Here’s some more good news- scientists Russia’s fantastically named ‘Institute for Laser Problems and Information Technology’ have found a way to use laser technology to help combat a widespread structural problem that a large number of people have- defects of the nasal septum. This is good news for snorers, as even a small defect in this part of the nasal region can lead to large complications, of which loud snoring is one of the more common.

Previously, this defect was very hard to correct without resorting to traditional surgical methods, and all the possible complications that this brought. A patient would have to suffer a major surgery, be fully anaesthetised, and more often than not would lose a lot of  blood during the process. In a lot of cases, it often didn’t seem worth performing the operation, and so a lot of people with deviated septums wouldn’t be considered for treatment.

The new procedure developed by the Russian team is a massive step forwards from this old state of affairs. It involves concentrating the laser device on the specific areas of the tissue which need to be corrected, and has the advantage that none of the tissues around the key focal area are affected at all. It’s quick, effective, and almost entirely non-invasive.

It is also quick, as well- the procedure typically lasts between fifteen and twenty minutes, and because it’s a non-invasive procedure the patient doesn’t even have to be kept in a hospital to monitor and deal with surgical complications, healing of the incision and general side-effects like blood-loss. Most patients end up being sent straight home almost immediately after the surgery.

This is great news, and it’s good that snoring is one of the things that this technology is being looked at to counteract. It’s going to be used on a variety of different fields, from everything to cornea correction to helping to repair damaged arteries in the heart, and those are all equally if not more important, but still, it’s an important development for chronic snorers everywhere, with a surgical treatment coming more and more within people’s reach.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

New Laser-Based Treatments For Snoring

Snoring is a difficult thing to deal with- whilst it may just be a minor nuisance, it can also be the source of real distress, and a cumulative loss of sleep for a partner which can cause so many problems over time. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that people are willing to try all sorts of unusual home remedies, or improvised methods to try and deal with the problem. Here’s a run-down on a few of them, and the pros and cons of them all.

One popular one is the pillow placed underneath the snorer, which stops them from rolling onto their back. This can help the sleeper by keeping them on their side, but it can also reduce the quality of the sleep, by making them uncomfortable. For those who try this approach and find it doesn’t work, there is also the practise of sewing a tennis ball into a pocket in one’s night clothes. This is virtually impossible to sleep on, and very effective indeed.

Another option is using essential oils. These are intended to help with breathing, and snoring is at its base a problem of the breathing passages. A small dose of something like eucalyptus either placed in an oil burner, sprinkled on a pillow or placed sparingly under the nose has been shown to help some people. If nothing else, it’s certainly a good way to make one’s sleeping environment a pleasant place, which is actually a vital part of getting a good night’s sleep.

Another option is the herbal sleep pillow, which is simply a normal pillow with a built-in sachet which holds aromatic herbs (typically lavender, hops or marjoram) and can surround you with a relaxing aroma as you go to sleep, and sooth inflammation of the . Another hot tip in terms of herbal remedies is products from lime trees, particularly the flowers. A small amount of dried lime flowers slipped into the pillow is said to be a very effective thing.

Of  course, there is still considerable debate about whether these kinds of remedies can actually make a difference, or whether something like placebo effect is at play. One thing which can be said, however, and which we’ve already touched on, is that the act of making your sleeping area a more pleasant place to be in, through adding something like a pleasant smelling herb or oil, is always going to be beneficial. This won’t necessarily cure your snoring, but it will make going to sleep at night a slightly more luxurious and pleasant experience.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

A Few Home Remedies You Might Want To Try To Stop Snoring

Snoring aids are a very useful and effective way to treat the problem of snoring. They are also easy to obtain and, once you find the right one, very reliable.  One drawback to them, however, is that if you are still using an anti-snoring pillow, for example, you are still faced with the fact that the underlying physical cause of your snoring is still there, it’s just being dealt with by your snoring aid.

There is another way to deal with this general problem- exercise. Now, I don’t just mean exercise in general, although both snoring and the rather more serious variant, sleep apnea have been found to have a link to obesity. Whilst it’s always a good idea to get out and active a few times a week, it is also possible to tone up those areas of your body most involved in the production of those irritating rasping sounds at night.

The benefit of specific exercise is a strengthening of  the muscles around your mouth and throat, as one common cause of snoring is weakness or softness in the tissues surrounding the breathing passages. If you can strengthen these, then you’ll find that that’ll help you snore a lot less.

