When Snoring Becomes a Problem


by Christian Goodman

Snoring. It’s something we all grow up knowing about. Granddaddies snore after Thanksgiving dinners. 

Moms tease dads about their snoring and sometimes it’s mom who snores. The point is, snoring is quite common. At some point we have all snored or known of someone who did.

What we cannot all readily discern however, are the reasons behind snoring.

“The Stop Snoring Exercise Program” forced me to examine various causes of snoring and incorporate them into the system.

Why we snore

First of all, it may be hereditary. That’s right; certain physical characteristics may just be family traits we can’t avoid. 

Large tonsils and adenoids can contribute to snoring. 

Gender can increase your odds of snoring.  Males tend to snore more.  Age also contributes.  The older most people get, the less toned they are.  Muscle tone or rather the lack of around the throat can lead to snoring.

Reduced air flow through the nose due to an illness or having allergies can result in snoring as well as a poor night’s rest.

Contributors like that are not within our control.

We can change some of the other reasons that we snore. Among these ‘changeable’ reasons are such things as being overweight or out of shape, a history of smoking, alcohol, medications, or simply our sleep posture. 

Issues from Snoring

People who snore suffer. So do those who love and live with them. 

Couples resign themselves to separates rooms when sleeping – creating distance where normally closeness would reign.

Our physical and emotional well being suffer.

We have study after study proving the value of a good night’s sleep. But we also have sleep studies proving that snoring is waking many up throughout the night. It’s a nuisance that’s robbing us of the most rewarding ‘deep’ sleep that our bodies crave.

Do You Know How you Snore?p>

Snoring with a closed mouth can be the result of tongue position.  It can deter air passage.

Christian Goodman is a well known natural health researcher and the creator of many

natural health alternatives.

A recent work is his stop snoring treatment,

which has now provided help to thousands of people to stop snoring.

It is caused by loose hanging tissues that prevent the normal air passage in the throat. This happens when the body and the muscles surrounding the throat are at their most restful positions. This explains why though we literally breathe the whole day, only during sleep do we experience snores.The tongue for example, would fall back into the throat when the jaw drops. Thus, narrowing the air passage. The pressure then passing through the throat would be doubled (or tripled depending on the speed of the wind that runs through it). Thus, vibration is created.

We often hack this problem by creating states wherein the muscles would not fall back to create blockages.

To prevent snoring, patients are often advised not to sleep on their sides. This is because there is constraint of air passage when one sleeps on his back. Coupled with gravity, the tongue and other loose muscles will fall back to the throat, which then creates much less space.

This is why the first device created to keep a person from snoring is the sock that covers a tennis ball stitched at the center of the snorer’s pajama shirt. If this is worn, the snorer will be kept from sleeping on his back due to discomfort.

Among the many advert effects of carrying too much pounds, overweight individuals are also more likely to be victims of snoring. Since their necks are a bit more fleshy, there could be more loose muscles that would hamper the normal passage of air. Thus, the heavier one gets, the more prone he is to have louder and deeper resonating snores.

Obviously, the best solution to prevent the development of too fleshy throats is not to raise the bar in the weighing scale. You would not only be saved from a number of coronary diseases, personal impairments and lack of self confidence, you would also get away from the loud noises your throat creates at nighttime.

There are various methods of loosing weight. From yoga to dieting, find one that would suit you best. Be patient in waiting for the effects of weight loss to come though. Remember that you did not gain weight overnight so you wont lose it overnight either. It takes much painful effort when you are hastening things to come to you. Work on it and never cease on following your diet or exercise plan. You know that it’s all worth it.

Substances that induce relaxation can also trigger snores. Therefore, you must refrain from drinking alcohol or drugs that has this very effect right before bedtime. Additionally, these substances can make your breathing slow. Be careful also not to get too tired during the day so that you wont get too relaxed during sleep.

