Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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 Snoring, especially heavy snoring, may be a symptom of sleep apnea, in which a person temporarily stops breathing and has frequent awakenings during the night. Derek S. Lipman, MD, author of snoring From A to ZZZZ, says snoring used to be thought of as little more than a social handicap or nuisance, but it's now considered a legitimate medical problem. As a first line of treatment, snorers who are overweight can try losing weight to see if that allows air to move through the throat and sinuses more easily. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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 Sleep apnea is characterized by very loud snoring with occasional periods when the person not only stops snoring, but stops breathing altogether. If you are this person's bedmate, this can be very disturbing. You wonder if your bedmate is going to wake up. Oddly, this means that the sleep apnea patient and his partner may both find themselves experiencing daytime fatigue—one from being awakened repeatedly when his breathing stops, and the other from being kept awake by the spouse's loud snoring—or worry over his total lack of breathing. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
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| Snoring unrelated to sleep apnea has not been found to pose any health risk and doesn't cause daytime drowsiness for the sleeper (though the bed partner may be awakened by loud snoring).16 To prevent snoring, sleep experts recommend that people sleep on their side. If you tend to roll on your back at night, sew a pocket into the back of your pajamas and put a tennis ball or golf balls inside. That will keep you on your side. Dental appliances are also sometimes used. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| Sleep apnea is characterized by very loud snoring with occasional periods when the person not only stops snoring, but stops breathing altogether. If you are this person's bedmate, this can be very disturbing. You wonder if your bedmate is going to wake up. Oddly, this means that the sleep apnea patient and his partner may both find themselves experiencing daytime fatigue—one from being awakened repeatedly when his breathing stops, and the other from being kept awake by the spouse's loud snoring—or worry over his total lack of breathing. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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 Indeed, being overweight and snoring often go hand in hand.
But snoring can be more than a noisy nuisance or caused by a behavior that you can change; it can signal a number of medical conditions, some more serious than others. snoring may simply be a sign of nasal congestion from a cold or allergy, or it may signal a nasal blockage from a deviated nasal septum
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Michelangelo was left with a permanently disfigured nose after a fistfight. A fellow Florentine art student, Pietro Torigiano, was so jealous of the young artist's talent that he punched him in the nose. |
| You may be able to turn a deaf ear to sun sneezing, but snoring is hard to ignore. Perhaps you can't get a good night's sleep because your partner sounds like he's orchestrating a symphony through his nose. Or your own nasal nocturnes drive your bed-mate crazy and to the living room— or analyst's couch, or even a marriage counselor.
For some, snoring can be a very annoying telltale sign of drinking too much, especially at bedtime. Although a bottle can be hidden from one's partner, it's harder to cover up those annoying nose noises, medically known as stertor. |
Sue Palmer
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 Snoring and other worries
Another common condition associated with disturbed sleep is snoring, and research has found that children who snore are more likely to have learning problems at school. Constant loud snoring may be a symptom of sleep apnoea, a condition in which sleep is disturbed because the sleeper actually stops breathing periodically throughout the night. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| An easy thing to try is an elasticized bandage strip on the nose; these may help open the nasal passages, which could reduce the milder forms of snoring. Unfortunately, this treatment does not work well enough to treat most patients with significant sleep apnea.
Sometimes the problem can be resolved simply by changing your sleep position. Many snorers stop snoring when they shift from their backs to their sides. But overweight people are more comfortable sleeping on their backs. To teach yourself to sleep on your side, you can try a snore-ball. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| But snoring can be more than a noisy nuisance or caused by a behavior that you can change; it can signal a number of medical conditions, some more serious than others. snoring may simply be a sign of nasal congestion from a cold or allergy, or it may signal a nasal blockage from a deviated nasal septum
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Michelangelo was left with a permanently disfigured nose after a fistfight. A fellow Florentine art student, Pietro Torigiano, was so jealous of the young artist's talent that he punched him in the nose. |
KC Craichy
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 Sleep apnea occurs most frequently in those individuals who have a snoring problem, and, indeed, snoring by itself can cause oxygen deficits within the body, which reveal themselves the next day in persistent sleepiness. It keeps a person from entering into sleep at the REM level, which can lead to catastrophic problems.