There are two main types of exercise, which use the tongue and the voice. To exercise the tongue, it’s like exercising any other muscle- you need to move it, tense it, and hold it still. Try sticking your tongue out as far as it will go, holding it for ten seconds, and then relaxing and repeating. A set of ten of those, followed the same process only sticking the tongue out and pushing upwards to touch your nose, will go a long way to improving the muscle tone of your tongue.

To improve your throat muscles, you can use vocal training, in the same way an actor or a singer would. Learn a set of scales (this can be as simple as the classic ‘doh-ray-me-fah-so-la-te-doh’ of Sound of Music fame, and there are a lot of instruction videos online) and repeat them, holding each note for a few seconds as you sing it and concentrating on the muscles of the neck and throat.

You’ll find that as time goes on, you’ll get better and better at this, and you’ll also start to feel like you can breathe more easily. This will, hopefully, have quite an impact on your snoring, too.

If you persist with these exercises, it won’t take long at all to see a difference in your snoring.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Some Thoughts On Anti-Snoring Exercises

Most snorers, when accused over their loud nocturnal habit, will protest that they simply can’t help it. It’s not something they do on purpose, or indeed that they are even aware of. This can cause all kinds of tensions, and the simple fact is that this isn’t even true, either. There are a number of general lifestyle causes of snoring which, once you know that they are responsible, it is possible to do a whole lot about, for the sake of your sleep, and that of your partner.

Here’s one simple lifestyle choice: overeating. If we’re overweight, then we’re also a lot more likely to have fatty deposits around the the breathing passages. This can put a lot of pressure on the body, and as well as all the other associated health risks that being overweight brings, it can mean that the lungs and associated muscles have a harder time getting air in and out of the body. This increased air pressure as we breath at night can lead to snoring, and is simply cured. Get rid of the extra weight, and your snoring will reduce.

The second is Alcohol. Alcohol, as we all know, has a lot of effects on the body. It is a depressant, which relaxes the muscles as it takes hold. When alcohol effects the muscles of the throat, this can make them hang loosely, more so than is normal. This loose tissue is then more likely to close up and constrict in the throat, leading to increased air pressure as you breathe, and it’s more prone to vibrate, which are the two components of snoring from the throat. If you drink in moderation, however, you shouldn’t be in danger of this.  No need to totally abstain, just be aware that if you overdo it, then there are going to be bad effects. As with the previous reason, there’s a lot of different things this can apply to!

The next cause is Sleeping Posture. If you are in the habit of sleeping on your back, this can make your head fall backwards, and cause a constriction of the airways. This also allows neck fat, if you have any, to press on the airways that little more. Once again, breathing is impaired, and snoring can result.  Snoring aids are available that can prop you up and help you to sleep on your side, and if you make a point of doing that anyway, you may find this helps a great deal.

The last common cause I’m going to mention is colds and stuffy noses. If you have some kind of infection, from a cold to a simple blocked nose, that can mean that you’ll have trouble  breathing, and may snore as a result. Decongestants can help, as can things like nasal strips to widen the breathing passageways, whilst your body fights off the sickness.

If you take some of these simple tips in mind, you may find that yes, you can actually do a lot about your snoring! No more excuses!

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Some Typical Causes Of Snoring.

Insomnia, and sleep deprivation in general, is a problem which can effect almost every aspect of our lives,  but is easy to overlook. After all, because we all suffer from lack of sleep, from time to time, and sometimes it’s just the way things are- there are times when despite being tired, you just have to knuckle down and get on with things.

I’m sure any parent will know exactly what I’m talking about when I write that! Chronic lack of sleep, however, is something which can have a major effect on a person’s health, and life. It can also take its toll in a vital area of human life- our relationships with those around us.

Consider how it feels to be tired and awake, either during the day or late at night. It’s not pleasant, and it has an effect on us that can’t be gainsaid or ignored. Simply put, it feels terrible. If you’re tired, it’s easy to become anxious, short-tempered or depressed. It’s harder to think clearly, and harder to put things in perspective. Simple tasks may feel all too difficult, and emotional issues which we could normally shrug off can be too hard to deal with.

If you’re often missing sleep, it’s all too easy to let this affected mood spill out and effect how you treat those around you, whether that’s strangers, work colleagues, or your nearest and dearest. They can end up on the receiving end of irritation, black moods, and a lack of energy or interest in them or what they have to say. Think about how that would feel if the person you loved was like this. I don’t think it’d be easy to cope with.

