What Are the Major Causes of Snoring? by Mary Woodard

Snoring is a subject of many jokes, but it affects lives of snorers and their families to such extent that it deserves serious attention. If you have ever had to sleep in the same room with a snorer, or even three rooms away from a snorer, you would agree with this. Who did not feel like hitting a snorer with a night lamp, blaming them for something that is really not their fault.

The definition of snoring is simple: it is "the vibration of respiratory structures and the resulting sound, due to obstructed air movement during breathing while sleeping". What does it really mean? If it is this simple, how come so many people are still suffering from it and nobody has come up with one sure cure? The problem is that the 'vibration of respiratory structures' can happen for a number of reasons:

* Obstruction in the nasal passageway (which can happen for a variety of reasons)

* Obesity -fat is growing in and around the throat

* Weak throat muscles, causing the throat to close during sleep

* Misaligned jaw (also can be caused by a variety of reasons)

* The tissues at the top of the airways touching each other (again, for a variety of reasons)

* Relaxed throat muscles, most often caused by alcohol or drugs

* Tongue pressing the back of the mouth, most commonly caused by sleeping on the back

When you see the list of potential causes, it makes you wonder that more of us do not snore. Well, maybe we do, but we are lucky that our partners are solid sleepers, or they are too nice to tell us. This often happens with women, who rarely admit to snoring, although the Italians reported that almost 14% of women compared to 14% of men snore. The thing gets worse as we get older - the same Italian study reported that among people older than 60, 60% of men and 40% of women snore.

If you are one of the sufferers, you know how serious the problem is: your wife kicked you out of your marital bed, kids threaten to smother you with a pillow, neighbors complain, the dog barks at night waken by your snoring. And what about you? You do not get enough of sleep; get up cranky, irritable and unable to focus. Then your boss complains that you are not 100% efficient.

There are a number of remedies available to snorers, but the most important first step is to get a correct diagnosis. A visit to your doctor will evaluate your nose, throat, jaw, life habits, blood pressure, and will investigate what causes your particular snoring. Sometimes a simple surgery will take care of the problem. Sometimes the suggested surgery is much more serious and you have to evaluate pros and cons. Sometimes losing weight, or avoiding alcohol in the evening will make the problem go away.

There are a number of devices, from jaw supporters to nose strips. Acupuncture has shown good results in some cases. But there are some excellent exercises suggested by those who had their snoring problem solved by those exercises. Most importantly, don't suffer, look for a solution. Talk to your partner and see a doctor. After all, you are doing it not only for yourself, but for him or her as well.

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