Moreover, see to it that you go to bed at the same time each night. Creating an established sleep plan is known to induce better sleep. Thus, even when snoring can awaken your bed partner, you are mush less likely to wake up due to your own grunts.

Avoid breathing using your mouth. This often is the issue when it comes to snoring. Those who breathe through their mouths often have more aggravated problems since their dropped jaws encourage the tongue to drop back towards the throat. You can practice nasal breathing as early as you detect that you are beginning to get used to mouth breathing. After all, treatment for snoring often requires you to switch from mouth to nasal breathing. Indeed, another proof that prevention is much better than finding ways of treating the condition.

We most commonly go for easy solutions, forgetting that oaks don’t grow overnight. In the same way, we have to initiate efforts that are often life-changing. It may feel awkward to breathe through your nostrils during the night when for long time, you have been practicing mouth breathing. Or you may not find lifestyle changes if you have already learned to love smoking or alcohol. But you see, nothing comes out easy. We often have to toil for things to come into their own places before we expect some things to happen.You may have already considered taking surgeries, medications and dental implants. Well, it will always be a matter of preference and no one should restrict you from getting the benefits in the process. However, these options often let you spend big time. Add to this the fact that surgeries are often elective and not covered by insurance policies.

There is no fixed way of dealing with snoring though. It is more or less a matter of trial and error before you can actually arrive to a possible treatment or cure of your condition. However, if we are to look at the bigger picture of things, applying the various tips that we often hear from snorers who have found relief all work in ways that benefit us.

You may have been advised somewhere to stop smoking and alcohol intake. Well, even if stopping from using these two substances haven’t doled you out yet from the effects of snoring then rest assured that somehow, you are helped in ways you can’t have first imagined. (But believe us, once you stop taking these two substances, you are already one step closer to reducing the frequency of your snores.)

Snoring is caused by any sort of blockages in the throat, mouth and the nose. So basically, the relief would come from resolving the blockages on these parts. While this is the basic idea you would find it hard to find a specific cure for your condition since there are various contributing factors that may also be considered as the root cause of the vibration in the throat.

But you see, the end cure is always to get rid of the blockage or to add space in the throat.

Say for example, snoring surgeries are often aimed at removing these blockages by either cutting off some tissues around the throat and the mouth that are believed to cause the hindrance. Pills, on the other hand, are made to open up the air passages. Be careful though in using medications since most can cause side effects. Please always seek medical advice before attempting to use over-the-counter pills so that danger is reduced.

There are also a number of stop snoring devices and products that are designed specifically to induce relief from snoring. They may come with funny names but using them would certainly be a plus on your side.

Nasal strips, chin straps, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Appliances, dental and oral appliances, adjustable beds, and stop snoring sprays are only some of the many choices you may take. These all aim at either keeping your tongue from falling back or to widening the air passages so as to avoid the collapse of certain muscles.

Be patient though in finding the right product for you. It may take some real trial-and-error, research, evaluation and practice before you can truly come up with a product that suits you best.

Though not regularly the cause of aggravated problems (except for social embarrassment and potential risks of discontented relationship), it is still best if you are not a sufferer yourself.Many fall victim in this noisy nighttime dilemma. While some are not aware that they have the condition, many are known to seek ways to get around the troubles that it causes.

Like most other conditions, snoring can be prevented. If you are close to becoming a snorer yourself or if you know one who shows initial signs of developing this condition, you can find good use in the advises that we have in this article. Please read on.

Snoring occurs when the collapsible part of the throat meets. Coupled with the passage of air into the throat, these dangling parts are likely to produce vibrations that create the noisy sounds. Why this condition occurs at night is not a mystery.

While it is true that we breathe 24 hours a day, we only snore when our body is totally relaxed. Thus, it is often advised that snorers maintain a tensed sleeping position until the body gets used to this state.

If you do not like the idea, however, you can prevent snoring through practicing a sideward sleeping position to widen the passage through which air may run through. This passage is congested when we sleep on our backs since our heads are forced to fall back. Additionally, our lower jaw is encouraged to open, therefore creating a space wherein the tongue can droop back. When this occurs, the normal air passage will be obstructed by these components.

