Unfortunately this is something that the many of us will encounter at some point in our lives, whether it’s our own or someone else’s. If you live with a snorer or if you are one yourself, then you know that snoring is something that can actually drive a wedge between people.

Nobody gets a good night’s sleep with the noise during the night, resulting in mental fatigue the next day. Some people can learn to ignore the noise and sleep through the night but most can’t. If the problem with snoring occurs each day, as it does with most couples, it can lead to even bigger problems.

My own Dad was a great snorer. If they gave awards for this, he surely would have won. You could hear him snoring outside with all the doors and windows closed!

Snoring is usually caused by irregular nasal air flow due to a blockage in the airways. Some other causes can be a weakened throat, a throat surrounded with fat, nasal congestion, or tissues surrounding airways that rub against each other and vibrate.

If you are looking to find solutions to what causes snoring, be assured that there are a wide variety of treatments available. While there are some very effective surgical and medical treatments, it is always a good idea to start with natural and non-invasive remedies.

why is sleep important

needs no explanation. Sleep may be defined as that stage in which you are supposed to experience total relaxation of the body and mind. During sleep, you are less conscious and less active but your brain and your body is still at work.

Proper sleep is important if you want to maintain your normal routine during the day. If you get little sleep, you’ll be more irritable, less focused and more fatigued the next day. Getting less sleep for one night can be an irritant to most people; getting too little sleep for weeks can be extremely detrimental to your health.

While lack of sleep can cause minor disturbances and changes in a person’s behavior and working patterns, there can be serious consequences. We’ve all heard of sleep deprived drivers causing deadly accidents on the highway.

If you don’t sleep for several days you could experience a mental breakdown and be unable to function normally. Every so often you’ll hear about someone (like a celebrity) doing something odd on the news and they’ll report that they haven’t slept for a while. Think of Margo Kidder or most recently, Brittany Spears behavior.

Our need for sleep is a very real physical requirement. Our bodies use this time to recuperate and repair while our consciousness is off in dreamland. Think of all the times you were sick, broke a bone or just had surgery – weren’t you really tired and didn’t you need a lot more sleep than you normally do? That’s because your body was using a lot of energy to repair the problem and heal you.

Our brains need the downtime as well. We assimilate and process the information we receive during our day so it makes sense to us. Later, we’ll be able to recall this as needed, if we obtain the proper amount of sleep.

Why our sleep is important…

Our sleep is important to us so we have energy to function normally during the day. To be able to do what we expect to do without having to consciously think about it. Sleep is important to maintain our bodies and minds in the best physical health possible. And our sleep is needed to feel emotionally calm and collected, able to face our day.

So now you know why sleep is important!

Other activities that could influence snoring include:

• alcohol
• hay fever
• head colds
• allergic reactions to foods
• and so on.

If you only snore once in a great while, pay attention to what’s happening around you for the past 24 to 48 hours.  It may be that you used a cleaner or some kind of spray that caused your nasal passages to swell.

When this happens you could try the nose strips that hold the nasal passages open while you sleep.  These are easily available at your local drug or grocery store.  It’s always a good idea just to keep some on hand so you have them when needed.  I keep a few in my travel bag – because you never know.

are something that the majority of us will encounter at some point in our lives, whether it’s our own or someone else’s. If you live with a snorer or if you are one yourself, then you know that snoring is something that can actually drive a wedge between people. Neither the snorer nor the one who can’t sleep through the noise gets a good night’s sleep, resulting in mental fatigue the next day. If the problem with snoring occurs each day, as it does with most couples, it can lead to even bigger problems. In this article we’ll discuss natural remedies for snoring problems.

Snoring is usually caused by irregular nasal air flow due to a blockage in the airways. Other causes can be a weakened throat, a throat surrounded with fat, nasal congestion, or tissues surrounding airways that rub against each other and vibrate.

If you are looking to find solutions to snoring problems, there are a wide variety of treatments available. While there are some very effective surgical and medical treatments, it is always a good idea to start with natural and non-invasive solutions. Some tips to remedy

snoring problems are listed below:

1) Mild snoring can usually be addressed by switching to a different sleeping position. If you sleep on your back, you may want to try sleeping on your side and see if it addresses or reduces your problem.

2) Try elevating your head when lying down by using more pillows. This can free your airways and make breathing less strenuous while you sleep.

