Causes of Snoring and What Can You Do About It?

The most important points in brief

• In the vast majority of cases, snoring is nothing serious and also does not endanger your health.
• Nonetheless, people suffer - often from the partner with whom you share the bed.
• But even snorers themselves feel the negative effects of their nocturnal activities, because their sleep is usually not restful.
• But what is the cause - and what can you do about snoring?

If you wake up after a reasonable number of hours of sleep in the morning and are still quite exhausted, you may have just slept badly. Or you snore at night - that also robs your sleep of some quality. Or do you sometimes have difficulty swallowing in the morning, like when a sore throat starts? This, too, is often a sign that you snore at night. Find out here where the saw often comes from, what it can cause and what can be done about it.

Where did the snoring come from?

The fact that the partners suffer from snoring is not new and belongs to many couples in the common collection of anecdotes that has been cultivated and gladly told over the years. The snorer himself also suffers from the consequences - mentally and physically. But more on that in the next paragraph. Now first of all to the causes of snoring.

Basically, snoring comes from the fact that the muscles relax during sleep - including those in the mouth and throat, whereby the uvula, tongue and roof of the mouth still maintain a little tension so that breathing works. If their tension also subsides, they begin to vibrate as you breathe. That creates the nasty sawing noise. Snoring is often favored by smoking, alcohol, obesity, sleeping pills, runny nose and hay fever and curvature of the nasal septum. A large tongue, nasal polyps, a long uvula and enlarged tonsils also encourage snoring.

What are the physical and mental consequences of snoring?

He who snores a lot does not sleep well. This may not be immediately noticeable over a shorter period of time, but after a certain time the lack of sleep becomes noticeable. If the night is restless, then the day is characterized by tiredness, in addition to this, there are often disturbances in concentration and headaches.

Anyone who snores and sleeps poorly for months and years must expect to suffer from dizziness after a certain point in time. Sometimes anxiety and depression also occur. If there is a breathing disorder, there may also be longer and not harmless interruptions in breathing during sleep.

What helps against snoring?

In addition to various means such as sprays, snoring splints, palatine leaves and nasal rinses, you can do a lot yourself so that you and your partner can find more and more restful sleep at night. Eat dinner lightly and, if possible, not too late, and do not drink alcohol less than two hours before bedtime. If you stop smoking, you are gentle on the mucous membranes and thereby reduce the risk of snoring. You should also avoid sleeping pills. A lot of exercise outside and weight loss are also beneficial.

Get in the habit of sleeping on your side, that helps too. Those who sleep on their back snore more and more easily, and breathing pauses are also possible. Also not to be underestimated is the fact that in a well-ventilated and cool bedroom that is also quiet, you can sleep comfortably and accordingly snore less.