Stop Snoring Exercises

Valerian is an extract of the Valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) and is widely prescribed in Europe for the treatment of insomnia. Valerian is available as a supplement in the US. In an early study, 166 volunteers were given Valerian, a Valerian containing commercial product, or placebo. After three doses, Valerian was associated with a significant decrease in the time it takes to fall asleep and improvement in sleep quality. Sleep was better in the pure Valerian extract than in the proprietary product Hova®, which contains Valerian extract. This study did not measure, however, how well the blinding worked, which is important because Valerian has a strong and distinctive smell.

An uncontrolled study of 54 subjects showed a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, and subjective distress to a stressful task after receiving Valerian. This study suggests that valerian may have sedative properties. Another study of 16 patients with sleep disorders randomly assigned patients to two doses of Valerian or a placebo nightly and measured EEG measures of sleep as well as subjective reporting of sleep quality while patients were sleeping in a sleep laboratory. Side effects include vivid dreams in as many as 16% of cases, and less commonly drowsiness, depression, dizziness, headaches or blurred vision. When the patients were given a single dose of Valerian, the lower does had no effects on subjective or EEG measures of sleep. Because of inconsistent results and no clear mechanism by which Valerian could treat insomnia without significant side effects I think that large, properly controlled trials are needed to determine if Valerian is useful for insomnia. However in the mean time since Valerian does not have major side effects I wouldn’t necessarily discourage you from using it.

Kava (or Kava-kava) is an extract of the roots of the Polynesian plant Piper methysticum used in the South Pacific for its sedative, aphrodisiac, and stimulatory effects. Active compounds include the kava pyrones, which may have effects on the brain. Several controlled trials have shown that Kava reduces anxiety in patients with anxiety disorders. One study looked at 24 subjects with stress induced insomnia treated for six weeks with 120 mg of kava daily followed by two weeks off treatment and then Valerian for another six weeks. Both Kava and Valerian improved sleep (decreased onset, longer sleep time) and reduced stress severity. Side effects of Kava include dizziness (12%), dry mouth, gastric disturbance, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, depression, and more rarely liver failure, which has caused it to be banned in some countries. Because of the very real risk of liver failure and possibly death I would not recommend Kava for the treatment of insomnia.

Melatonin is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body and is involved in the regulation of the wake-sleep cycle. Melatonin can decrease the time it takes to fall asleep but overall has no effect on sleep time. It is popular with travelers. By taking melatonin, however, keep in mind that you are meddling with your own body’s hormonal status, which can have risks. For instance, taking melatonin may affect growth or reproductive function. Other side effects include abdominal cramps, confusion, depression, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. I don’t see any major risks for melatonin so if you want to try it on your next plane trip across the Atlantic feel free.

Snoring is a surprisingly common problem. Everyone snores at some time to a lesser or greater degree and even animals can snore in their sleep. In some cases it is nothing to worry about and may simply be a result of overindulging in alcohol or incorrect sleeping posture. In other cases it is an indication of a more serious problem, and may lead on to serious medical problems, not to mention being kicked out of bed every night so your partner can get some sleep.

The cause of snoring is reasonably well known. The airway is narrowed and the snoring sound is produced(mostly due to vibration of loose tissue in the rear of the throat). This article doesn’t spend much time on that, but rather addresses ‘the causes of the cause’ as suggesting widening your airways as a solution to snoring does not really help anyone. Understanding what causes the airway to narrow in the first place is much more useful in looking for solutions to your snoring problem and consequently improving your health, your sleep and in all likelihood your relationship.

There are a number of causes which are beyond our control. These include:

• Genetics - Snoring can be genetic, namingly you can inherit a narrower than normal throat which will increase the likelihood of snoring.
• Age - Age will often decrease the muscle tone in your neck and consequently narrow your throat. Generally being middle aged or older is likely to increase your chances of a snoring problem.
• Gender - Sorry - but if you are a man you are more likely to snore. Men naturally have narrower air passages.
• Allergies - Including colds, sinus infections and asthmatics. All of these cause breathing problems which will block the nasal airway and make breathing more difficult. The resulting vacuum in your throat leads to noisy breathing.

