Snoring is a problem suffered by 40 million people. Snoring is the noise caused by vibration of tissues of the mouth, throat and nose at night, often caused from blockage and influenced by things like sleeping position. Researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University are investigating the causes, symptoms and treatments of snoring. Many factors can increase snoring. Physical conditions that cause snoring are poor muscle tone in the breathing passages, a long uvula, a long soft palate, congestion, excess fatty tissues in throat, etc. If snoring problems are mild they can be treated with lifestyle changes, but if they are serious they should be treated by a doctor.
A healthy life style, including sufficient exercise and a balanced diet can reduce snoring. Alcohol and any kind of tobacco use will increase snoring, and should be avoided. Often sleeping pills or other sedatives can cause snoring. These should be avoided unless absolutely necessary and with a doctor's recommendation. Following healthy sleeping habits will help snoring problems. A regular sleeping pattern also helps. Sometimes heavy pillows that elevate the head more than normal can help. They improve breathing that prevents snoring. Heavy meals at night can make the problem worse and should be avoided.
Serious snoring must be treated by a doctor. Your doctor will decide the treatment to snoring after considering your age, physical health etc. Medical care should definitely be sought if you snore while you are pregnant then you should compulsorily seek medical help. More than 40 million people snore at night sleep. Sometimes hypertension, stroke etc can lead to snoring. Depression and obesity also cause snoring. So treatment to such physical and metal disorders can help reducing snoring.
These are cases where it may not help to use the various nose and mouth pieces available on the market. In these cases surgery is the only option. In many cases it is needed to relieve snoring and helps with sleeping and breathing. A surgeon can enlarge the throat by removing tonsils and some parts of the long soft palate. This will help to clear the nasal passage to assist nose breathing.
Snorers are treated at an Oregon medical group that specializes in the problem. Dr. Lipman is an ENT specialist there who has devoted his career to treating snoring and other sleeping disorders. In his book he has written in detail about snoring problems and the relevant treatments. He suggests surgical treatments to heavy snorers who can not get relief from snoring after trying all the changes in life style.
