As has been mentioned before, snoring can be caused by weakened throat muscles that relax during sleep. This relaxation causes the tissue to block the passageways, creating a vibration which creates the snoring sound. Logically, one can think that a weakened muscle must be strengthened and maybe the muscle would not relax as much and keep the airways clearer. This is the concept behind the exercises for strengthening the throat muscles. As always, check with your physician before you embark on an exercise regimen.

The first exercise is something that you are already intimately familiar with: yawning. Yes, yawning can help you with your snoring! When you practice yawning, the muscles in your throat will get a good work out just as if you went to the gym and did some exercises there on your stomach muscles, for instance. To properly do this exercise the mouth is to be opened wide to stretch the throat open and a breath taken. As with repetitions you do with weights, this exercise should be repeated between six and eight times. It will also encourage your throat to remain open when you do this exercise, so it is recommended that you perform this exercise before bed. This may promote the passage of air through your throat as well as strengthening the muscles along with the soft palate, the area above your tongue.

To further exercise your throat and strengthen its muscles as well as tone up the soft palate, there are vocal exercises for you to try. Making sounds such as la, la, la, etc. for eight to ten repetitions to work the muscles of the throat. Make any sound that ends in “a” for this exercise and you will work your throat into breathing more easily at night.

Another thing that is excellent for strengthening your throat muscles and the soft palate that you will have heard of is gargling. Gargling is an exercise that will concentrate on the throat muscles, further helping them to tone up along with the soft palate. It is required that you be extra vigorous in your gargling because it will create the best results. Be as loud as you can be with warm water when gargling. Laughing, also a good exercise for the throat muscles and the soft palate is something that will not have to be explained too much here. Not only will laughing help to ease your snoring, but it will also help to put you in a better mood.

Familiar activities, yawning, singing, gargling and laughing are all things you can do to strengthen the muscles that may have become too soft and cause snoring. It may be worth a try doing these four exercises just to discover if they help to reduce your snoring at all. Try it tonight!

For more great advice on snoring exercises read Snore-No-More

Now that we have discussed what may be causing your snoring, in this article we will become acquainted with the exercises that may help alleviate the snoring. A physician can tell you if these exercises are right for you. The following is only to let you know what type of exercises and remedies exist and how they work.

The simplest remedy for snoring treats the congested nose. As we have explored in an earlier post, snoring can be caused by the congestion due to a cold. The deviated septum, the nose’s divider protruding to one side more than the other can also cause congestion to build up in the smaller nostril. A simple solution to the cold and deviated septum may be the nasal strip. The nasal strip works by opening up the nostrils and allowing more air to pass through them. Snoring can be eased from these little devices if the snoring is not caused by other means.

Now that the simple remedy is out of the way, now it’s time for more difficult exercises. The exercises that will be introduced in this article are meant to target the muscles that relax too much during sleep. As has been mentioned in a previous article, the muscle groups of the throat and mouth relax during sleep, obstruct the passageways and cause snoring. One way to strengthen the muscles and ease snoring is to exercise the jaw. This is done easily with a common activity that you may not be doing enough of at the moment: Reading aloud.

Take some time to read aloud. It will work the muscles that you are no longer used to using if you have not read aloud in a long time. (This can also be a fun habit to be in to promote you reading skills.) To increase the benefits of this exercise, it is suggested that you prop your mouth open with an object and continue to read aloud. This exercise may present a challenge, but it will definitely exercise your jaw muscles. You will be glad to know that it is not recommended that you perform this exercise for more than a couple of minutes.

The jaw may also need to be relaxed. It is the opposite of what goes on with the muscles of the throat at night; throat muscles relax so much during the night that they block passageways. The jaw, which can also be the cause of snoring when the jaw is tense, would benefit from stretching exercises. Once you learn to do the exercise and get your jaw to relax during sleep, you will have a more restful sleep. When the jaw is tense it can prevent air from freely moving through the passageways, so exercising your jaw to decrease the stress may relieve your snoring.