3) Lifestyle changes can do a lot to remedy your snoring problems. If you have vices such as drinking or smoking, try cutting down or quitting entirely. You should also exercise regularly to enhance your respiratory system. If you are overweight, try to lose a few pounds and get to your ideal weight.

4) Several types of medication can also cause snoring problems. Among them are sleeping pills which, ironically, people tend to take when they can’t sleep due to their snoring problems. As much as possible, try to get natural sleep and ask your doctor if any of your other medications contribute to your snoring problem.

5) There are also other very helpful but unconventional treatments including singing or playing woodwind or brass instruments. Such activities exercise your lungs and strengthen your throat to reduce or completely cure your snoring problems.

6) Activities such as yoga and meditation can help you eradicate your snoring problems if done regularly, especially before sleeping. Such activities help you relax and improve your breathing techniques.

Most snoring problems can easily be addressed by making certain changes in your life. However, snoring can also be indicative of an underlying medical condition. For this reason, it is important to have yourself checked by a specialist especially if the tips above do not work for you. Heart problems and high blood pressure are only some of the more serious medical conditions associated with snoring. You may also be suffering from sleep apnea, a condition where you don’t breathe regularly in your sleep. In bad cases, sufferers stop breathing entirely for long periods of time. This can happen several times at night without the sufferer even knowing it. While most sufferers wake to regain breath, there may be a time when they don’t wake at all, resulting in death.

Surgery, dental appliances and treatments such as continuous positive airway pressure can also help alleviate snoring problems. However, natural remedies for snoring problems are always better to start with. They offer alternatives which are safe, practical and can be implemented immediately. Only if the tips discussed above don’t work for you should you seek more invasive solutions.

Source: “6 natural snoring remedies and cures” from:   Natural Health Ezine November 25, 2009

is a very common cause of snoring. Although there are millions of us that have a problem with snoring at night that affects your sleep, there are very few of us that actually understand how it is caused.  Believe it or not, understanding the causes behind your snoring can help you to overcome it. 

Snoring is typically caused by an obstruction in the soft palate of the throat area, because this area relaxes while we are asleep.   One way that it can be increased, however, is if we are carrying additional weight on our body.  Not only can this be bad for us in a lot of different ways, it can also increase the amount of snoring that we do because it helps to obstruct the area further.

If you really want to be able to stop snoring, the first thing that you should do is to reduce the amount of weight that you are carrying around on your body. This will eliminate overweight snoring.

I’m sure that you have heard this advice before, but in order to lose weight, you  must have a proper combination of diet and exercise.  Simply trying to lose weight by reducing the amount of calories that you eat can work to a certain extent but it is highly unlikely that it will work for the long term.

If you suffer from snoring and sleep problems as a result of having too much weight on your body, you might be surprised to learn that it can be a life-threatening problem.  Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing periodically through the night and this can be a direct result of additional weight on your body.  Use that as a motivation if necessary to get out and exercise a little bit along with your diet.

Not only is diet and exercise going to help you with your snoring problem, it is going to help you to feel better overall.  Exercising on a regular basis will reduce the amount of stress that you feel during the day and this can also help to reduce the amount of snoring that you do at night.

There are so many benefits that come from losing weight.  Not only will you look and feel better, you’ll decrease your sleep problems by improving your sleep. Thus, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready to face your day by eliminating

overweight snoring

.

sleep apnea

. Snoring can be quite annoying, not only to those who suffer from it and don’t get a proper night’s sleep but to those who have to listen to it regularly.

There may be a problem, however, that can cause quite a lot of health problems along with it. This is sleep apnea and it goes much further than snoring alone. If you are suffering from this problem, there are some things that you can do about it.

Sleep apnea actually comes in 2 different types:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs whenever the muscles in your throat relax and end up blocking your ability to breathe.
2. Central sleep apnea has to do with your brain not sending the proper breathing signals to you and you end up not breathing for periods of time at night.

Regardless of which type of sleep apnea you have, however, there are some natural things that you can do in order to overcome it. It is a serious situation and should be treated as such. If you realize that you have sleep apnea, do everything in your power to overcome it.

The most important thing that you can do in order to overcome the problem with snoring and sleep apnea is to change your lifestyle to a certain extent. One of the largest culprits as far as sleep apnea is concerned is excess weight on your body so make sure that you’re not carrying around the extra weight that you don’t have to. Another thing that you would want to do is to avoid alcohol before bedtime as this could make your sleep apnea and snoring worse.

