How to Stop Snoring for a Better Night’s Sleep

By Dr. David Sparks Snoring is a very common problem in Americans and can be devastating to their sleep and health. It is in the interest of those who suffer to stop snoring. Sponsored by Snorban, a stop snoring solutions healthcare provider.

Topics discussed:

• How to Stop Snoring
• What Causes Snoring?
• What Are the Stages of Sleep?
• Stop Snoring Solutions

How to Stop Snoring

Even though the jokes are endless and legendary, there is nothing funny about snoring. Statistics abound and men are the primary recipients of the accusations concerning this issue that creates sleep disorders and chronic disharmonies between couples. Scientifically, various polls have it that at least 70 million Americans snore. However, on a strictly non-scientific basis, one would be hard pressed to find many men who are over 40 years of age who do not experience at least episodic bouts of snoring. Bed partners of these people are relentless in their pleas: Please, stop snoring. Traditionally, the banter between couples has it that SHE says he snores and it keeps HER awake. On the other hand, HE says it doesn’t bother HIM and, thus implies that SHE will have to deal with it. Oftentimes, HE will accuse HER of also snoring. In effect, the snoring issue is rarely confronted in a positive manner as in, what can I do to ameliorate this problem. Stated differently, how can I stop snoring? It is most often dealt with in a latent manner. SHE gets to bed early and tries to get to sleep before HE comes to bed…or they choose separate rooms to sleep in. These latter approaches are not good solutions. They are coping mechanisms. They don’t stop snoring.

What Causes Snoring?

Snoring is caused by a collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Here’s why this phenomenon occurs. When we fall asleep, all of the soft tissues in our body relax and lose muscle tone. This includes the soft tissues in the upper rear of the throat known as the soft palate. You are probably aware of the little piece of tissue that hangs down in the back of your throat; the uvula. Well, the uvula is attached to the soft palate and combined, these tissues present a potential blockage. When we are awake and the soft tissues are held in place by muscle tone, the airway, or passage through which you breathe, is a tube. As you fall asleep, the mass of tissue known as the soft palate, loses its muscle tone, relaxes and droops down into the airway partially or completely obstructing the airway. This now means that there is less of an opening for all the air to flow through. Think of breathing through a straw. We can do it, but in order to get enough air to stay alive, we have to suck in and blow out very hard. This produces air under a lot of pressure. Same thing when you fall asleep. Breathing through a narrow opening is like breathing through a straw. This causes the person to have to breathe harder in order to pass enough air into the lungs. For the same volume of air that passes in and out of the lungs when we are awake to go through a narrow opening, greater air pressure is needed. Harder breathing means greater air pressure and greater air pressure sets the soft palate into vibration (just as wind across a flag sets the flag into a fluttering motion). That is all snoring is…a vibration. So if you want to stop snoring, you have to deal with a collapsing airway. There is a lot more to snoring than meets the eye…or make that ear. So many snorers, in acknowledging the fact that they snore, will tell you that “It doesn’t bother me, I sleep like a baby. It might bother my spouse a little bit but it doesn’t bother me.” This perception is patently incorrect because the snorer arouses him/herself all night long from deep sleep into light sleep. I’ll explain this concept next but suffice it to say right now that the snorer spends too much time in light stages of sleep (dozing) instead of deep stages of sleep (slumbering). If you want deep sleep, you have to stop snoring.

What Are the Stages of Sleep?

There are two main categories of sleep.

• Non Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM)
• Rapid Eye Movement (REM)

NREM sleep has four stages or depth levels. Stage One is characterized by high frequency (fast), low amplitude (small) brain waves. As we move to Stages Two, Three and Four, the brainwaves get slower and slower (lower frequency), and bigger and bigger (larger amplitude), signaling that we are getting deeper and deeper into sleep. Each stage of sleep delivers a specific renewal, rejuvenation, and recharging function for specific systems of the body. It should be noted that most hormones are generated during sleep. Furthermore specific hormones are generated during specific stages of sleep. As an example, one such hormone is known as human growth hormone (HGH). Scientists know that this hormone plays a major role in the way we grow, age and metabolize food. Thus this hormone has a role in helping to keep our weight under control. It is thought that HGH is produced during Stage IV of sleep. Are you beginning to see just how important it is to realize these deep levels of sleep? REM sleep, on the other hand, is a period in which the eyes move rapidly and erratically underneath the eyelids. While this appears as though it is lighter sleep since the brainwaves are similar to Stage One of NREM sleep, we are almost completely paralyzed during REM. For one of every 20 people, ‘sleep paralysis’ causes serious problems, giving them the uncomfortable sensation of falling or waking up with a start. In extreme cases, there are drugs to inhibit REM sleep. However, REM sleep is associated with dreaming, and dreaming plays a major role in our mental health. There is a lot of evidence that shows dreaming is a time when the brain is processing information that has recently been gathered. There appears to be a transferring of information gained while we're awake from short-term memory to long-term memory. There's also some thought that dreams help us to resolve conflicts or chaos in our lives. While dreaming, we often deal with things that fascinate or terrify us. During normal sleep, you cycle through these various stages approximately every 90 minutes to 2 hours. However, if your sleep is repeatedly interrupted because of a chronic sleep disorder i.e., snoring, thus not allowing natural deep sleep to occur, there is a very good chance that you will feel tired, fatigued or sleepy and may have trouble concentrating or paying attention while awake. Also, sleepy individuals are at far greater risk for driving accidents, get sick more often and have trouble maintaining their weight. Consider this list of scientific observations regarding poor sleep:

• A shortened life span
• Greater risk of cardiovascular disease
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Decreased work performance
• Memory lapses
• Marital strife
• Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Problems with weight control
• Explosive Outbursts
• Mood swings
• Greater risk of high speed highway crashes
• Road rage
• Accident prone
• Body aches
• Decreased sex drive; impotency
• Premature aging

Stop Snoring Solutions

If you are feeling “burned out” or if others often suggest that you “look tired”, heed the warning signs! It may be a result of snoring and a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea that goes hand in hand with heavy snoring. First things first however, you must stop snoring and there are medical solutions such as Mandibular Advancement Devices also known as oral appliances that can be very helpful. These stop snoring solutions are both practical and inexpensive. Oral appliances are often the first step before other more expensive options are explored. A summary of how to stop snoring medical reports with oral appliances was carried out by a German medical team and can be viewed in the above web link.

About Dr. David Sparks

Dr. David Sparks is a former university research professor and expert on sleep disorders including sleep apnea. Over the last 20 years he has lectured on snoring causes and cures, and worked with patients, physicians and hospital groups all over the country on the effects of poor sleep with accompanying sleep deprivation. Dr. Sparks' motivational seminars have provided thousands of grateful patients the help necessary to dramatically improve the quality of their lives with snoring remedies.