Whatever the reason for your chronic, continuous snoring, be it that you’re getting older, drunker or fatter, you’re probably getting on your bedmate’s nerves, not to mention wiping out any chance they have for a good night’s sleep. Trust me. Now, I’m not talking about the occasional ‘mild’ snoring that you do when you sleep in a certain position, or when you have a cold – we all do it. My dog snores. Babies snore. I’m talking about those loud, intolerable, ground shaking snuffelupagus snores that just won’t quit, minute after minute, night after night.

I read somewhere that sleep partners of heavy snorers awaken over twenty times per hour. Holy sleep deprivation, Batman! Do yourself and your slumber buddy a favor and take care of it.

First, you need to rule out sleep apnea. If your partner notices that while you are asleep you literally stop breathing for, like 10 seconds or more at a time, or you wake up *super tired* and you’re excessively sleepy during the day, then you could have sleep apnea. It’s a life-threatening condition and you probably don’t even know you have it. It needs to be diagnosed by a doctor or a sleep specialist. Make an appointment with an ENT, an otolaryngologist (say that 3 times fast) or sleep clinic. Do it right away.

Plain old snoring, not to be confused with sleep apnea, is characterized by loud breathing sounds, dry mouth when you wake up, no excessive sleepiness during the day and no cessation of breath while you are snoring. It happens when the tissue at the back of your throat vibrates because you either have too much tissue or you have jiggly tissue that vibrates easily. It can also happen when your tongue obstructs your respiration. If you’re single, then you might not even know you snore. However, if you don’t feel rested when you wake up, it could be the result of nighttime snoring. Maybe you should video tape or audio tape yourself in bed…sleeping. That’s always fun.

The reason you snore may not be your fault but it is still completely annoying. You may have been born with a narrow throat or developed a narrow throat around middle-age. Men generally have more narrow air passages than women, so you have that going for you if you’re a guy. Or maybe you have chronic allergies, or sinus infections. Been there. But when it comes to things that you have control over, like how much you drink or smoke (okay, maybe you don’t have control over those), or how fat and/or out of shape you are, or if you sleep on your back, then you might try controlling those things. You’ll realize general health benefits and probably see an end to your snoring condition. When my guy Todd gets just a few pounds overweight, there he goes. Snores like a freight train until he loses the weight.

If you can’t stop getting older, or stop drinking, smoking, having infections, being male, being fat or lumpy, or sleeping in the wrong position, then I suggest you consider the following:

1. Get a special snore-no-more anti-snoring pillow designed to support and position your head correctly.
2. Get a simple snoring device for inside your mouth, like the Snore Wizard.
3. Try sleeping without a pillow at all. Ummm…yeah.
4. Attach something bulky and uncomfortable to your back. It will train you to sleep on your side if you are a chronic back sleeper.
5. Elevate the head of your bed by four or so inches. It supposedly makes your tongue and jaw move forward.
6. Skip that second martini and lay off the ice cream before bed. Both alcohol and high-fat dairy/soy products can cause problems. Alcohol, because it relaxes your airways; and dairy because it creates mucus in your throat.
7. Blow your nose. Boogers are not your friend. If you’re really stuffed up then try some nasal strips, but avoid antihistamines because they relax your throat muscles.
8. Consult your doctor to see if you are a candidate for surgery or a CPAP device (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). A CPAP forces air into your mouth through a mask and makes you breath.

I’m sorry you snore, but see, there are things you can do about it. Or, if you are the victim of a snorer, then print this article, highlight the headline and leave it on your partner’s pillow.

Let’s make this a better world, people, one night at a time.

Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that occurs when people stop breathing while they sleep.

Snoring is the first symptom and a good sign that you are vulnerable to this sleeping disorder. You can tell if you have apnea or close to the point of have apnea if your snoring occurs in multiple positions for example snoring your back, or on your sides are significant signs of sleep apnea.

Snoring is the noise made when the air that is breathing in and out is passing through a partially obstructed airway. Obstruction can occur either within the airway itself or blockage from the opening of the airway or from pressure form around the airway that is closing it off.

