Stop Snoring: Ways to Treat the Nighttime Dilemma



The most often question raised to any condition is - can it be cured? Well, that actually depends on the nature of the disease, disorder, or syndrome and what knowledge do the medical and scientific communities have with regards to the problem.

Luckily, snoring is not much of a difficult condition to treat. The nature of which is also well-known that most consider it normal. So normal that many tend not to get bothered of its effects, especially when mild.

Treatments for snoring depend on the diagnosis gathered. While snoring may appear to have no types, it must be understood that there are certain kinds of snoring that excessively disrupts sleep and there are those that do not cause any harm at all.

Examination of the physiology and anatomy of the throat and the underlying tissues will reveal where the problems root. Usually, snoring stems from loose muscles that flaps back and forth when air runs through the throat. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, snoring can also be due to allergies, deformities, infections and abnormal enlargement of adenoids and tonsils. All of which, if carefully examined, will lead us back to the obstruction of air passage.

Normally, prevention of the main causes can treat snoring. This includes abstinence from smoking, drinking alcohol and other relaxants, and maintenance of an ideal weight. All these have adverse effects not only on the body but can directly cause loose muscles to vibrate abnormally.

Treatments to stop snoring can include lifestyle-changing habits, use of stop snoring aids and more intensive surgeries. The choice is normally set for the snorer to take, depending on the aggravation of the condition.

As we have mentioned earlier, simple measures can contribute largely to the treatment of the condition. Stop snoring aids, on the other hand, would require patience to find what fits for you.

The market offers a great variety of snoring aids including nasal breathing devices, adjustable beds, oral and dental appliances and pressurized masks.

Nasal breathing devices normally aim to keep your nasal passages open or your jaws from dropping. You may find nasal strips, nasal clips, chin up strips and chin straps under this category. These products normally require you to breathe using your nose rather than your mouth since mouth breathing typically ends up to snoring. It has been observed that a switch from mouth to nasal breathing can eliminate a number of snoring types.

Mouth pieces or oral devices aim to position the tongue away from blocking the air passage. You should seek dental specialist if you are considering the use of such devices as solutions to nighttime dilemma.

Surgery, on the other hand, is an irreversible decision. Therefore, you should be careful if you truly are considering this option. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP is known to be the traditional method of trimming excess tissues in the throat. A more modern approach uses laser thus the name Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP.

Removal of unnecessary tissues in the throat enlarges the air passage which helps reduce the collapse of the muscles.

Approaches to be used in line with your condition vary according to your personal preference and the immediate need to cure your condition. It is best to seek medical help first or get yourself educated with your options before running under the knife or strapping your mouth with some device.