Snoring is actually a sign of sleep apnea but how do you know if you are snoring when no one is around to tell you or no one also notices? There are a few ways that can help you know if you are snoring.
So, how to know if you are snoring? Check out these 9 signs that you might be a snorer.
- Excessive daytime sleepiness.
- Snoring can disrupt our sleep at night and cause us to still be sleepy in the morning.
- Difficulty in concentrating.
- If you are snoring, you’ll find a hard time concentrating since your body couldn’t rest well as it should at night.
- Gasping or choking at night.
- You may or may not notice it, but if you did, it’s a sign that you might be snoring.
- Waking up with a dry mouth.
- Snorers will end up breathing through their mouths, leaving it dry as we wake.
- Waking up with a headache.
- Snoring can also cause headaches in the morning that will gradually fade away on its own after waking.
- Sudden weight gain or loss.
- If your snore is caused by a sleeping condition such as sleep apnea, there’s a chance that you might experience uncontrolled and sudden weight gain or loss.
- Uncontrolled irritability.
- Lack of sleep due to snoring can cause mood swings and decreasing our control over our emotions which can lead to unwanted irritability
- Experience pauses in breathing during sleep.
- You may or may not notice it on your own but if you do, it’s a major sign that you might be snoring and have sleep apnea.
- Feeling tired even though you just woke up.
- Restless sleep is a sign of snoring and sleep apnea, this is because your body is worked up at night while you are sleeping, causing you to have less energy when you wake.
If not signs and you want direct confirmation, here are two ideas to try and confirm if you are snoring.
- Schedule a sleep study.
- A sleep study is a formal “test” where health experts will monitor your sleep to determine what sleeping condition you might have. This can be done at a sleep center or at home.
- Try to record your sleep.
- If you live alone or anything similar, you can try to take a video of yourself while you are sleeping with the audio on. You can decide to just use a voice recorder to hear if you do snore.
Hopefully, these tips and procedures can help you out. On the other hand, how do you stop snoring? As you read on, you will learn more about what snoring does and what can you do about it!
How to stop snoring?
If you have already confirmed that you are a snorer, how do you stop it? Usually, treatments will differ depending on what causes your snoring. However, you can check out this list that can help you out.
- Nasal Strips
- Nasal strips are one of the earliest tools used to treat conditions like sleep apnea and its symptoms such as snoring. Nowadays, there are newly developed nasal strips that you can try.
- Oral Appliance
- Oral pieces can help with sleep apnea and snoring, they are custom made to make sure it prevents the obstruction in the airways and counter sleep apnea and snoring.
- CPAP Treatment
- The CPAP or “Continuous Positive Airway Pressure” is a commonly used treatment and proven to be effective for sleep apnea patients and helping snoring.
- Lose weight
- Being overweight or obesity can be a cause of snoring. You can potentially get rid of snoring by getting plenty of exercises and maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.
- Stop or avoid smoking too much.
- Excessive smoking can cause or worsen snoring. Reducing your smoke intake per day will also reduce the risk of snoring. If possible, quit smoking to potentially get rid of snoring.
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
- Drinking too much alcohol before sleeping can cause and worsen snoring just like smoking.
- Avoid sedatives before going to sleep
- Certain sedatives can cause snoring. Consult a medical expert to determine what type of sedative may be the cause.
- Maintain a proper sleep routine.
- Sometimes, we end up getting exposed to snoring since we simply don’t sleep at the right time. Try to avoid staying up late and sleep early.
- Try to keep a proper sleeping position as well. Try to sleep with your head elevated or sleeping in a recliner chair.
- Don’t overwork yourself all the time.
- Going to sleep exhausted can make us a lot more prone to snoring. It’s important to relax a little bit at first before going to bed to lessen the risk of sleep apnea and snoring.
- Treat chronic allergies
- Some allergies can trigger obstruction in your body’s airways and may cause you to have sleep apnea and cause you to snore. Treat or avoid triggering your allergies to avoid snoring.
What causes snoring?
To help stop the snoring, it’s important to know what may cause it in the first place. There are plenty of reasons why a person may snore but mainly, it’s when the person is experiencing difficulty in breathing.
When the body is unable to breathe properly, the surrounding tissues may vibrate which causes the sound called snoring.
This can happen because of chronic conditions or natural anatomy formation. It can be because of a narrow throat or such which can be fixed through surgeries.
If not, there are also other reasons why a person will snore. Check out this list to see if it may be applicable to your situation.
