What causes snoring and how to prevent it?
Snoring is basically caused when the air you’re breathing can’t move freely through your nose or throat while you sleep. This can be caused by a number of factors such as:
- Age: as we get older, our throat becomes narrower and loses muscle tone
- Being overweight: fatty tissue or low muscle tone, particularly around the neck, chest often causes snoring or makes snoring worse
- Body shape and physical attributes: men typically have narrower throats which can make them more prone to snoring but cleft palates, enlarged adenoids and more can all make someone more likely to snore
- Sinus problems: this can be temporary (such as blockages during illness) or permanent
- Smoking, alcohol, and other lifestyle factors
- Sleep position and posture
- Medical conditions such as sleep apnoea
Because there are so many different potential causes for snoring, there is no one size fits all solution when it comes to choosing snoring treatments.
Snoring Treatment Options
If you’re a snorer – or share a bed with one – chances are, you’ve seen some of the various devices, appliances, and gadgets on the market that all claim to be the cure-all for snoring. Some of them can be effective for some people, but there are many more that don’t live up to their hype and provide little or no relief.
The best type of device is one that has been custom made or fitted for you after consultation with a professional to determine the cause of your snoring. Here at Boutique Dental Care, for example, we make custom mouthguards to prevent problems like teeth grinding or TMJ disorder which occur during sleep.
Sleep Studies
The sleep study has some stigma around it because it usually involves spending a night away from home in a clinical environment which is hardly conducive for a relaxing sleep. There’s also a reluctance to take part in case sleep apnoea is diagnosed, because many people don’t want to use a CPAP machine.
It’s now possible to have a sleep study done in your own home. You still need to spend the night hooked up to devices, but you get to sleep in your own bed and maintain your usual evening routine.
A sleep study is important because conditions like sleep apnoea have serious health risks and implications and you’ll find it easier to choose the right snoring treatment option for you when you understand what causes your snoring in the first place.
If you’re ready to reclaim a restful night’s sleep and find out how to prevent snoring, why not pay a visit to your dentist. At Boutique Dental Care, Dr Meng Quah-Shepherd can assess and treat any oral problems causing snoring while putting you in contact with a sleep specialist if necessary.
If your or your partner’s snoring is affecting the quality of your life, get in touch today by calling us on (02) 9054 5281.