We all know that when a passage narrows, the pressure that regularly runs through it will increase. This principle occurs in the throat which explains why there are people who snore and there are those who don’t, and why snores come in different intensity and sounds.

Obesity is known to induce snoring. This is due to the fact that heavier people are more likely to have extra (and often unnecessary tissues). The neck of an overweight person is known to have more muscles and adipose tissues that hamper the normal delivery of breathing.

Thus, to prevent the possibility of producing nighttime respiratory vibration, one is advised to refrain from gaining too much weight. Not only would you escape from major health threats such as general unhealthiness of the body or coronary diseases, you can also save yourself from distracting your bed partner’s sleep and your own.

Some people practice mouth breathing. Add to the fact that this is generally not a healthy practice, mouth breathing can also raise one’s susceptibility towards snoring. It may seem awkward to switch back to nasal breathing initially though, but in time you would learn to breathe naturally using your nose while sleeping. In the end, you would be thankful that you took time and learned patience in eliminating this habit.

If you would notice, most advises in preventing snoring concern lifestyle-changing practices. This is because snoring, as a whole, don’t necessarily have to root from biological causes while we may find sufferers who are actually bothered by nasal deformities or extra large adenoids and tonsils.

Most middle-aged men are the victims and there is high risk towards obese persons. This is true since fleshy necks are most likely to have more muscles that would collapse during relaxed breathing.
Snoring roots from narrowed air passage in between the throat and the nose. When we sleep, this passage narrows due to relaxation of the tissues. This explains why we only snore when we are at our most restful position.

With a narrowed passage, the pressure of the air from the mouth and back are highly increased. Thus, this will drive the flapping muscles to vibrate more, which in turn create the snoring sounds.

Anything that helps narrow the air passage and the muscles to relax will most likely initiate the vibrations. Say, substances that promote muscle relaxation will encourage the tongue to fall back or the throat muscles to be relived from tension.

Stuffy nose can also be considered as a culprit since it limits the space in which air can pass through. Thus, there are specific cases of snoring that only occur when one has colds or inflamed sinuses.

Snoring can also be attributed to the position by which the patient sleeps. Sleeping on one’s back will cause your tongue and throat muscles to be pulled back by gravity. Therefore, patients are advised to get used with a sideward sleep position.

Since the only problem here is the unwanted relaxation of the muscles and tissues lining the respiratory tract, specifically the throat and the nasal passages, the most possible cure is to repair any excess muscles.

An otolaryngologist will help determine what truly causes your snoring problem. He is a specialist in conditions that are directly linked with ear, nose and throat problems. He is the only authority that can create a thorough examination of your condition.

The traditional method of surgery for snoring is the uvulopalatoharyngoplasty or UPPP, which aims to widen the air passages. This process normally removes excess tissues that cause the narrowing of the throat, including uvula tissue, adenoids, tonsils and those that are covered by the pharynx.

The more intensive version of this method called laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP uses laser in the removal of the muscles that inhibit normal air passage.

Both methods normally work best for mild snorers and don’t necessarily work for those who are suffering from sleep apnea or disruptive snoring.

Nasal surgery, on the other hand, is recommended for patients whose snoring is caused by unnecessary blockage in the nasal septum.

Tongue Suspension Procedure is a method that aims to keep the tongue from falling back. This is done by inserting a small screw in the lower jaw to which the tongue is stitched below.

Shrinking of throat tissue is also a common method of creating solutions. Somnoplasty is a method that uses an electrode needle that release energy to shrink the excess tissue. This then will be reabsorbed by the body.

Surgery may not be a simple way of fixing your floppy throat muscles. But this procedure creates the ultimate solutions. Remember though that there are specific methods for specific causes. Be careful that you first discuss all concerns with your physician so that proper treatment is delivered to you.

