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What is sleep apnea?

While there are many people who treat snoring as a joke or feel something they should be embarrassed about, loud snoring—especially when it is accompanied by daytime fatigue, maybe a sign of sleep apnea, which is a common but serious sleep disorder in which the person repeatedly stops breathing and gasp for air as they sleep. If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea, you’re probably not aware of these short pauses in breathing that occur many times during the course of your sleep, jolting you out of your natural sleep pattern. All you feel is that you are not as energetic, mentally sharp, or productive during the day as you used to be.

The most common type of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when the airway is blocked, causing the pauses in breathing and loud snoring. Since the symptoms of sleep apnea only occur while you’re sleeping, you may only discover the problem when a bed partner or a roommate complains about your snoring in the night. Though you may feel self-conscious about it or looking for snoring treatment in Singapore, it’s something you should be taken seriously. Sleep apnea takes a serious toll on your physical and emotional health. This chronic sleep deprivation which is caused by sleep apnea can result in daytime sleepiness, slower reflexes, fragile concentration leading to an increased risk of accidents. Sleep apnea can also cause moodiness, irritability, and even lead to depression. It also results in other serious physical health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, liver problems, and improper body weight. Armed with the right treatment and self-help strategies, however, you can control your snoring and the symptoms of sleep apnea, get your sleep back on track, and feeling refreshed and alert all day long.

Types of sleep apnea

· Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea found in adults. It occurs when the soft tissue in the back of the throat relaxes during sleep and blocks the airway, which causes snoring.

· Central sleep apnea is a much less known type of sleep apnea that involves the central nervous system. This occurs when the brain fails to signal the muscles that control your breathing. Snoring is rarely a symptom of central sleep apnea.

·Complex sleep apnea is a combination of the above two conditions that is; obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.

Is it sleep apnea or just snoring?

Not everyone who has a snoring problem has sleep apnea and not everyone who has sleep apnea snores. So, what is the difference between normal snoring and a more serious case of sleep apnea?  The biggest tell-tale sign of sleep apnea is how you are feeling during the day. If you have normal snoring, it doesn’t interfere with the quality of your sleep as much as sleep apnea does, so you’re less likely to suffer from fatigue and sleepiness the next day. There are many effective anti-snoring solutions.

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Effective Anti-Snoring Remedies

Home remedies

There are a number of effective remedies that can help with your snoring.

1. Try to avoid alcohol and sedatives

Drugs that are from the sedative class aim to relax our muscles which causes them to collapse. Alcohol also acts as a depressant. Any type of alcohol should be avoided for at least four hours before going to sleep. Any prescription or over-the-counter sleeping aids should be taken under the strict guidance of your health care professional.

2. Relieving any nasal obstruction

There are many medicines and other techniques that can help in the reduction of any inflammation.

These include:

·         nasal strips

·         corticosteroid and moisturizing nasal sprays

·         antihistamines

·         a room humidifier

Room humidifiers and other such items can be also found online.

3. Changing your sleep positions

Your sleeping position can catalyse the likelihood of snoring. Sleeping on your back causes the tongue to relax which in turn can block the airway.

Other sleeping positions that can help you:

·         sleeping on your side

·         raising the head of the bed a few inches

·         With the help of an "anti-snore pillow" to improve neck position

4. Try losing weight

A person who is having excess body weight, fatty tissues can accumulate which narrows the airway, and snoring is the direct result from the obstructed airflow.

Having a healthy body weight may reduce the risk of snoring.

5. Oral appliances

If you are trying a Snoring treatment in Singapore or any other country you can find yourself using a custom-fitted oral appliance, similar to a retainer or a mouth guard, which may help in keeping the airway always open by moving the tongue and jaw slightly forward.

Such appliances are made by a specially trained sleep specialist.

6. Quit smoking

The smoke from the tobacco leaves is an irritant that can often result in tissue inflammation. The upper airway is a very narrow passage, therefore, even a small amount of inflammation can restrict proper and uninterrupted airflow.

Quitting to smoke cigarettes can contribute to the reduction of this inflammation as well as the risk of other such related diseases and conditions.

7. Following a good sleep hygiene practice

It is critical to developing a good sleep hygiene program for yourself by getting consistent sleep on a comfortable bed, in a dark and cool room. Inadequate sleep has often been linked to weight gain which can lead to snoring.