Congestion in the nose and stress in the jaw may easily be decreased with nasal strips and jaw exercises. If these remedies help your snoring they may also improve your sleep and any stress you feel. Even if some other cause for your snoring exists, these two remedies may be beneficial to you for reducing stress.

Read Snore-No-More for more exercise suggestions.

     A lot of people snore, but when is it something that should concern you? Some people snore on occasion.  Most likely it happens for these people when they have congestion that narrows the breathing passageways, the culprit responsible for snoring.  When these people’s allergies clear up or their colds go away, they return to the restful sleep they experienced before the congestion.  Not so for chronic snorers.  Chronic snorers may snore every night because when they are asleep, the muscles around the breathing passageways relax and block the air.  This causes vibrations that create the snoring sound.

     When is this an issue that deserves medical attention?  One condition which may deserve medical attention can be enlarged tonsils.  These enlarged tonsils will cause the above described condition.  With enlarged tonsils, they block the passageways and create the vibrations that cause the snoring.  This may or may not be a problem that can be corrected with having the tonsils removed, called a tonsillectomy.  This procedure is done after putting you to sleep and the surgeon either removes your tonsils with a knife or eliminates them by burning.  This may be a solution for you, but you will need to consult an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist to see if this surgery will be worthwhile for you because it may decrease your snoring.

     The deviated septum is also a condition that can be corrected by surgery.  The septum is the dividing tissue in between your nostrils.  The ideal situation is to have the septum in the middle, dividing the nostrils into equal entities.  When the septum is leaning to the right or to the left, it can cause a blockage which makes it harder for air to pass through the nostril that is being blocked.  This is another cause of snoring that can be corrected with the surgery, Septoplasty.  With this surgery, which will be performed either with local or general anesthesia, where the surgeon straightens the septum and clears the passageways of obstructions.  This would require you to see an ENT doctor to determine if the deviated septum is your issue.  Then it will be possible to discuss whether or not a surgery will be an option for you.

     Another condition that increases snoring is obesity.  Fat does not just deposit itself on the outside where we can see it.  It also appears on the inside, within the areas of the throat and nose where it can cause blockages to breathing.  As has been stated before, it causes snoring and the more fat you have deposited in these areas, the worse your snoring will be.  This condition can also be treated by a doctor and will need to be addressed by you if this is your issue not just to cure snoring, but for your overall health in general.

     These three conditions, enlarged tonsils, a deviated septum or obesity, can be treated with the help of a physician.  It is worthwhile to make an appointment to find out if you can be helped by the procedures listed above to cure these conditions.

Snore-No-More for a natural snoring cure.

     Snoring can be an annoyance to those who have to sleep next to the snorer.  It can also have serious effects on the snorer who does not have to listen to his/her own snoring.  A condition called sleep apnea may be at the bottom of a lot of people’s snoring.  Sleep apnea is a disruption of sleep when someone misses taking one or more breaths.  This condition can cause several different illnesses.  High blood pressure and cardiovascular accidents (aka strokes) are two of the more serious diseases caused by sleep apnea.  It can also cause heart failure in snorers so it is important to treat snoring to prevent these more serious consequences.

     Another problem, sleep apnea, causes is the frequent waking of the snorer.  This prevents a snorer from getting a restful night’s sleep and they are not always aware of the fact that they have been awakened during the night.  The next day they are tired and feel sleep-deprived.  Some snorers even get into the habit of preventing themselves from entering into a deep sleep stage such as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep because they are aware that they have trouble breathing during sleep.    This condition can be caused by the muscles of the throat and the tongue.  When these muscles become too relaxed during deep sleep it results in snoring and an obstruction of the airways.  The snorer prevents this by remaining in lighter sleep stages.  It is not in the snorer’s best interest to prevent deep sleep stages.  The REM stage of sleep is believed to be the stage that aids in retaining memory.  For the reasons listed above, it is important for chronic snorers to cure their snoring.