Sleep apnea is a condition characterized by loud snoring with periods of breathing interruptions. Interruptions may be short or prolonged, usually between 5 to 30 seconds. During this period, the child’s could not get straight sleep. He rouses and moves to another sleeping position, then resumes sleep. After a while he will once again begin snoring. This activity often happens several times during the night, each night. Although this condition rarely appears on children, it is very important that parents should watch out for symptoms that come along with it. Symptoms of sleep apnea include

• Poor speech habits – talking that sounds like words over a mouthful of hot potato.


• Reduced growth rate. Children suffering from sleep apnea use more energy in breathing during the night. During meals, they tend to eat slowly since it is hard for them to breathe and chew at the same time. The result is, they have insufficient nutrients to support their growth.


• Hyperactivity. Lack of sleep can cause drowsiness on children during the day. To stay awake, children act frantically.


• Poor performance in school. Since children do not get the right sleep during the night, they tend to appear tired and lack the concentration to focus at school, thus, having a poor performance.

When these symptoms are visible, it is imperative for parents to bring their child to a pediatrician and have him examined. A child can be happy and smiling when he is brought to the doctor and therefore, it is difficult to diagnose if he really has sleep apnea. Parents are advised to record their child’s snoring so that the doctor can analyze the situation in actually.

Meanwhile, sleep apnea is not the sole reason why children snore. Other reasons include allergy attack, obesity, asthma, and enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis.

Some allergy attacks can cause swelling on the linings of the nose that can direct to the enlargement of adenoids. This keeps the child from breathing normally. This causes the child to snore. After the allergy attack, the snoring stops.

Obesity can also lead to snoring. In fact, 20% and 40% of the obese children snore. This is because fats can form around the throat that can cause constriction and makes the limited airways. Also, fats in the stomach can cause the diaphragm to function irregularly

Asthma is said to be another cause why children snore. A study revealed that 40% of the children diagnosed with asthma snore.

Enlargement of adenoids and/or tonsils caused by cold or tonsillitis also results to snoring.  While cold or tonsillitis can be cured by decongestant and antibiotics, adenoid enlargement is treated by surgical procedure to remove adenoids and tonsils.

Underdevelopment of the jaw inside the womb can cause snoring as well. There is also the possibility that the nerves and the muscles cannot control the airway properly and cause that child to snore.

Excess fleshy structure in the throat- With more tissues that collide, it is more likely that snoring can occur. This explains why people snore when they have abnormal tonsils or adenoids. Overweight individuals, on the other hand, have larger necks that narrow the air passage while adding more obstructions due to the presence of excess tissues. Although rare, cysts and tumors can also directly cause snoring.

Some people have extra long uvula and soft palate. These muscles can dangle as a person breathes. These act as flutter valves that impede the normal air passage through the throat.

Obstruction in the nasal passage can also inhibit the movement of air from nose to lungs- If the person has stuffy nose, he is encouraged to breathe extra hard which then creates the vacuum in the throat. The parts that dangle loosely in this section of the respiratory tract are then subject to excessive movements. While a person doesn’t normally snore, the possibility that he would during hay fever season is high. Thus, many reports of snoring only when they have colds.

Problems with the nose construction- The nasal septum, the underlying bone of the nosal bridge that separates one nostril from the other, can also have deformities that may cause obstruction in the air flow.

Mouth breathing can also directly result to snores- Once the jaws drop during our sleep, a space will be created that would allow the tongue to fall back towards the throat. Again, this would create the obstruction that will encourage vibration, thus creating snores.

Having said all these, we then suggest that cures can be initiated when any of these results are directly counter acted.

Say for the excess tissues in the throat, the best possible cure is to remove the tissues that cause the blockage. This can be done through surgeries or through loosing weight.

