For millions of people snoring can be an exasperating condition that rarely goes away.  It happens when you shift from a light sleep to a deep sleep, as the muscles and soft tissues in the back of the throat relax and start to vibrate causing a narrowing of your airway.  It is characterized by noisy breathing through the mouth and nose and can affect anyone, young, old, men or women although it is more prevalent in men.  More often than not the person who is snoring is not even aware of it and it is up to the partner to let them know!

A very common condition associated with snoring is that of sleep aponea.This is where a persons breathing can stop and start many times in a night. It is a very serious and potentially life threatening condition and if you think you have the symptoms of this make sure you contact your doctor.

Causes of snoring

Causes of snoring depend on different factors.  But finding the cause can go a long way to treating the condition.  Lifestyle plays a very important part.  If you are overweight, smoke or drink too much alcohol your chances of snoring are much greater.

Medicines like antihistamines, muscle relaxants, or pain medications all relax the muscles and can result in snoring. Likewise, people who suffer from allergies are more inclined to the condition because the pollen and airborne particles start to block their nasal passages.Overly large tonsils or adenoids, medical conditions and asthma can all heighten the chances of snoring too.

How to Stop Snoring

Forever, people have been trying to find ways to stop snoring.  Countless remedies have been tried.  What works for one person may not work for another but it is important to keep trying to find the solution that will help you.A very common suggestion to stop snoring is to avoid sleeping on your back.When you're asleep and not aware of lying on your back this can be extremely hard! Engage the help of your partner to let you know if you are snoring.    Giving up alcohol before bedtime, losing that extra weight and quit smoking may be all that you need to do to stop snoring at night.If snoring occurs as a result of having congested nasal passages try breathing steam before going to bed at night or use a decongestant.  Alternatively you could try a snoring device.

Snoring Devices

There are about 300 anti snoring devices available but before spending any money on one it is a good idea to first visit your doctor who can assistlo you to determine the actual cause.The number of devices available out there work in differing ways.Nasal strips work to open up the nasal passageways.  Others like throat sprays and drops help with dryness of the throat.  Even a humidifier in the room can help by keeping moisture in the air.Other devices used are neck pillows and body pillows which aid in keeping the neck in a better position.  Some of these have mechanisms to support sleeping on your side.  Another is a mouth piece which helps to keep the lower jaw from dropping,  and the tongue from relaxing too much, keeping the airway open.  Mouth pieces can be either open-mouthed or closed-mouthed.Identifying the right one for you depends on the position you most commonly sleep in and you will want to get expert help to make your decision.

The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Appliances (CPAP) are a very common snoring device for those who suffer from sleep aponea.   This works by using a special mask attached to a pump which produces pressure to help prevent the throat from collapsing