Snoring, also known as sleep apnea, is a condition that is mostly common to overweight people. It is largely caused by a blockage to the airways. This blockage can be caused by the over-relaxing of the muscles of the tongue and throat which causes these muscles to press or “sleep” on each other. When this happens, the airways get blocked or thinned out.
Air which should have a natural passage through the airways will have to force its way through causing a frictional vibration which in turns causes the noise known as snoring.
Snoring may also be caused by blockage to the airways because of stuffed up airways due to cold allergy during the cold season. In this case, instead of the over-relaxing of the muscles of the tongue and throat, a partial to complete blockage is caused by mucus formed by allergens and bacteria.
The severity of snoring differs from person to person. While some people only snore fairly; some others are very heavy snorers. The heavier you snore, the more the likelihood of depriving other people around you of rest and the less likely you are to feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning. This can be due to the vibrations of your airways which causes a mental stress or the fact that you had to wake up severally in the night to catch some breath. People who snore because they are overweight tend to snore more heavily.
In cases of snoring due to stuffed up airways because of cold allergies, administration of anti-allergen drugs and cold tablets can help the snorer get a clearer airway. Mentholated rub, humidifier, saline sprays and vaporizers can also be used to clear the airways for better breathing and less snoring. However, for people who snore because they are overweight, there are exercises to completely stop snoring that could help.
Exercises to Completely Stop Snoring
While there are drugs and products meant to help people to stop snoring, they are more of invasive and only last temporarily. More often than not, these products tend to aggravate the situation rather than provide a solution. Instead of these invasive methods, a less invasive way is to get involved in exercises to completely stop snoring.
Strengthening the Throat – This is an exercise that is practiced by singers. It is a voice training exercise but it can help greatly for stopping snoring. Try saying La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la for at least five times over. As you are projecting forth each La sound, hold your breath for three seconds while focusing on working your throat and neck muscles. You can bring “Sister’s Act” to mind right now. After the La session, you should go on by saying Ka-Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka for five times over too.
The Ka sound works on the muscles of the throat in a pretty much different way than the La sound. They however both help to strengthen the muscles. Follow on with the Ma sound and then the Ba sound, each time, holding your breath on each syllable for about three seconds before the next sound.
Try this exercise at least twice a day after doing a mild exercise of jogging or running for about 15 minutes. You will notice a significant change in the way you breathe at night.