Obstruction of the airway is mainly caused by the muscle at the back of throat being so loose and flabby that is falls and blocks the airway.

During sleep every muscle in the entire body is in a relaxed state. With the muscle at the back of the throat being loose and flabby when it relaxes it falls and blocks the airway, sometimes partially which cause snoring or totally blockage which will cause apnea.

Sleep apnea can happen between one and one hundred times during the night. Remember apnea is when you stop breathing now imagine this happen almost one hundred times during the night while your sleep. Think of how this will affect you. It will make you not have a restful night sleep during the night, because each time you wake you stop breathing, no oxygen goes to your brain and other vital organs in your body so you wake up tossing around, most likely in a panic. Because of the lack of oxygen to the brain you don’t remember of it in the morning, but you think although you have had a whole night sleep yet you wake up tired.

Snoring is a symptom or a by product of a couple of things going on in the human body and the bodies of many living creatures.

So if snoring is just a symptom of what is really happening to your body while you sleep to cause you to snore, then maybe if we know what is causing the symptom then we can work on fixing the real problem and in doing so we would also stop snoring.

Even if you are to the point of having sleep apnea you can fix the same problems that makes you snore which will also cure sleep apnea. Some signs of possible apnea are; lack of concentration, confused easily, short term memory loss, weight gain, mood swings, just to name a few. These symptoms are caused by the lack of sleep. The snorer with possible apnea gets very little sleep due to waking up many times during the night. Anyone with the signs described should inquire about a sleep study.

If you would just like to cure your snoring that can lead to apnea, or even cure your apnea, then there are simple, easy to follow and safe to use exercises that can cure your problem.

Once you are diagnosed with sleep apnea you will most likely have to use a machine to help you breathe properly so you can sleep at night to prevent the muscles in your throat for relaxing and cause your airway to close.

The new machines are called CPAP machines and can be in the $5000 range. It has been known for these machines to have problems and sometimes they don’t even work. This can all be prevented from letting your muscles become so under tone with a little maintenance exercises.

The things that you do, eat or think about are usually responsible for preventing you to fall asleep or stay asleep. You may not realize that bringing the work home or drinking coffee in the afternoon may be the reason why you feel you are being deprived of your precious snooze time. So the next time you head to a pharmacy to buy a pill for your sleeping woes, you may want to check first whether the things that you do, drink or eat are the ones causing your problem. Below are just some of the well-known sleep zappers you need to avoid.

Stress

Apprehension about an upcoming date, a presentation at the office, a final exam in Chemistry, and preparations for a wedding or marriage proposal can all affect the sleeping patterns of a person. When you are anxious about something, you worry about it a lot even when you are already lying on your bed. It is a known fact that stress due to one-time events such as those mentioned above are normal and not surprising.

However, there are people who almost always worry about everything. If you are one of those individuals, then you might find yourself losing sleep even if there are really no important occasions or deadlines coming up. Just thinking about your malfunctioning dishwasher or what jeans will go with your top can be reasons enough for your sleep woes. The same is true for people whose jobs require them to be on their toes all the time. If you are a chronic worrier, then there is a big chance that you will also be sleep deprived on most nights.

Afternoon Caffeine Fix

Drinking coffee is not really bad for you. In fact, coffee contains a lot of antioxidants that are crucial in fighting free radicals and restoring the cells in your body. Even if this beverage is good for you, however, you still need to take it in moderation. If you are a coffee junkie, one who drinks almost six cups of coffee everyday, then do not complain if you are having sleepless nights.

Experts believe that drinking coffee or any caffeine-rich beverage in the afternoon can actually contribute to having difficulty falling asleep at night. If you feel that you are tossing and turning at night with no apparent reason, then you might need to look back and consider if you are guilty of a caffeine fix during the afternoon or the nightcap.

Instead of coffee, you can always rely on fruits, particularly apples, to keep you awake all afternoon. Furthermore, avoiding fatty and starchy foods during lunch can also make you less sleepy during mid-afternoons.