There are many techniques used to surgically eliminate unwanted tissues. Some actually scrape these tissues while other allow electrically-induced disintegration of such muscles which will then be reabsorbed by the body. As for weight loss, there are also various methods of loosing pounds. Only, the person has to follow a comprehensive exercise or diet plan that will best fit his condition. Surgery is also used when the main cause of snoring is deviated nasal septum. This choice of cure will of course require careful examination and determined decision.

Mouth breathing, on the other hand, is best cured by shifting to nasal breathing. Many exercises had been devised to actualize this as much as there are a number of stop snoring devices that encourage the shift of breathing.

Problems on nasal passage are a bit less complicated to resolve. There are various stop snoring aids that aim to maximize the size of the nostrils through the use of clips and straps to facilitate better breathing.

These are the snorers. People with obstructed sleep that often deprives them of restful dreams and normal waking hours.

Even when these people hope for rested bedtimes, snoring will continue to linger until they are left with no choice but find treatments.But you see, there are literally so many ways to temporarily or permanently eliminate this loud, disturbing noise. Only, you have to find them and be willing to exchange risks if needed.

The first step you would like to follow is to evaluate what type of snorer you are. Knowledge of the cause is, in general, helpful in facilitating the cures. This is better illustrated with health conditions for which the root causes are unidentifiable. Often, these don’t have immediate cures which tend to exacerbate the condition first until everything else is left to fate.

If you are overweight, try reducing some pounds. Most obese persons seem to have developed snoring. This is because they have highly decreased space in their respiratory tracts. Thus, more vibration is likely to occur. Add to this the fact that their air passages are fleshier which elevates the likelihood of creating further resonance in the sound.

Avoid taking relaxant substances immediately before sleep. Too much relaxation in the muscle of the throat is known to cause the blockages since the muscles can possibly flip-flap better when relaxed. This also explains why we only experience snoring when sleeping since the muscles at this state are relaxed. People with this condition are often advised to sleep lightly while keeping a tensed state so muscles are put into proper order.

Refrain from eating dairy products right before you sleep, these can help build up mucus in your air passages.

A classic knowledge among snorers is that sleeping on the back further initiate snoring. It is advisable that one keeps a side sleep position.

While it may not directly cure snoring, following a strict and regular sleep routine will help regulate your sleep. If you lack sleep from the other night’s snoring accounts, this can be compensated by forming a more regular sleep pattern.

Minimize the softness of your pillows. This would contribute to the non-relaxed state of your neck during sleep. Remember that snoring roots from too relaxed throat muscles.

By all means, moisturize your throat and lessen the congestion.

Smoking does not only kill the lungs, it also causes the cells lining the tissue of your throat to develop into a form not fit for accommodating further nuisance. This then leads to irritation that is a contributing factor to snoring. Smoking also causes inflammation and swelling in the respiratory tract.

Nasal strips are effective in reducing snoring since these products create wider airflow by opening up nostrils. Anti-snoring sprays and pills might also be effective too.

There are hundreds of snoring devices available both online and offline. This type of treatment range from adjustable beds to nasal valve dilators.

Don’t be surprised if some products wont work for you. But you see, in general they always do. After all, they were created and patented to fit your exact needs to facilitate treatment of your nocturnal dilemma.

The sad part though is that snoring is not a voluntary act. Most snorers are not even aware that they snore unless someone tells them so. And they can either control muscles from dangling or initiate the actual snoring.It is quite hard to isolate the actual causes of snoring from the contributing factors. Nevertheless, there are various methods of knowing which are the culprits. In the medical community, it is well known that knowledge of the causes can drive the cure to arise. Thus, it is crucial that one is able to pinpoint which among the factors aggravates the condition.

Once any root cause is properly identified, it would now be easier to find a cure that will leave everyone worry-free. By then, it would be much easier to quit snoring, it may take lots of trials and investigations though.

It all stream down from self-realization. Knowing yourself can create ways to eliminate the factors that help result to the problem. Thus, if you know that you are presently subjected to specific stimuli that create the channel for the causes then you will be able to find some ways to get around the stimulant.

