By Murray Grossan, M.D.
Snoring is not a joke. It can lead to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Snoring can get worse, almost like a cancer: like a cancer, you want to clear it early.
You snore when you nose is blocked, like having a cold or allergy. You snore when you are overweight and the extra fat weighs down the soft palate of the throat. You snore when your tonsils and adenoids are enlarged and interfere with the air passage.
You snore when acid reflux irritates the throat and voice tissues.
The nose/sinuses are the number one cause and is best treated by restoring good nasal cilia movements. Often the nasal cilia that normally move bacteria out of the nose and sinuses don’t get back to normal speed after an infection or surgery. When nasal/sinus cilia are too slow, you get postnasal drainage that swells tonsils, adenoids and throat.
To speed nasal cilia:
* Drink warm tea/lemon and honey
* Hum low pitched like “ooommm”
* Use pulse wave irrigation that pulses at speed for best cilia movement.
* Exercise such a jumping jacks, running, and others.
Weak throat muscles may cause snoring.
To strengthen throat muscles:
Repeat A E I O U with tongue in three positions:
1. touching roof of mouth far back
2. touching roof of mouth in middle
3. touching back of teeth
Each vowel and position should be 3 minutes. Can be spaced out over 24 hours.
Voice and singing lessons also strengthen muscles. Try to speak in lower pitch with greater resonance.
Play the didgeridoo. That takes a lot of throat muscle.
Think of this as a weak flabby arm and you do weight lifting to build up muscles and get rid of flabbiness.
Enlarged tonsils: If tonsils remain large, correct the postnasal drip that may be the cause by pulse wave irrigation; on the same device, the Hydro Pulse™ is a special throat irrigator attachment for massaging the tonsil and throat area in order to shrink swollen tissues.
Certain enzymes, such as papain from papaya and bromelaiin from pineapple also reduce edema, especially of the larynx and throat. The enzyme product, Clear-ease™ is a papain/bromelain lozenge you melt in you mouth in order to shrink swollen tissue.
In age, that nasal tip my droop. Try lifting the tip to open the airway. If it open the airway, secure this at night with ½ inch medical grade tape. (this is the ten cent cure)
GERD or gastro esophageal reflux disease can be a major cause of snoring. Avoid eating 3 hours before bedtime, elevate head of bed in sleep. Ask your doctor if you need medication for this.
Sleeping on the left side is best. That way gravity pulls the soft palate forward and open; on you back, gravity pulls it back to block. To stay on your side in sleep, secure a tennis ball to the back of an undershirt to encourage you to turn over when you are flat on your back. (This is the 50 cent cure)
- Written by guest author, Dr. Murray Grossan. You are invited to read his 12 part series on snoring at www.grossaninstitute.com for further details.