     How does one cure snoring?  There have been several answers to this question with varying ranges of success.  The concern for some people is medication; they may or may not be in favor of taking medication for snoring and would prefer a natural cure for snoring that does not require medication.  For these people there is help.  Exercises have been discovered that can help cure snoring.  These exercises can be found in the e-book, Snore-No-More Cure, in which you will learn how to do exercises that will relieve your snoring.  These exercises will eliminate the need for things such as nose clips.  These exercises may even prevent the need for surgery.  It’s worth a try and would be an incredible money-saver.

     Snoring is a significant condition.  It may even contribute to death due to heart disease as was mentioned above.  Even though snoring can lead to serious medical conditions, its treatment still may not be covered by your insurance company.  If you believe that surgery is your only option, you may end up paying for the surgery entirely out of pocket.  And the outcome may not be completely desirable.

     There is one surgery which removes part of the uvula, the hanging tissue in the mouth that can contribute to snoring.  It is performed with a laser and is not always completed in one sitting.  Another procedure shrinks the uvula that is too large for the snorer.  This is a very new surgery and it also may not be completed on the first try.  Another interesting surgery works on the tongue.  Its purpose is to keep the tongue from falling back into the throat.  If you are willing to have a screw placed into your jaw and to have your tongue cut so that it needs to be stitched back together, this surgery may be for you.  If this particular surgery was not, in retrospect, a good idea, there is one comfort for you; it maybe reversible.

     If you are in luck, your nose is the only thing that is causing your snoring.  Surgeries to correct this situation can be done and are successful at clearing up the obstructions in the nose.  Breathing is improved during sleep as well as in the waking hours.  This procedure will, most likely, be covered by your insurance company. 

     Another surgery takes a different approach.  The previous surgeries which removed tissue that was blocking the airways, palatial stiffening procedures will stiffen the soft palate.  The point is to prevent any fluttering that may be going on during sleep.  Another type of surgery was found to stiffen the skin of the uvula.  This is done by creating scar tissue in the uvula.  This prevents the fluttering action of the uvula during sleep.  This is a surgery that has had good success and is not as painful as the other surgeries.  If your main issue is not the uvula, you would not be a candidate for this surgery.

     Your doctor will be able to help you discover which surgery is right for you.  Before you do this you might consider a non-surgical option.  Exercises geared toward the areas of the mouth that cause snoring may help to eliminate your snoring.  You might try them first.

     In the last post we discussed some surgeries that have been performed to cure snoring.  In this post we will look into how successful these surgeries tend to be.

     There is a surgery which removes extra tissue from the throat to prevent the fluttering that goes on during sleep and causes snoring.  This particular surgery has had mixed results.  Patients who have undergone this surgery report improvement in their sleeping in the beginning.  After a few years only 50% of these patients continue to experience a significant reduction in their snoring.  A 50/50 chance of success may not be enough for most people and it may be prudent for these people to continue to search for an alternative to this surgery.

     For those who have had the laser surgery described above, the results appear to be similar.  This surgery does eliminate the snoring in the beginning, but it tends to return about a year and a half to two years later.  The good thing is that the snoring is not as severe as it was before the surgery; the snoring was still a significant problem for about half of the people who had this surgery.  For a small minority of patients the snoring even became worse after their surgery.  Other patients could not consider themselves cured and they had to continue searching for snoring cures.

     The surgery described above that stiffens the soft tissues of the throat is so new that long term results have not been recorded yet.  If you have tried everything and are at the end of your rope, it may be worth a try to see if it will work for you. 

     Another reason for snoring that has not been previously addressed are nasal polyps.  These are growths that appear in the nasal cavity that can cause snoring and will need to be removed.  Another cause of snoring may be the deviated septum.  This happens when the septum, the divider between the nostrils, does not divide them equally.  It can cause sinus blockages that need to be cleared and the nose constructed in a way so that it does not cause blockages again.  This is something that may work for you if your reason for snoring is a deviated septum.