Say, if you are a smoker, you are likely at a higher risk towards snoring. Smoking has been associated with too many conditions that are not only considered generally threatening but fatal. While snoring may not be a life- threatening condition, it still can affect various aspects of lifestyles that can deprive you of specific pleasures.

When a person smokes, the substance and the smoke itself cause the cells of the esophagus to react. Once this occurs, the chain reaction would result to the development of excess mucus to help the lining of the esophagus adopt to the new and harsher condition. Thus, when there are unwanted substances in the air passage, these may cause the obstruction, which then helps in the aggravation of snoring.

If this seems to be your problem, you can easily find your way out from snoring once you begin to quit smoking.

The case is different though with drinking alcohol right before bed time. Alcohol is known to induce relaxation. The fact is, once the muscles in the throat are overly relaxed, they tend to fall back from their positions towards the spaces in the throat that may obstruct the normal passage of air

Overweight individuals are also more susceptible to snoring than most individuals. It has been observed that the bigger one gets, the more likely he is to produce the annoying sounds during the night. This condition is not exactly because the person is obese but because if one is heavier then he must have more tissues lining in his neck.

These can potentially cause the problems that lead to snoring since more tissues can obstruct normal breathing.

Some people, on the other hand, suffer from various forms of allergies that can eventually lead to snores.

There are other possibilities as to what might actually cause your snores. You just have to find ways to know them. Your physician can be the best source of help as well as consultation and evaluation properly given by an otolaryngologist, a specialist in problems concerning the throat, mouth and the nose.

Luckily, snoring is not much of a difficult condition to treat. The nature of which is also well-known that most consider it normal. So normal that many tend not to get bothered of its effects, especially when mild.

Treatments for snoring depend on the diagnosis gathered. While snoring may appear to have no types, it must be understood that there are certain kinds of snoring that excessively disrupts sleep and there are those that do not cause any harm at all.

Examination of the physiology and anatomy of the throat and the underlying tissues will reveal where the problems root. Usually, snoring stems from loose muscles that flaps back and forth when air runs through the throat. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, snoring can also be due to allergies, deformities, infections and abnormal enlargement of adenoids and tonsils. All of which, if carefully examined, will lead us back to the obstruction of air passage.

Normally, prevention of the main causes can treat snoring. This includes abstinence from smoking, drinking alcohol and other relaxants, and maintenance of an ideal weight. All these have adverse effects not only on the body but can directly cause loose muscles to vibrate abnormally.

Treatments to stop snoring can include lifestyle-changing habits, use of stop snoring aids and more intensive surgeries. The choice is normally set for the snorer to take, depending on the aggravation of the condition.

As we have mentioned earlier, simple measures can contribute largely to the treatment of the condition. Stop snoring aids, on the other hand, would require patience to find what fits for you.

The market offers a great variety of snoring aids including nasal breathing devices, adjustable beds, oral and dental appliances and pressurized masks.

Nasal breathing devices normally aim to keep your nasal passages open or your jaws from dropping. You may find nasal strips, nasal clips, chin up strips and chin straps under this category. These products normally require you to breathe using your nose rather than your mouth since mouth breathing typically ends up to snoring. It has been observed that a switch from mouth to nasal breathing can eliminate a number of snoring types.

Mouth pieces or oral devices aim to position the tongue away from blocking the air passage. You should seek dental specialist if you are considering the use of such devices as solutions to nighttime dilemma.

Surgery, on the other hand, is an irreversible decision. Therefore, you should be careful if you truly are considering this option. Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty or UPPP is known to be the traditional method of trimming excess tissues in the throat. A more modern approach uses laser thus the name Laser-Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty or LAUP.

Removal of unnecessary tissues in the throat enlarges the air passage which helps reduce the collapse of the muscles.

Approaches to be used in line with your condition vary according to your personal preference and the immediate need to cure your condition. It is best to seek medical help first or get yourself educated with your options before running under the knife or strapping your mouth with some device.