- Being overweight
- Body fat can get in the way of the body’s ability to stretch its airways open making it harder to breathe which will cause snoring.
- Airway obstruction
- Anything that can obstruct the airways will make breathing difficult and cause the tissues to vibrate and cause snoring.
- Sleeping position
- Sleeping on your back may cause the tongue to fall back and the muscles to relax which can block the airways.
- Drinking liquor
- Drinking excessive liquor especially before going to sleep will relax the muscles and create difficulty in breathing
- Smoking cigarettes
- Similar to drinking liquor
- Taking medications
- Certain medications can make the body relax as well
- Sleeping exhausted
- Sometimes, going to bed overworked or completely exhausted can cause snoring since the body is too tired to help your breathing stay normal.
- Anatomical build
- Your physical attributes can obstruct your airways and some of this can be hereditary.
- Age
- As we age, our throat will become narrower which is beyond our control. However, proper sleep routine and a healthy, balanced diet can prevent snoring or sleep apnea.
How to do a sleep study to know if you are snoring
Doing a sleep study is easy but you must also possess signs that you really do need the medical service. In this case, snoring is a major sign of complex sleeping conditions such as sleep apnea.
So, if you suspect that you are snoring, you are also suspecting the possibility of sleep apnea. This means you already qualify for the sleep study.
Now, you only have to speak to your doctor and ask about a sleep study. An appointment will be made after your doctor asks a few questions, like an initial interview.
Learn more about “how to do a sleep study” by checking our article here.
What worsens snoring?
There are a few factors or conditions that can worsen the snoring and prevent you from curing it. Check out these factors to help you understand. Some cannot be avoided but some can be prevented.
- Hypothyroidism
- The condition wherein your body does not produce enough thyroid hormones, which is needed to control how to use energy received from food through metabolism. Bad metabolism can affect heartbeat and breathing.
- Acromegaly
- Opposite of hypothyroidism, acromegaly produces too much growth hormones which can affect your overall health including breathing.
- Obesity
- Can make breathing difficult even while asleep or not moving, resulting in snoring
- Allergies
- There are certain allergies that can worsen sleep apnea or snoring. Allergies that result with difficulty in breathing are the likes.
- Smoking cigarettes
- Excessive smoking can damage your body which may make it harder to function or relax properly, increasing the risk of sleep apnea and snoring.
- Drinking liquor
- Too much liquor and drinking before going to sleep can cause sleep apnea and snore.
- Drug usage
- Sedations or other types of drugs especially when being abused can result in sleep apnea and snoring or worse.
- Certain drugs, medications or such can worsen sickness
- Being male
- Observations reveal that males tend to have sleep apnea and snore more than females
- Though this factor cannot be avoided, knowing about it will help you understand the reason why you are prone to sleep apnea and snoring because of it
- Being old
- Observations also revealed that older adults are more prone to sleep apnea and snoring than younger ones due to more complicated health issues that may trigger sleep apnea.
How to stop snoring caused by sleep apnea?
If your snore is caused by sleep apnea and using the treatments listed above did not work, then the only option left is to treat sleep apnea directly and permanently rid of it. Here’s how you can do it.
- Rapid Maxillary Expansion
- For children with obstructive sleep apnea. This process places an expandable brace on the roof of the mouth that increases the width of the upper jaw (maxilla).
- Over time, parents can adjust the brace using a special key to increase the amount of pressure for the teeth.
- Jaw Advancement Surgery
- For teenagers and adults. This process will surgically break the jaw bones, moved forward and then fixed properly with screws and plates and will change the person’s facial structure or profile.
- It might take months to recover.
- Surgical Airway Advancement
- Similar to the 2nd example. Bones of the upper and lower jaw will be repositioned in a way that will relieve airway obstruction.
It’s important to consult a health expert to determine the proper surgery suited for your condition. After all, sleep apnea can be a complicated condition and needs careful analysis before doing anything else.
Related Questions
Is snoring a sign of heart attack?
No, snoring is not a sign of a heart attack but it can be a risk factor for a heart attack. Studies show that majority of people who snore tend to have a condition called “obstructive sleep apnea”.
The sleeping condition complicates the body’s system and may end up affecting the brain and heart which can lead to heart attacks.
Is snoring a sign of cancer?
No, snoring is not a sign of cancer but it can end up worsening cancer or become the cause of it. Snoring is usually a sign of other conditions such as sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea patients have a dysfunctional system that causes their body to be more prone to health conditions such as cancer due to the low blood oxygen levels that sleep apnea patients have.