It might also be how you are sleeping that is causing you to snore and have sleep apnea. Many people only have this problem when they are sleeping on their backs so sleeping on your side or even your stomach may have a positive impact on how much quality sleep you are getting. Keeping your nasal passages clear with some saline spray may also help you to breathe better and not to rely so much on breathing through your mouth.

It may take some effort on your part to overcome sleep apnea but it will be well worth the effort when you are able to do so.

Here are some items on Sleep Apnea from Amazon that you may be interested in:

I’m sure that you have recognized with your own snoring that you often wake up with a dry throat and mouth.  You might be surprised to learn that this dryness may not be a result of the snoring but may actually be part of the cause.  Let’s take a look at some common sprays that you can use in order to help overcome the problem.

Many of us become mouth breathers at night and this causes a lot of problems with snoring.  If you find that your nose is becoming stuffed up during the night and it is causing you to breathe through your mouth, you might want to consider using a saline spray up your nostrils on a nightly basis.

Many people find that this is a rather pleasant sensation after they begin using it but most are typically apprehensive because they feel that it is going to be uncomfortable.  If you use it regularly, it will help to keep the lining of your nasal passages and your sinuses moist which will do more than just help you with your snoring problems.  It may also help you to avoid colds which is something that all of us certainly would look forward to.

There are also some commercial products that are available on the market that are homeopathic and made from all-natural products.  These also come in the form of a spray but instead of spraying them up your nose as you would with a saline solution, they are sprayed directly into the mouth and in the area of the throat.  The natural products that they contain help to coat and soothe this area and can reduce the amount of snoring that you are doing quite dramatically.

You may also be able to make your self a homeopathic spray to help reduce some of the symptoms associated with snoring but it is typically easier for you to just buy one of these commercial products.  Most people find that after using one of these products for just a couple of nights, they are able to get a much better night’s sleep and so are those who have to listen to them.

Insomnia is generally described as inadequate or poor quality sleep.

You could have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, waking up too frequently during the night or waking up too early in the morning.

When you suffer from poor sleep quality, you don’t feel rested in the morning and often don’t function well for the rest of the day. This article should help you determine some of the causes of your sleep problems and how to overcome

insomnia

.

A common culprit may be irregular sleep habits. Going to bed around the same time every night and waking around the same time in the morning go a long way to improving your sleep habits.

You may need to set the stage for sleep. Remember as a child, your mom had you get ready for bed. I’d bet you followed pretty much the same routine every night. You had to go to the bathroom, wash your face and hands, brush your teeth and change into your pajamas. Maybe your parents read you a story. Perhaps you’ve fallen out of your normal routine and now need to re-establish it.

As you go through your evening routine do so consciously. This means that you have an awareness that what you are doing will result in a desired outcome. Think or say the following to yourself while you are doing your evening pre-bed routine – “Washing my face and brushing my teeth helps me sleep soundly and restfully”. Change the underlined word(s) to whatever your activity is. This will help your subconscious mind align with your desired outcome of better sleep.

Another factor in sleeping problems is your diet. Most often this is what you ate for dinner or later, but occasionally this could be a food you eat all the time. The biggest offenders are spicy, greasy foods and alcohol – especially a combo such as pizza and beer. Start paying attention to when and what you are eating and how you sleep that night. You might be surprised at what you find out.

Generally, you shouldn’t eat or drink anything but water for at least three hours before bedtime. This gives your body time to empty the stomach so acid reflux or heartburn doesn’t wake you. Plus, if you eat any carbohydrates during this time period, you stop certain processes that need to occur during our sleep time as this is when our bodies do most of the repair and healing work.

Next, take a look at how active you are. It’s very common to require less sleep as you become less active. You may need to increase your activity level to promote a more sound and restful sleep. Now that being said, avoid exercise immediately before bedtime as it will increase your metabolism and keep you up, thus aggravating your insomnia.

How light and noisy is your bedroom? You may be so used to the presence of light and noise that you don’t even notice them anymore, yet this may be what is adversely affecting your sleep.

We should be sleeping in total darkness. When you first go to bed after turning off the lights, stick your arms out. You should not be able to see your arms. If you can, then your room is not dark enough. Pull the curtains closed, and cover lights from electrical equipment in your bedroom. (I put black electrical tape on the cable box lights.) Move your clock so you can’t see it unless you sit up and look for it.