There is very little that can be done about any of these situations, although generally staying in good shape and health will lead to a better muscletone around the neck and throat and minimize the effects of a smaller air passage.

There are a number of other identified causes that do fall within out area of control:

• Control your weight and shape - Any excess weight and any fatty tissue around the neck will lead to a narrower air way. Poor muscle tone is more likely to mean relaxed muscles, and overly relaxed throat muscles are likely to result on snoring.
• Smoking - Being a smoker, or living with smokers and inhaling a large amount of second hand smoke both relaxes muscles and creates congestion in the lungs and nasal passage.
• Alcohol and Drugs - Excessive drinking and use of some drugs can result in relaxation of the throat and tongue muscles, making snoring more common.
• Watch Your Sleeping Posture - Sleeping on your back is more likely to relax the throat, block the airways and result in snoring.

These factors are important to understand, because by seeing what causes the problem, the solution will tend to present itself.

If you are a person who snores and have not heard about snoring exercises, then maybe your curiosity has now been peaked. The first question that you may wonder about doing snoring exercises is do they really help you stop snoring or are they just another scam?

Nowadays, because of many scams that prey upon our problems and aliments, caution and skeptic thoughts may cause us to quickly dismiss remedies that are new or different, or make us think that they are not worth even trying. This is also true with the suggestion of anti-snoring exercises claim to reduce your snoring problems entirely!

But a second look at anti-snoring exercises are founded on the basis of scientific fact and principle that snoring is caused by weak throat muscles collapsing during sleep, and by toning the throat and jaw muscles through the means of direct exercises may cure your snoring completely. Anti-snoring exercises are aimed at toning the muscles around the throat. The exercises are to be done daily for just a few minutes and are very easy to do. One of the first suggested exercises is done by opening your mouth as wide as you can, hold for a few seconds and then close it, making sure that your lips meet. The next exercise is to pucker your lips like you’re about to kiss someone. Hold this position for about ten seconds before relaxing. The third recommended exercise is to smile as widely as you can, hold the smile for a few seconds and then relax. These mouth exercises can be performed in any order that you would like, and can be mixed for morning variations.

If you think that you are snoring due to the tongue falling back in your throat, then there are also a few exercises for that problem. Make sure your tongue stays centered while sticking it out as far as it will go, hold your tongue out for a few seconds before relaxing. The overall goal is to stick your tongue out as far as you can daily, and try to make it go further each day.

Take twenty minutes out in a day to sing out loud for keeping your neck and throat in shape. Although there are anti-snoring kits and CD products that are to contain the best songs for teaching the most prominent neck and throat exercise songs to stop your snoring problem. These particular songs are yet to be proven over any other songs being sung with a lot of mouth and throat movements. So just sing what ever your heart desires as long as you are really working your vocals and throat.

Snoring exercises would have to be the most natural way to curb snoring issues with no side effects that might come from other products. If considering whether snoring exercises really do help you stop snoring, think about the fact that this is free remedy and it couldn’t possibly hurt to try it before moving on to other therapies or anti-snoring products. These exercises can also be used along with other snoring remedies such as nasal drops or any other non-evasive anti-snoring products and in comparison to money spent on other products- it may be worth a few minutes out of your day!

Renee Moller researches on snoring related issues and writes on best snoring remedies. Browse for more information on snoring treatment and get back your life.

Snoring is the creation of unpleasing noises during the night while sleeping that is caused due to obstruction of the free flow of the air passages. The obstructed passage is in the region pertaining to the back of the mouth and the nose, and the proper flow of the air is not allowed during breathing process. The collapsible spot is where the upper throat and the tongue meet are the uvula and the soft plate which vibrates creating noise. Snoring occurs when these soft tissues strike against each other with the flow of air and causes noisy vibrations.

Snoring can sometimes be a moderate problem or it can be considered a very serious problem. Snoring may cause several disorders and it can affect women during the pregnancy. It is directly related to causing sleepless nights and making a person become very irritable during the day due to sleep deprivation. Snoring can also be in the dire zones of sleep apnea, and this could call for a sleep specialist.