     There are several reasons for snoring and there also need to be several different solutions to the problem.  If surgery is warranted and has a good chance of working that would be something to consider.  For others who have not looked into surgery yet, you might try exercises designed to cure your snoring naturally.

     There is the option of surgery to cure your snoring, but did you know that you can also try remedies that are not surgical in nature?  Some of these cures appear to be uncomfortable, but you never know until you try them.  One requires you to wear a mask to bed.  If you can handle having something on your face during the night, this might be something you can try.  Through the mask you receive pressurized air from a machine that is placed by your bed.  It is admittedly not the most comfortable of ways to get a night’s sleep.  Another drawback is that it’s expensive and it doesn’t even work that well!  It sounds like this may be something to leave in the stores.

     If the abovementioned mask is not uncomfortable enough for you, maybe you would like to try some of the dental remedies that are out there.  There are two ways a dentist can help you improve your breathing, with an inside contraption or an outside one.  An internal device which can be fitted for you will be worn in your mouth at night.  There are also outside chin straps that will fit the jaw into a better position at night.  Both these devices suffer from the same affliction as the mask; they are not all that comfortable to sleep in.  On top of that, they do not work that well.

     The contraptions that were created were not made for comfort so you may find it to be advantageous to search for other remedies.  The next remedy is not uncomfortable, but it may be difficult for some people.  Living a healthier lifestyle has been shown to improve snoring.  Exercise is recommended for snorers, not drinking as much caffeine, quitting smoking and drinking, and not overeating.  These activities are positive for all areas of life and will make you feel better in everything you do.  It is worth taking these steps to be healthier in the first place and have the added bonus of helping to reduce your snoring. 

     If all else fails, you could go to a hypnotherapist.  It is an option that you have.  It’s up to you as to whether or not you want to be hypnotized into no longer snoring and it may be a big waste of money, but it is less invasive than surgeries and may be less uncomfortable than the remedies listed on this page.  Then again, exercises may be the best bet for you.  They do not require anesthesia and they do not make you uncomfortable at night.

     Snoring can be difficult to cure.  There are several different choices to make when deciding on a solution to this problem.  Several of them are offered in this blog and it can be hard to settle on just one.  You may even be someone who will try several different remedies before you find the one that has a perfect fit for you.  Some of these remedies can be more difficult than others, such as the surgeries that were listed above.  Other remedies are very simple that you may not have ever thought of.  One is to sleep on your side.  Lying on your back might exacerbate the snoring.  It would be worth it to see if lying on your side will help relieve the snoring. 

     Another option in your sleeping habits would be to elevate your head.  There are beds that can be adjusted by remote control.  In case this is too expensive a proposition, you could put extra pillows under your head at night.  This may help to relieve snoring if raising your head addresses your specific problem.  Some medications increase snoring.  If you are taking any medications it may be advantageous to tell your doctor every medication you are taking to find out if anything on your list is contributing to your snoring.  If it’s something that no one has thought about before, so it is worth looking into.

     Another simple remedy that you may not have thought of before is to make sure to take a decongestant or a nasal spray in order to clear your nasal passages.  As has been mentioned above, snoring can be caused by clogged sinuses.  It may be rectified easily by applying a decongestant to the area.  And if you have excess fat around the throat area, this may be contributing to your snoring.  Putting in an effort to lose weight would help to decrease the extra fat around your neck as well as everywhere else on your body.  Losing weight will make you look better, too so you will have that added benefit.  Your spouse will have better nights sleeping in bed with you and will have the added benefit of having a more fit you to gaze upon!

     As it has been demonstrated in these posts, snoring can have a difficult cure, surgeries, or an easy one, changing your sleeping position.  The challenge is to find the right cure.  A good place to start is with exercises designed to decrease snoring and move on to other remedies, but you most likely will not have to move on, because exercises work!