Lifestyle & Snoring

Often snoring can be controlled, if not cured, by self-help remedies, and changes in the excesses of our daily lives.

Snoring Caused by Excess Weight

By over-eating or not exercising enough fat builds up around the throat, constricting air flow in the breathing passages, and lessening the muscle tone in the throat, meaning there is an increased possibility that the narrow airway will vibrate. Fat around the neck and throat is often more of a problem for men than it is for women, who put on weight in different areas. Women therefore retain the muscle tone in their throats for a longer period of time, usually until after the menopause, at which time it begins to diminish. Towards the end of their lives women’s muscle tone has reduced and lessened to that of men’s, and they become just as likely to be snorers.


Snoring Caused by Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol acts as a muscle relaxant and a depressant and slows the brain’s responses. This further relaxation can cause, or accentuate snoring habits as the tissue begins to vibrate and obstruct the air ways. It might also cause congestion and irritation in the nasal airway, again exaggerating vibrations in the passageways in our throats. More worryingly alcohol can induce sleep apnoea, when you might find your breathing stops and starts for short periods during your sleep, a condition that can become far worse than snoring and a lot harder to correct.

Snoring Caused by the Effects of Sedatives

Sedative effects found in some drugs may also have the same effects as alcohol. Anti-depressants especially, work as sedatives, and might worsen the muscle tone in your airways during sleep, as the force you into a deeper sleep.

Snoring Caused by Smoking

Smoking causes swelling and a build up of catarrh in the nasal cavity and throat. This can lead to an obstruction and congestion, making it harder to inhale through your nose due to a decreased rate of airflow. The amount you smoke directly relates to the level of obstruction found in your airways, and thus increase the likelihood that snoring becoming a problem. Inflammation of the passageways in the nose and throat, due to smoking, will also affect the chances of breathing problems. Even second-hand smokers, like children, or relatives might be affected by the inflammation induce from smoke, and are more likely to be affected than those who are not around smokers.

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