Beyond Common Knowledge

REALIZE WHY SNORING HAPPENS.

Quick, clear your throat. Hear that sound? That awful, scratchy, car-engine-turning-over on a cold morning sound? That’s technically the same sound as snoring.

For the most part, snoring occurs when your throat becomes so dry that breathing through it causes a loud vibrating sound. When you clear your throat, you’re making that same vibrating sound by forcing air through that passageway and making the tissues and membranes vibrate.

A good way to stop snoring is to understand why it happens like this in the first place. Sure, your throat is dry, but why? Why your throat and not someone else’s?

And why are you breathing through your mouth in the first place? This isn’t what you’re supposed to do, even when you’re asleep. Humans are meant to breathe through their nose all the time. We have many small substances in our nose and sinus cavities that work as filters to get out the dust, pollen, and other irritants, but these things are not present in our mouth and throat. So this is actually a very unnatural act, breathing through the mouth when we sleep. If we can understand why this happens, we can understand how to correct it.

There are also many sounds that one makes when sleeping that we assume is snoring, such as snorting, gasping, choking, and so on. Technically, those aren’t really snoring sounds, but the remedies for snoring can take care of those breathing problems also.

Once you realize why these things happen, you can take your first steps toward correcting and alleviating these problems in the first place. And when you realize that it might be a number of problems together, then you know you’re on your way to correcting them.

ADDING MOISTURE TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

One of the causes of this vibration on your throat is when the tissues and membranes in your mouth and throat become very dry. Think of scratching your hand after you’ve put on lotion, and scratching your hand when your skin is very dry. That dry skin makes a lot of noise, but the greasy hand doesn’t. This is true of anything - when something is dry, it vibrates and therefore makes more noise than something that is moist. Dry leaves on the ground make a rustling noise when they blow in the wind, whereas leaves still attached to the tree have water and moisture in them, and so don’t make that noise. And the list could go on.

A good thing you can do to help alleviate snoring is to add moisture to your environment. If you don’t have a humidifier in your bedroom, get one! Smaller ones perfect for one room are easily available at all pharmacies, mass market retailers (Kmart, WalMart, Sears, etc.), and even most supermarkets. They’re usually only a few dollars and can make a world of difference. The sound they make can even act like white noise and block out traffic and other distractions, so they can be helpful for a number of reasons.

And keeping your throat moist all day helps as well, as then you’re in better health and better prepared to face the night. There are many very small humidifiers that one can get for the office, workshop, or wherever else you may be during the day. Even a desktop humidifier can work wonders, and are usually very affordable.

You can also add humidity to your home by keeping a pot of water simmering on the stove with a small fan behind it to circulate that moisture - be mindful of safety of course and make sure it doesn’t boil down and burn the pan, or that you forget about it when you leave the home. And if you keep it up too high, there’s too much moisture which can collect around windows and cause mold, so just keep it barely simmering. For a Saturday or Sunday when you’re just puttering around or watching television, this can be a great help, especially in the colder months as it’s not just moisture in the air but warm moisture as well. Many persons with asthma have reported using this “homemade humidifier” trick and have had great results with it during the winter months.

Which is a good point to remember when considering a humidifier for the bedroom - the colder winter months are almost devoid of moisture, and if you live in a very dry environment as well, you need to be mindful of this. There’s really no reason you shouldn’t have a humidifier in your bedroom especially during these cold dry times.

If you have a humidifier hooked up to your furnace, you want to be sure that it’s in good repair. It can be worth the few dollars it costs to repair it if it means keeping you healthy during dry months. The dry forced air of a furnace is one of the worst culprits for making your home - and everyone in it - dry, so make sure the humidifier is in good repair at all time.

If your furnace doesn’t have a humidifier, consider upgrading to one that does. Many newer models are very affordable and can make quite a difference in your comfort level. Many are even more energy efficient than previous models, so you’re doing quite a bit to help the environment and may even be covering the cost in your savings over the years.