Unfortunately, there are no truly good remedies for either snoring or sleep apnea, as sleep medicine is in its infancy. Nevertheless, it is critical to work toward optimal health by addressing all Seven Golden Keys. |
Marshall Editions
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 To treat partially obstructed airways: Non-obstructive snoring is a nuisance, but does not have long-term effects. A respiratory infection or allergies can cause inflammation of the nasal passages and airways, triggering snoring. Try eliminating dairy and gluten, two of the most common food allergens, from your diet, but seek nutritional advice to ensure you do not develop dietary deficiencies. Taking herbs that reduce inflammation in the nasal passages, such as peppermint oil, may also be useful, as may saline solution washes. If obesity is a factor, begin a weight-reduction program. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| Snoring may point to enlarged tonsils or adenoids, a large tongue, or a long uvula (that dangly thing in the back of your throat). It might also signal that either a noncancerous or cancerous growth is blocking airflow through your nose.
Snoring can be your body's way of sounding an alarm that you have a potentially serious condition called sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, a person may stop breathing or the breathing can become extremely shallow. |
Marshall Editions
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| Anything that causes sedation can also cause snoring because it tends to suppress your breathing drive.
TIP: CHANGE YOUR SLEEPING POSITION
Sleep on your side, rather than your back. You may also want to try raising the head of your bed 4 inches so you are sleeping in an elevated position. To do this, place blocks or wedges under the head of the mattress.
HOMEOPATHY
The advice given below can ease snoring that has developed as a result of congestion of the nasal passages due to an acute infection such as a cold. |
Jack Challem
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 Loud snoring and sleep apnea are almost always related to prediabetes or excess weight. Food allergies may also be a factor—foods you crave or consume in the evening should be considered possible food allergens. Losing weight and improving your blood-sugar levels will almost always help both your snoring and your sleep apnea.
Avoid overeating at dinnertime. Instead, aim to feel pleasantly full but not stuffed, and avoid snacking after dinner. Allergies or not, late-night snacking will affect your blood-sugar levels in the morning. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| WARNING SIGN
If you're a snorer and are scheduled to undergo surgery, be sure to mention it to your surgeon and anesthesiologist. snoring is a common sign of sleep apnea. Anesthesia can be risky for patients with this condition, and special precautions should be taken.
AVERY RUNNY NOSE
Having a runny nose—medically known as rhinitis—is usually merely a sign of a simple cold or allergy. But a continuously drippy nose may be a telltale sign of snorting cocaine, heroin, or other drugs. |
Gary Null and Amy McDonald
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 If you or your sleeping partner experiences problems with snoring, it's important to explore whether there might be some kind of breathing disorder," Dr. Pearl says. "Sleep apnea is an episode in which your breathing is interrupted for about 10 seconds. The person will stop breathing. Ten seconds later, you hear them suddenly gasp for air once. That causes them to awaken and typically, fall right back to sleep again. A sleep apnea episode can happen as many as several hundred times a night, without the person knowing it. |
Marshall Editions
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| HERBALISM
Rhodiola: Rhodiola may help to increase the ability to exercise, addressing snoring that may be due to obesity. It improves mild mood depression and increases vitality. Studies have demonstrated rhodiola's capacity to improve exercise performance by increasing the availability of oxygen to the muscles, heart, and brain. It is best to take a standardized extract of roseroot to guarantee a consistent level of active compounds. Begin taking 50 mg twice daily. Increase your intake up to 250 mg per day if necessary.
Ashwagandha root: This herb is thought to convey vitality and strength. |
| Being overweight may also make snoring more likely. 297
Pulsatilla: Use this remedy in the established or final phase of a heavy cold, when you are likely to breathe through the mouth at night because nasal passages become severely stuffed up when lying down. As a result, the mouth and tongue feel extremely dry and coated on waking, and there may be a tendency to wake during the night to take a sip of water to ease the unpleasant, dry sensation in the mouth. |
Benjamin H. Natelson, M.D.
