Advice to Stop Snoring in Children and Adults
- Written by News Co
Do you or anyone in your family snore? Well, you’re not lonely, as around 40% of adult men and 24% of adult women are chronic snorers. Amongst children, around 27% occasionally snore, while 1.2-5.7% have sleeping apnea. The problem may seem innocuous or even funny, but it actually can be a sign of serious health problems. In this article, the author of the sleepingmola.com blog, therapist, Catherine Rodgers, shares recommendations on how to stop the problem in adults and children. It’s highly important to get acquainted with this info to avoid potential risks.
Advice for Snoring in Children
If your child snores, you should figure out if there’s something visible that can cause the problem. Here is the list of causes that you can detect on your own:
* Swollen adenoids and tonsils – they can be either naturally larger or swell because of an infection. If you notice swollen tonsils or adenoids, you should see your doctor as soon as possible. The treatment may include surgery;
* Obesity – overweight is a common cause of snoring and may lead to airway narrowing as well as to obstructive sleeping apnea. It’s time to shape up if it’s the case;
* Allergy – allergic states may lead to nose and throat inflammation. It’s important to figure out what causes flare-ups and protect your child from these things (foods, chemicals, etc.);
* Asthma – partial asthmatic blockages can cause snoring. Proper medical treatment is required in this case;
* Unusual anatomic characteristics – some people have congenital anatomic characteristics that make it harder to breathe and cause snoring. Surgery can be required to eliminate the problem;
* Environmental Tobacco Smoke – ETS is harmful to anyone and can raise the risk of snoring. Never smoke near children;
* Low air quality – you should frequently ventilate your house to avoid contaminated air as it may lead to snoring and other sleeping issues in both children and adults.
Recommendations for Adults
Some of these triggers, including obesity, allergy, asthma, air quality, and anatomic characteristics, are also common reasons for snoring in adults. However, there are causes that are common only to adults. Here are them and the ways to treat them:
* Sleeping posture – back sleepers are more likely to snore. The tongue may move to the back of the throat and make it harder to breathe. You can easily stop snoring by sleeping on your side. You can also try to elevate the head of the bed by 4” to reduce the probability of this;
* Narrow nasal passage – sometimes the operation is necessary, but in most cases, you can help yourself by using nasal strips for widening your nasal passage, or a nasal dilator to decrease airflow resistance;
* Deviated septum – this can be either a congenital characteristic or a trauma. Talk to your doctor to figure out if you need surgery help;
* Alcohol before bed – alcohol relaxes throat muscles, which may lead to snoring;
* Sedatives before bed – talk to your therapist to see if you can take your sedatives earlier during the day to prevent snoring;
* Smoking – seriously, go for gum or patches today. Smoking is an awfully destructive habit;
* Poor sleep quality – try to sleep 7-8 hours if you don’t do it yet. This may reduce snoring or remove it completely.
In more complicated cases, the doctor may also prescribe you:
* Oral appliance to keep your air passages open;
* Palatal Implants to stiffen your mouth’s soft palate;
* Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine – a pressurized air mask is effective against obstructive sleep apnea;
* Somnoplasty – low-intensity radio-waves can reduce the tissue of your soft palate and stop snoring.
See Your Doctor
No matter if these remedies help you or not, you should first see your doctor to exclude any dangerous health conditions or get proper treatment if needed. Snoring can be a serious symptom, so don’t neglect it, especially if your children face it. Fortunately, all the problems are solvable, so there’s no need to worry too much. Keep safe, and visit sleepingmola.com for more tips on healthy sleeping!