And here’s a way that tricky situation could be worse.  Imagine if the reason your loved one was in this state was because they could never get a good night’s sleep when they were with you. Imagine the resentments, and the strains on a loving relationship, that would create.

Now you’ve had a think about that (and become thoroughly depressed, no doubt!), do you still think that loud snoring is just a minor thing, a source of amusement?

Maybe it’s time you fixed things.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

A Few Thoughts On Sleep Deprivation And Its Effect On Relationships

There’s a lot of stories about how snoring is a bad thing, but in the interests of balance, here’s a story about how snoring saved someone’s life!

This was a house fire in Omaha, US, where Kenneth Fox, a local police officer who answered a general distress call whilst out on a routine patrol found himself playing the role of hero. On hearing a passer-by say that a man was trapped in the basement, Fox entered the building (which by this point was filled with smoke) and then managed to locate the bedroom of the homeowner, 54 year-old Emmanuel Harvey.  He then kicked down the door, dragged the sleeping Harvey out, and pulled him to safety.

Just a normal tale of heroism and daring deeds, right?

Well, kind of. It’s the sort of quiet, ‘just-doing my job’ heroic action that any good police officer will do for the citizens they are charged to protect, but there’s a detail we maybe have to think about.

The house was filled with smoke. How did Fox locate Harvey in his room?

He followed the sound of Harvey’s snoring.

That’s right, this man was snoring so loud that he could be heard above a raging inferno. The fact that he was snoring that loudly meant the difference between life and death for this slumbering citizen.  That’s quite impressive levels of volume, to say the least!

So what is the point to this?

Let’s think for a second about how loud Harvey’s snoring would have to be. It was so loud it was heard through a door,  above the crackling of flames.  I wouldn’t want to put a decibel figure on it, but it’s got to be fairly high.

Now, ask yourself, if you were lying in bed next to someone who snored like that, would you be able to get to sleep?

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Life Saving Snoring!

We tend to focus here at sleepandsnoringaids.com on how a person can stop snoring. This is something to be aimed for, and a snoring aid can usually help to reduce the frequency and the volume of either you or your partner’s snores, but is there another solution? If a person’s snoring isn’t a symptom of something worse, how about just blocking the sound of it out and going to sleep?

There are those people who find that, for whatever reason, it’s simply easier to just pop in some earplugs and go to bed in blissful silence, now oblivious to their Partner’s Snores. This can work for a number of reasons- ear plugs are commonly available, in either the basic foam versions that a person would use to keep water out in a swimming pool, or in a variety of moulded versions which can be fitted to the shape of your ear for comfort.

I myself use some moulded plugs which were originally intended for surfers, and were recommended to me by a drum shop as protection against hearing loss whilst practising and performing music.

They’re comfortable, and work very well for their intended purpose. I also found that they’ve worked well when I want to block out extraneous noise when having trouble sleeping. Please note that I’m not saying that I sleep with someone whose snoring is comparable to a rock band in full flight (I don’t think I’d be sleeping with them for much longer if I did say that!) but it certainly makes low level snoring, or outside noise, a lot easier to deal with.

This, of course, is personal anecdote, and what works for one person won’t always work for others. Some people find wearing earplugs for long periods uncomfortable, or that they don’t like being unable to hear the sounds of the room around them. It’s also true that if someone has a potentially serious condition like Sleep Apnea, then the last thing you as their partner should be doing is shutting your ears to them and ignoring it. For some, however, earplugs are a simple and effective way to get a good night’s sleep free from your partner’s snoring.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Earplugs- A Good Solution For A Long-Suffering Partner?

If you snore, the chances are, your partner is cross with you over it. But it’s not a big deal, right?

It’s tempting to think that it can’t be that much of an issue.

Well, here’s the thing; a recent survey, conducted by British Pharmacy chain Boots, has found that on average, the partners of snorers are losing an average of 90 minutes of sleep per night. That’s quite a lot, especially if it’s a chronic amount.

Let’s try something. Imagine yourself in that partner’s shoes, and do the math on it with me.

Across one night, that ninety minutes lost takes you from 8 hours to just under 7. Across the five nights of a working week, that loses you 7.5 hours. That’s almost a whole night’s worth. Let’s just say Friday’s looking like a tough proposition at that point.

