleep needed to perform well in school.

1. Decide upon a regular time to go to bed and do not vary this time by more than a few minutes from day to day.

2. Make sure that you get up at the same time in the morning, whether or not it is a school day. Teenagers frequently have a lie-in on weekends and throughout school holidays and, instead of making you feel better, this just disrupts your sleep pattern.

3. If you find that you are unable to fall asleep within about 15 or 20 minutes of climbing into bed then do not simply lie in bed trying to sleep, because the more you try the harder it will become. As an alternative, climb back out of bed and do something such as reading a book or listening to some relaxing music. As soon as you begin to feel tired, climb back into bed and you should fall asleep in next to no time.

4. Avoid the temptation to stay up late doing your homework or getting ready for a test. Despite the fact that this might appear to be the solution to a specific problem in the short term, and could well keep you out of trouble for turning your homework in late or get you through a test, in the long term your performance will suffer and any shorter term gain will quickly be lost.

5. Avoid the temptation to take a nap after school. Should you find that you are so tired you are unable to keep your eyes open then take a nap but for no more than 45 minutes or an hour.

6. Steer clear of any form of drink that contains caffeine after about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. This of course applies to tea and coffee, but also includes chocolate drinks and colas.

7. Avoid eating a heavy meal just before going to bed. You obviously should not go to bed hungry and having a light snack before bedtime is okay, however climbing into bed on a full stomach will make it difficult for you to get to sleep and affect your quality of sleep.

8. Although teenagers will frequently spend a lot of time in their bedroom and turn it into much more of a ‘living’ than a ’sleeping’ room, avoid the temptation to use the bed for anything other than sleeping. Do not sit in bed writing, reading, playing games, watching TV or anything else but keep it solely for sleeping so that your body learns to associate climbing into bed with going to sleep.

9. Do not take any strenuous exercise within several hours of going to bed. If you want to play soccer or engage in other sporting or strenuous activities then make sure that you do these shortly after finishing school and not an hour or two before going to bed.

10. When it comes to bedtime ensure that the bedroom is quiet, dark and cool. Do not shut your bedroom up, turn up the heat and climb into bed to watch TV. Instead, turn the heating down, open the window a little if you can to allow in some fresh air and make the room as dark as you can get it.

If you follow these 10 tips you will find that within no time at all the quality of your sleep will improve, you will feel more awake and active during the day and your school grades will improve.

Posted September 18, 2008 Comments(0)