Some of the physical reasons for snoring are structural and may be due to narrow jaws, enlarged tongue, or tonsils, enlarged adenoids, a more than normal thick soft palate, a crooked septum or even small nasal passages can cause of snoring. Sometimes, dental implants can also on occasions start snoring issues and a physician or sleep specialist should be consulted if any of these causes are directly snoring related. We all change with age while some of us, so with age, physical problems are able to exacerbate over time into bigger physical issues and eventually cause physical snoring issues.

As we get older and physically change occur that may become a problem with snoring over time, because of muscles of tongue, soft tissues of the back nose and throat area becoming softer and more relaxed overall. As these muscles become weaker with age, the snoring can be more frequent and even overtime move into the danger zone of one of the three main sleep apnea stages that can cause very serious medical concerns for eventual deterioration of your health and wellbeing.

There are some major snoring factors are directly to outside causes and affect the individual, but can also be controlled. These are issues with allergies and sinus problems, consumption of alcohol, sedatives, and excessive or even regular smoking, are all major factors in the disruption of normal sleep patterns that can eventually lead to snoring over time. These factors decrease the lung capacities and directly cause irregular breathing. This is especially true for those who continue with poor health habits even as they age.

Snoring which is extremely loud and then suddenly stops with broken up frequent episodes of short silence to only start again is known as sleep apnea. Very serious episodes can last up to ten seconds and can occur more than seven times per hour. People who are affected with sleep apnea experience such serious episodes from 30 to 300 times per a night. These issues are to be taken very seriously because they are directly tied in with elevated blood pressures and even enlargement of heart may occur. Sleep apnea can become worse with age and are to be discussed with a physician, because of the direct health damage over time. Taking anti snoring treatment becomes important.

Renee Moller researches on snoring related issues and writes on best snoring remedies. Browse for more information on snoring treatment and get back your life.

If you are an insomniac, there are three insomnia solutions you can do right away that will help you. No matter what other factors might be causing your poor sleep, you can do these things immediately and have an excellent chance of helping your sleep.

The three things: Reduce caffeine, limit alcohol, and eliminate smoking.

We know how difficult this can be, so we are not going to insist that everyone do it. Instead, we want you to investigate for yourself the effects of these three things on you.

In this article we will focus on reducing caffeine.

Insomnia Solutions: Reduce Caffeine

Research presented at the 1995 meeting of the Association of Professional Sleep Societies by Dr. Michael Bonnet, a researcher with the Dayton VA Hospital in Ohio, indicates that patients with insomnia typically have a 9 percent higher metabolic rate during both day and night than people who do not have insomnia.

Even though many insomniac patients feel lethargic and slowed down, their bodies act as if they are “hyped up.” When the metabolism of normal sleepers is increased to the same level by their drinking about four cups of normal coffee, the normal sleepers too experience insomnia. The message-most patients with insomnia are hyper aroused anyway, and adding coffee makes this condition worse. (Paradoxically, hyperactive children are often helped by caffeine.)

Caffeine and similar stimulants can cause many more problems than most people realize, and too much caffeine may be a factor in your insomnia. Often, insomniacs are so exceptionally sensitive to this stimulant that they may be unable to sleep after one cup of tea or a chocolate bar in the afternoon.

One study showed that patients who had caffeine-induced wakefulness cleared caffeine more slowly from their bodies. The concentration of caffeine in their blood was higher at midnight- eight hours after afternoon coffee-than it was in other people. Also, sensitivity to caffeine can increase with age. Even if you have had coffee, tea, or cola drinks in late afternoon or in the evening in the past with no trouble, they can start contributing to poor sleep as you get older.

Consuming more than 200 mg of caffeine a day (two cups of coffee, two or three colas, or several caffeine-containing pain tablets) is likely to affect sleep and create the danger of caffeine addiction. In some people, it takes much less–one cup of coffee at lunch or one cola in the afternoon.

So surefire insomnia solutions include reducing caffeine intake.