Let’s assume you get a little back due to a lie-in at the weekend. That’ll just about break even, if your sleep is still interrupted on Saturday and Sunday night.  So you’re still losing almost a full night’s sleep every week. That’s not good news.  You’re going to be less focussed, less able to concentrate during the day. You’re most likely going to be crochety and irritable, too.

Now, what if you knew that the cause of this disturbance was your partner lying there next to you, making an intermittent noise that is comparable in decibel terms to a pneumatic drill (some snorers have been recorded at a volume of 69 decibels- a drill averages 70 to 90)?

How would that make you feel?

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Your Snoring Can Cost Your Partner Ninety Minutes Of Sleep

We’re all about helping you to stop snoring here at Sleepandsnoringaids.com. We have a lot of products that can help you, but we also recognise that a lot of the causes of snoring are things that we can’t control.

Knowledge is power, however, and so with that in mind, here’s a list of some of the root causes of snoring. Hopefully they’ll help you to see why you might have a problem with snoring, and also point the way towards helping yourself, along with a carefully chosen snoring aid of course!

Some causes are, to an extent, outside our control, so let’s get them out of the way first.

The first one will, I think, cause a little amusement. It’s being male. Sorry lads, I hate to be a gender traitor but all that anecdotal evidence about men snoring more than women is actually backed up by science. Men have narrower air passages, which can make them more prone to the problem.

Next up, is another classic one- being middle-aged. The older we get, the more our muscle tone decreases, including the muscles in our throat. Our breathing passages tend to narrow, as well. it all adds up to problems.

Heredity is another one-  blame the parents! If they have a tendency to snore, then so will you. Conditions like cleft palates or adenoids can also be inherited, all of which can make you more likely to snore.

Lastly, there’s not much we can do about allergies- some people have issues with dust, or certain chemicals, which can make the soft tissues swell up and the throat constrict.  The same thing happens if you have a cold or an infection of some kind. The only thing you can really do is keep your environment hygienic. That’s not always possible, of course.

So much for the things we cannot change. What about the things we can?

First up is Smoking. It can cause inflammation of the breathing passages, and damage muscle tone. There’s yet another reason to quit!

Then, there’s being Overweight or Unfit. The more fat you carry in your body, the more likely it is that some is being stored in the tissue near the breathing passages, putting more pressure on them. Also, if your muscle tone isn’t the best, that can accentuate the problem.

Alcohol is another problem- as we all know, it’s a relaxant, and where that comes to the muscles surrounding the throat, that’s a bad thing. I think we’ve all seen someone’s jaw hanging open when they lie in a drunken slumber, head tilted back at a crazy angle. That’s not a good look, I think we can all agree. It can also constrict the windpipe.

the last thing we can control, which leads nicely on from this, is Sleeping posture. If you’re sleeping awkwardly, particularly sleeping on your back, then the flesh of your throat will often relax and block the airway.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

A Few Reasons Why We Snore.

We’ve previously noted here that people can be driven to violence if they have to put up with another’s snoring. Here’s another example, this time from China, where a student has recently been convicted of murdering his roommate because of chronic snoring.

This tragedy happened in Changchun, the capital of China’s Jilin province. The victim was Zhao Lin, a 23 year-old student at the Jilin Agricultural University. He was murdered in November 2009 by his room-mate, 24 year-old Guo Liwei. Zhao was stabbed twice by his assailant, in the chest and the back, resulting in his subsequent death in hospital. In hearings conducted at the Changchun Intermediate People’s Court, it was established that the main cause of tension between the two roommates had been Zhao’s snoring.

Guo was known to have complained widely about this, online and elsewhere. He had also posted a surreptitiously recorded video of his room-mate asleep on a university web-site, which had caused increased tensions between the two of them. These continued to escalate, with Guo committing his crime several months later.

This is terrible tragedy, which may at some points in its build-up have appeared almost comical. I can imagine a lot of students looked at that video of Zhao snoring, who may be looking at it in a different light now.

Now, obviously there were a lot of things which led to the eventual crime, and I don’t for one moment want to suggest that the snorer was at fault. One thing we can take from this, however, is that if you or a partner of you snores, it’s really quite a good idea to try and deal with the situation before what can be seen as funny can escalate. Look into a snoring aid before it’s too late.

Posted by: Sleep And Snoring Aids

Snoring; A Pretty Good Way To Annoy Your Room-Mate