Light And Sound

Your body usually releases a hormone called melatonin at about two in the morning to help you fall into deep and restful sleep. However, this hormone is only released when it is dark. If your bedroom window is facing a lamppost or a huge neon billboard, then your brain might delay or avert the release of melatonin, thinking it is still the daytime. If you are having difficulty achieving a restful sleep, then you should invest in thick dark curtains or even an eye mask.

Sounds from a bustling street or a snoring partner can really keep you awake all night. You can either relocate or leave your partner, or simply invest on an earplug to keep the noise level low. By the way, if you really care about your partner, you can also ask him or her to visit a doctor and check whether the snoring is caused by an illness or a serious condition.

If you want to have a restful slumber, then be sure to avoid the abovementioned sleep zappers. Instead of popping a pill, you might also want to consider alternative medications to help promote better sleep and less stress. There are many supplements and sleep aids available in the market that are safe and all natural. One product that can help you achieve a deep and restful sleep is Somulin. Know more about it by visiting http://www.somulin.com.

In Chinese medicine, insomnia is a result of excessive conditions and elements in the body. Food stagnation, liver fire, and heart fire are the common underlying causes of insomnia. Insomnia may also be a symptom of other bodily deficiencies such as the qi deficiency, heart yin deficiency, and blood deficiency.

To treat insomnia through Chinese medicines, it is important that the heat is cleared. A good concoction would be the Emperor’s Tea. This tea is a combination of several sedating and nourishing herbs that removes heat from the body, leading to total relaxation. Relaxation, as everybody knows, is conducive to sleeping properly. Other than the Emperor’s Tea, other effective Chinese medicines used for insomnia are An Shen Bu Xin and Mien Pien.

Acupuncture is also a good Chinese remedy for insomnia. The application of acupuncture needles on the corresponding points could sedate the person enough to make him feel sleepy. These points are found on the ear, between the eyebrows, and the wrists. It is best that the patient request for acupuncture treatment late in the afternoon. That’s the ideal time for this treatment in order for them to enjoy a peaceful and refreshing sleep throughout the night.

For people who regard the idea of being pricked with needles as not really enticing, they could go for the equivalent treatment procedure called acupressure. The elements and the modes of treatment between these two methods are the same. The only difference is that with acupressure, the points in the body is not punctured but are just pressed with a relative amount of force.

Traditional Chinese medicine is governed by the five elements: earth, fire, water, metal, and wood. The whole concept of the Chinese treatment procedures revolves around the positive flow of energy throughout the meridians of the body. The correct interaction of the body organs is also essential in achieving one’s perfect health.

The common Chinese herbal remedies used to treat insomnia include lemon balm, lavender, passionflower, and chamomile. Teas made out of these herbs are the perfect home remedies for insomnia. And because these treatments are naturally occurring, they are regarded as natural cures for insomnia.

Cure Insomnia With An Shen Bu Xin Wan

This formula has the ability of treating a person’s sleep disorder fast and easy. Mother of pearl shells is the chief ingredient of this formula as it can settle the heart and calm the spirit. Take An Shen Bu Xin Wan pills three times a day for you to have enough sleep every time you want to relax. You can discontinue taking the pill if stomach irritation or indigestion occurs.

Emperor’s Tea remedies For Insomnia

Emperor’s tea can remove the toxins in the heart blood and the yin. It can also clear out heat deficiencies. The emperor’s tea contains an ingredient called schizandra berries that is capable of increasing your body’s resistance to diseases. It also improves the body’s capacity in handling stress.

Emperor’s tea should be taken for as long as one month to have long-last effect. Take 8 pills 3 times a day.

An Mien Pien For Insomnia Treatment

This Chinese medicinal pill contains two chief ingredients – the ziziphus seed and the polygala root. These two ingredients have a sedative, hypnotic, and nourishing effect to the body, while calming the heart. It can help address anxiety, restlessness and insomnia. Take 4 tablets three times a day.

But more than these effective Chinese medicines, a change in one’s lifestyle would also help lot in correcting the problem. Don’t take caffeine or sweets a few hours before bedtime. You should also avoid stimulations during the night. This means there should be no computer or television in the bedroom that could otherwise disturb your sleep or prevent you from sleeping at all.