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| Many snorers stop snoring when they shift from their backs to their sides. But overweight people are more comfortable sleeping on their backs. To teach yourself to sleep on your side, you can try a snore-ball. Sew a pocket onto the back of a T-shirt and insert half a tennis ball into the pocket. When you lie on your back wearing the T-shirt, the snore-ball will feel uncomfortable, causing you to roll over onto your side.
Other treatments require seeing a specialist. |
Joan Liebmann-Smith, Ph. D., and Jacqueline Nardi Egan
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| During surgery too many turbinates (see snoring, above) are mistakenly removed and the nose is literally left empty. Turbinates can also be damaged during radiation therapy or by physical trauma to the nose. Empty nose syndrome sufferers describe a frightening feeling of not being able to get enough air when they breathe. Paradoxically, they often say their noses feel both empty and blocked at the same time. |
Marshall Editions
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| A respiratory infection or allergies can cause inflammation of the nasal passages and airways, triggering snoring. Try eliminating dairy and gluten, two of the most common food allergens, from your diet, but seek nutritional advice to ensure you do not develop dietary deficiencies. Taking herbs that reduce inflammation in the nasal passages, such as peppermint oil, may also be useful, as may saline solution washes. If obesity is a factor, begin a weight-reduction program. Avoid muscle relaxants and sedatives, including alcohol, as these relax the palate. |
| Acupuncture: Treatment can be used to address the underlying problem causing the snoring. Targeting the local points around nasal passages and throat is very beneficial. Treatment once a week is normal, but the frequency depends on an individual's condition. You may experience relief immediately, but regular treatments are needed to achieve long-term results.
Acupressure: The Yin Tang point is located in the depression midway between the eyebrows. The Ying Xiang point is just to the side of, and slightly above, the lower border of the nostril. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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 While we often associate sleep apnea with snoring, the truth is that sleep apnea is actually signaled by silence (often preceded or followed by power-tool sounds), where you're not breathing for up to ten seconds at a time. And that's what actually rustles you awake. You can have as many as two hundred episodes a night (two hundred!),
Po You Need Sleep Prugs?
Your first line of sleep therapy should be trying the hygiene strategies we outline on page 195, but for some people, medications or herbal supplements can be the answer-if you know the right one. |
Bottom Line Health
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| If you have a child who has restless sleep and is snoring, take it up with your pediatrician."
In some cases, children have enlarged tonsils and when they are removed, the sleep quality improves, Benuck says.
..Q To learn more about children and sleep, — visit the National Sleep Foundation at www. sleepfoundation.org. Click on "Children & Sleep."
The Best Bedtime Snack
The right bedtime snack can help you sleep better. A recent study found that a trypto-phan-rich snack at bedtime helped participants sleep better and be more alert the next morning. |
Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D.
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| If you're going to read this passage aloud to the dude who's sawing wood next to you, your voice will be about 60 decibels (his snoring is about 85). To understand the decibel structure, you have to realize that 70 decibels isn't a small increase from normal conversation. An increase of 6 decibels doubles the noise, and a 20-decibel increase is ten times louder. Forty decibels? That's one hundred times louder. Turning up your iPod headphones to a 70 percent level reaches the 90-decibel range, and that increases by 10 decibels if you use ear buds that go directly into your ear. |
| Spouses lose an average of one hour a night of sleep because of their partners' snoring (not continuous, but a cumulative effect of a minute here and there). If you're suffering, earphones playing
FACTOIP of the retina, but it is nestled deep in our brain, far away from any direct access to light. In some animals—for instance, chameleons—it senses light directly through the skull. In human beings, it likely senses light through special receptors in the backs of our eyes that don't actually provide vision but do dictate our circadian rhythms. |
Jack Challem
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| As Edward's weight dropped over the next six months, his snoring and sleep apnea diminished. Finally, the problems resolved completely a few days after he began taking melatonin supplements about two hours before bedtime.
Vitamins and Minerals
The Nutrition Facts box also lists the amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron per serving. These amounts are not listed in milligrams but as a percentage of the Daily Value. |
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