Melatonin is a supplement that you can take to help you overcome insomnia. However, you can help your own body to produce melatonin by sleeping in total darkness. Our bodies need the darkness to start producing Melatonin. This is a hormone that your pineal gland in the brain produces that helps you sleep soundly. If there is light on any part of your body, the pineal gland will not release any Melatonin.

Now for noise . . . it’s easy to block outside noise, just use earplugs. Look for the soft or moldable earplugs. But what many have trouble with is tinnitus – an internal high or low pitched noise. Many people report success with a noise machine which produces a white noise or nature sounds. This seems to help block the constant noise in the ears and you’ll sleep better.

You should also take a good look at what you sleep on. How old is your mattress? Does it sag in the middle? It may be worn out. I believe most mattresses are rated to last for 7 to 10 years. Do a little research on the type of mattress you should be sleeping on. There are many choices available.

As you can see, some simple changes in your daily routine and habits can often result in improved sleep … leaving you more rested and able to function better during the day. Now that you know to what to look for you can improve your sleep problems and overcome insomnia on your own.

By Christine Hasinger,  BSN., DOM

Sleep Problems. . . If you are tossing and turning all night long, no matter how hard you try to doze off, you’ll definitely wind up  grumpy, foggy and unfocused the following morning. 

Poor slumber leads to mood swings, fatigue and even a diminished attention span.  You may feel tired even as you wake up in the morning and have trouble concentrating on tasks.  If you have a hard time getting some sleep no matter what you do, then you may have a sleeping disorder called insomnia. . .

Thirty percent of your life is spent in bed.  This is such a regular part of our being that we tend to take it for granted.  We only realize its value when we’re already suffering from insomnia.

Good sleeping habits are important because they enable your brain and body to function normally. You generally require sleep at night and during the mid-day if you are very young, old or ill.

Every one of us requires a different length of slumber to continue their normal functions the next day.  However, most people require at least seven hours every night.  Some of us only get four hours and still feel great while others may need up to ten hours of sleep per night.

Your body automatically recognizes the time to snooze because it considers lesser amounts of light as a signal to the brain to produce melatonin, a chemical that causes sleepiness.    During this time, the three major chemicals that keep you alert, including serotonin are automatically deactivated.  Haven’t you noticed that you get drowsy earlier during the winter months when it’s dark by dinner time.

Insomnia is generally known as a sleeping disorder but it can be grouped into three types.  Mild insomnia is a sleep disorder that lasts for a few days only and does not result in any defect in a person‘s regular functions.  The mild form of insomnia may be normal and not debilitating.  However, longer periods of insomnia can have serious effects on a your physical and psychological make up.

When should you ask for help for if you have insomnia?

Insomnia tends to result in poor concentration, focus and can make you more prone to accidents.   This disorder can lead to a poor social life and failed relationships because insomniacs are easily stressed out, generally depressed and have little patience.  Sleep disorders may be related to heart illnesses and severe headaches during the day.

Moderate insomnia may just be a result of too much thinking or pressure in your work or personal life.  However, when your insomnia attacks become more frequent and lengthier affecting your life to where you are depressed and irritable then perhaps it is time to seek help from a professional.

Chronic insomnia can last for months and can severely affect a person’s normal functions.  Most insomniacs do not seek the advice of specialists even if they have already lost some weight and are losing control of their lives because they think it is normal phase.  However, insomnia is different from sleep deficiency, a condition where a person can get some sleep but feels he does not get enough of it.

Sleeplessness is a common occurrence with almost thirty percent of adults experiencing this every year.  However, only five percent get medical advice.  This is a sad fact considering that four out of ten people who have insomnia are also prone to psychiatric disorders.  Another glaring fact is that seven out of ten depressed people suffer from this disorder as well.

Research shows that while insomnia is generally caused by stressors and anxiety, it may also be caused by increasing use of cocaine, alcohol and sedatives, as well as physical deformities or pain.    Normal problems like unemployment, relationship problems, and other daily activities are also said to contribute to sleep problems.

If you are someone that tosses and turns all night, has trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep or just wakes up too early and doesn’t feel rested then perhaps you have insomnia.  For the mild to moderate insomniac there are many self-help manuals and products available.  This article gives self help tips on how to overcome insomnia. If you think you have a sleep problem beyond the occasional night of insomnia, you should also seek the advice of a health professional.