Approximately 90 million American adults suffer from snoring disorders, reports the National Sleep Foundation. Of that figure, 37 million snore on a regular basis. While snoring usually affects males who are overweight, snoring can be a problem for both genders, regardless of weight. Snoring often will disrupt your own sleep and also that of your partner's. Lack of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation, can disrupt daytime functioning and even lead to cardiovascular disease.
Causes
As you sleep, your throat muscles relax and your tongue falls back towards your throat. Your throat becomes more narrow and "floppy" and vibrates when you breathe. The vibrations tend to be more intense upon breathing in, but also occur while breathing out.
Some reasons as to why snoring exists are age, nose and throat abnormalities, nasal polyps, deviated nasal septum, nasal congestion due to illness or allergies, sleep position, alcohol use, use of muscle relaxants and being overweight.
Exercises
You can exercise your tongue to help strengthen your muscles and possibly reduce snoring. SnoringTips.com recommends the following exercise: Stick your tongue out as far as you can, out of your mouth. Keep your tongue straight and move your tongue left to right. Try to repeat this action 15 times and increase repetitions as you get better at it. You can also vary the exercise by moving your tongue up and down, instead of left to right.
Another exercise is done by putting your mouth in the position of an exaggerated kiss and holding the position for up to five seconds. This action, according to Snore Tips.com, will help strengthen the lips, mouth and jaw area. You can also make an exaggerated smile and repeat the alphabet silently while holding the large facial expression
Tongue Positioners
Tongue positioners are devices that are inserted into your mouth at night and are designed to stop your tongue from rolling backwards and blocking your throat. There are a variety of tongue positioners available, and your doctor will be able to assist you in finding one that is best suited for you.
Side effects of tongue positioners are often temporary and include soreness in jaw and teeth, repositioning of teeth and hypersalivation.
Warnings
Snoring may be linked to more serious medical problems, like sleep apnea, which cuts off oxygen supply while you sleep. You may also have more daytime sleepiness, relationship problems, concentration issues, greater risk of heart disease and lessened ability to operate a motor vehicle due to sleepiness, according to the Mayo Clinic. Be sure to discuss your snoring issue with your medical professional.
Benefits
Getting a good night's rest is important for both you and your partner. By reducing how much you snore or even the decibel level at which you snore, you and your partner can get a better night's rest and perform at optimum levels the next day.
