noring, often the subject of jokes about rattling the windows and waking the baby has a much more serious side. Left untreated, snoring may progress into sleep apnea, high blood pressure or cardiovascular complaints.
Snoring worsens with age, gender, obesity, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking and nasal obstruction. It can be extremely disruptive to sleep for both sufferer and sleeping partner. Snoring occurs when a large volume of air passes through a narrow space, causing turbulence in the soft palate, nose or back of the throat. There are two factors at play here: the first is that the snorer is breathing too noisily and heavily during sleep; the second is that their upper airways may be narrow due to nasal congestion or structural issues.
The question to ask is whether they would still snore if their breathing was calm and quiet.
Healthy non-snorers breathe quietly through their nose during the night. Their sleep is deep and undisturbed, and they wake up feeling refreshed.
People who breathe heavily during the night, on the other hand, may experience a wide array of symptoms, such as snoring, sleep apnea, disrupted sleep, insomnia, frequently needing to use the toilet, and waking up fatigued with a dry mouth, sore throat, and a blocked nose.
People who snore do so through their mouth, their nose, or both. Snoring through the mouth is easiest to address – such snoring stops when one learns to breathe through the nose during sleep. (Explained on next link )
By learning to unblock the nose, switching to nasal breathing, and normalizing breathing volume, breathing will become quiet, calm, and still during sleep, and both types of snoring will cease.
Other treatments for snoring, such as nasal decongestants, nasal strips, surgery, and dental appliances, aim to expand the airways to make more room for airflow. However, while it is important to consider airway size when addressing snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, it is also vitally important to consider breathing volume. Buteyko breathing exercises are specifically intended to change breathing volume towards normal, and are an effective adjunct to the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea.