According to statistics, more than 45% of men over 30 snore in their sleep. Many do not even think about how difficult and dangerous this medical disease is and what consequences it can lead to. Temporary snoring is observed in almost every person, most often it is a manifestation of catarrhal or viral diseases of the respiratory system, physical overstrain, or acute emotional stress. It is not considered a pathology and passes over time. Danger is chronic snoring. Constant lack of sleep, drowsiness, irritability of all members of the family - the lesser of troubles. Men with chronic sleep syndrome are more prone to diseases of the cardiovascular system, heartburn, shortness of breath, problems with potency. A stroke or heart attack may result from long-term snoring, accompanied by bouts of obstructive sleep apnea. Therefore, you should immediately visit a specialist, find out the possible causes of snoring, determine the therapeutic method of treatment and proceed with actions.

What is apnea

Apnea is a disease manifested in respiratory arrest of a sleeping person. They can be noticed by loved ones who are awake at this time. Rhythmic breathing during sleep suddenly subsides for several seconds to one minute, then snores louder than usual and continues to snore in normal mode. This condition is called the term apnea. In the advanced stage, up to 400 seizures can be observed during the night, the total duration of which is about 3 hours.

Each such respiratory arrest in a dream is a great stress for the body, at this moment oxygen starvation of tissues of all organs develops. Outwardly, this is expressed in a blue tint on the skin of the face and limbs. Frequent and short-term jumps in blood pressure during apnea over time lead to chronic hypertension, which is of a critical nature, therefore strokes inevitably accompany patients with apnea who refuse treatment.

An apnea attack is accompanied by a partial or complete awakening of the body, the phase of deep sleep is disturbed, or completely disappears. Men suffering from this disease can sleep all night in the phase of superficial sleep and wake up with a feeling of tiredness. A person is not fully resting, gradually losing health. Regular headaches, irritability, excessive emotionality, distraction, carelessness, impotence - this is not a complete list of the possible consequences of apnea.

Causes of Snoring in a Dream

Snoring is a combination of low-frequency sounds made by a sleeping person. The relaxed muscles of the nasopharynx and palate constrict the respiratory lumen, obstructing the passage of air. How to deal with snoring in men? To begin with, it is important to establish the true cause of what is happening. Only after this can you choose an effective method of treatment. Otherwise, therapy may be inconclusive or even harmful.

Read also: how to cure snoring in men

A man can snore due to:

  • congenital anatomical features of the nasopharynx and palate (long palatine uvula, hypertrophy of the muscles of the soft palate, small jaw, wide tongue);
  • curvature of the nasal septum (congenital or acquired after facial trauma);
  • enlargement of the tonsils (after infectious diseases);
  • hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil (adenoids);
  • polyps (proliferation of the nasal mucosa);
  • rhinitis (swelling of the nasal mucosa, accumulation of mucus);
  • excess weight (adipose tissue grows throughout the body, including in the neck, compresses the walls of the larynx, reducing respiratory clearance);
  • drinking alcohol and sedatives, smoking (alcohol, sedatives and smoking greatly relax the muscles of the nasopharynx);
  • age-related or hormonal changes in the pharynx (with age, the muscles lose their elasticity).

How to get rid of snoring for a man

The choice of the most optimal treatment method depends on the cause of its appearance. The most popular are considered - improper lifestyle, overweight, bad habits. In this case, medical intervention is not required, for a quiet and peaceful sleep it will be quite enough to put your life in order.

Lifestyle changes, sports, nutrition adjustment

To eliminate obsessive snoring associated with overweight and bad habits, you should reconsider the lifestyle:

  • switch to proper nutrition (refuse flour, sweet, canned, fatty, add fruits, vegetables, cereals to the diet);
  • increase physical activity (walking more, planning jogging in the morning, playing sports, taking breaks while seated, walking around the office);
  • refuse to drink alcohol;
  • quit smoking;
  • do not drink sedatives and sleeping pills, if necessary, take sedatives should be safer and more natural (chamomile, motherwort).

Medical treatment

The use of drug therapy for nasal congestion is possible only after consultation with a qualified specialist, since many modern drugs are addictive and have an irritating effect on the nasal mucosa. Rhinitis can be a consequence of not only an untreated catarrhal or viral disease, but also an allergic reaction of the body (then it is necessary to take nasal drops in parallel with antihistamine therapy).

The most popular antihistamines:

  • Diazolin;
  • Suprastin;
  • Tavegil;
  • Claridol;
  • Clarotadine;
  • Lomilan;
  • Claritin;
  • Telfast.

Against nasal congestion, doctors most often prescribe:

  • vasoconstrictor drugs (Rinonorm, Fornos, Nazivin, Nazol, Naphthyzin, Sanorin, Tizin);
  • moisturizing (Aqualor, Aquamaris, Marimer);
  • decongestants (Orinol, Rinofluimucil);
  • antiviral (grippferon);
  • antimicrobial (Pinosol, Bactroban);
  • hormonal (nasonex);
  • vegetable (Sinupret).

Snoring Accessories

At the disposal of modern medicine there are special devices and devices that promise to relieve snoring.

Magnetic nose clip “Anti-snoring” in the shape of a small horseshoe creates a special zone with a magnetic field attracting red blood cells. The device affects some elements of the blood, causing it to move more actively, the airways open, snoring stops or becomes quieter. A magnetic clip has a positive effect only if the cause of snoring lies in the nasal congestion, since its effect on the larynx does not apply.

To expand the lumen of the nasopharynx, a variety of oral devices from different manufacturers are used.

Three principles on the basis of which these devices are developed:

  • supporting the tongue against sinking into the throat (helps if the cause of snoring is sleep on the back with a falling tongue);
  • fixation of the jaw closed with the chin strap (even if a person lies on his back, his mouth does not open, the muscles of the larynx do not relax, there is no snoring), the device is strictly forbidden to use for nasal congestion or swelling, it is prescribed to eliminate snoring, as a result of insufficient elasticity of the muscles of the larynx;
  • holding the jaws in the open state by attaching directly to the teeth of the device, preventing the complete closure of the jaw.

It is undesirable to independently purchase and use such devices without first consulting a doctor, since unscrupulous manufacturers do not warn with special inscriptions on the package about possible negative consequences. Only a dentist can determine the permissible clearance between the jaws.

Getting rid of snoring with surgery

How to cure snoring in a man with a curved nasal septum? Conservative treatment is powerless against congenital or acquired during life anatomical features of the respiratory system. In many cases, surgical intervention can solve a problem that tormented the patient and his entire family for many years in a few minutes.

After diagnosing the curvature of the nasal septum, septoplasty is prescribed - a surgical change in its shape.

There are two ways to carry out the procedure:

  • endoscopic (using an endoscope, leaves no scars);
  • laser (using a laser beam).

At the end of the rehabilitation period after surgery, a person restores full and even breathing through the nose.

Improve the patency of the nasal cavity with polyps will help their rapid removal in one of the following ways:

  • polyp cells are burned with a laser and blood vessels are sealed (the least traumatic method, suitable for children, is performed on an outpatient basis, does not require hospitalization);
  • an endoscope with a camera allows you to accurately determine the location, size of polyps and remove them without injuring healthy mucous membranes;
  • the polypotomy is performed under local anesthesia, a cutting loop is introduced into the nasal cavity, the polyp is captured and excised, multiple polyps can be removed in one procedure.

If adenoids are detected, adenoidectomy can be used - excision of the lymphatic tissues of the pharyngeal tonsil, which closes the nasopharynx when it is in a horizontal position. After the procedure, normal rhythmic breathing during sleep is restored without suffocation, snoring, coughing.

Removal of tonsils, tonsillectomy, is prescribed for patients with chronic tonsillitis and is performed under general anesthesia.

With age-related, hormonal, or congenital anomalies of the pharynx, a procedure for its surgical correction is possible, including excision of the tonsils, palatine tongue, soft tissues of the sky with a laser, radio wave, or cryotherapy.

Surgery has many contraindications and possible side effects. They must be taken into account when establishing the fact of the need for an operation.

Folk methods

Snoring is an extremely unpleasant manifestation that negatively affects not only one’s own health, but also affects relationships with loved ones. In most cases, men do not take this problem seriously, and do not want to hear about a visit to a doctor, medications and special devices. In such a situation, treatment of snoring with folk remedies comes to the rescue.

Traditional medicine has many quite effective means of combating snoring and apnea at home:

1. Aromatherapy. If there is an aromatic lamp, then the task is simplified. You just need to drip a few drops of eucalyptus into it and leave it in the room of a sleeping person. If there is no special lamp, it can be completely replaced with dishes with hot water, into which several drops of aromatic oil are added. A little thyme oil is dripped into the humidifier, leaving the unit to work all night. Inhaling warm fumes with eucalyptus or thyme dilutes the mucus in the nasopharynx and removes it.

2. The use of a special set of exercises to strengthen the muscles of the nasopharynx will relieve snoring within a month if its muscle tone was weak:

  • prolonged pronunciation of the sound “AND” with muscle tension must be repeated every day for 20 times;
  • circular movements of the tongue in all directions are performed twice a day for 10 approaches;
  • the tongue should be extended as much as possible, trying to reach the chin, hold for several seconds about 30 times a day;
  • a wooden thin object (for example, a pencil) is held with teeth, squeezing into an account of three, daily before bedtime.

3. Folk recipes with vegetables and herbs:

  • in a glass of finely ground cabbage leaf, you need to add one teaspoon of honey. Drink a drink every day before bedtime;
  • whole medium-sized carrots should be baked in the oven and eaten daily one hour before an evening meal;
  • three hours before bedtime, one drop of sea buckthorn oil can be instilled into each nostril. It helps to moisturize and soften the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, helping the outflow of mucus.
  • pour a tablespoon of elderberry, saber root, horsetail and 2 tablespoons of burdock with a glass of boiling water. Insist the broth for at least an hour and drink every three hours a tablespoon;
  • drink a decoction for gargling from oak bark and calendula flowers, drenched in boiling water and infused for several hours.

Ways to prevent snoring

To avoid snoring after 30 years, you need to take care of your health in advance, maintaining normal body weight, not allowing you to gain extra pounds! Often, to get rid of mild snoring, it is enough to lose 5% of the weight. You should stop smoking once and for all so as not to block the airways with tar. When intoxicated, everyone, even the healthiest man, snores. Therefore, for the sake of their health and good sleep, family members should abandon alcohol at night. Only small doses are allowed a few hours before bedtime. It is very important to choose the right pose for relaxation. It would be better if you raise the upper part of the bed and go to bed, turning to one side.

Clean, fresh and moist air is the key to a calm and healthy sleep. Ventilate the room, sleep with open windows and moisten the air, it will become much easier to get enough sleep.

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