A New Way to Tackle Snoring

I sometimes think that true love is the ability to sleep through the gentle whistle, or grinding gears of your partner’s snores, but if it gets too much for you there is a new solution that might help.

Asonor® is a new anti–snoring product that has already successfully helped 75% of snorers in Europe, and was recently ranked no.1 in an independent user test by a Scandinavian health magazine. I don’t know if Swedes are heavy duty snorers, but given that apparently 1 in 4 of us snore (yes, us too, ladies) and that a recent survey found that 1 in 5 couples sleep in separate bedrooms because of it any help is welcome! As it also seems that 57% of people think that snoring has caused arguments or tension in their relationship, and snoring has also been linked to health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disorders there is no reason to delay in tackling it.

Asonor® directly targets the primary cause of snoring, which of course is the throat. It works by delivering a gentle stream of solution via the nasal passage to lubricate the soft palate and lightly tighten the musculature of the throat. By targeting the primary cause of snoring, rather than staying in the nose like other spray snoring remedies, asonor® also significantly reduces interference with breathing.

Sadly, this is not a one off solution, to really tame the snore(r) asonor® should be taken consistently, in each nostril every night before bedtime until the desired effect is obtained, normally within two weeks.

If you can’t find it in your local chemist, go online to http://www.asonor.co.uk

How Common Sleep Problems Like Snoring Can Lead to Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a medical diagnosis that refers to the presence of at least three of the five primary risk factors that are associated with diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The five factors include high triglycerides, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol. And it is not just snoring that is the problem, if you have trouble falling asleep or have restless sleep then according to a new study you are more likely to develop the symptoms of metabolic syndrome as well.

This is the first study to explore the link between sleep quality and metabolic syndrome risk and was done on a total of 812 individuals who were between the ages of 45 and 74, and who developed metabolic syndrome during a three year period of analysis. This particular age bracket was chosen because many people who fall under this category record the highest complaints of sleep disorders. The results of the study revealed that 70 percent of people who do not sleep well and 80 percent of those who have trouble falling asleep are twice as likely to develop symptoms of metabolic syndrome than those who do not experience sleeping difficulties.

Loud snoring is disruptive on many levels, but it seems that it also is associated with low levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and high blood sugar levels, both of which are can lead to the development of diabetes. If you or a partner have put up with snoring, then this might be the piece of information that could get them to address the problem. Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time, but if you find you are unable to do so easily over a prolonged period then that also is a significant predictor of metabolic syndrome.

If I had a cure for snoring I would be a rich woman, but there are some simple changes that can often help. Being overweight is certainly a factor so looking at dietary and lifestyle changes can be a place to start. Stress is another factor so do what you can to eliminate or reduce it – and if you need help then can I suggest you look at my website for How To Cope Successfully With Stress and apply the many tips there.

I also recently came across an excellent herbal tea from the American company Celestial Seasons which has a combination of their great tasting Sleepytime tea to help you drop off, together with additional herbs for soothing sore throats.

It might just help if you have a cup of that before going to bed to both relax you and calm those inflamed airways that occur with snoring.

Snoring, Sleep and Natural Solutions

Can snoring help weight loss?

This almost came into the ‘I don’t believe it’ category, but it is a valid piece of research and I shudder to think how people are going to exploit it. A new piece of research has been revealed that shows you can burn up to an extra 2000 calories a day if you are a heavy snorer. There is of course a known link between being overweight and snoring, but as a weight loss aid it’s a new one on me. I would have thought it’s the partner of the snorer that burns more calories from all that digging them in the ribs and rolling them over onto their backs, but what do I know?

The researchers have, not surprisingly, said they don’t know if the snoring is actually causing people to put on the pounds because they believe it might be. This comes from the fact that disturbed sleep patterns can alter the way your body metabolizes energy, and that could affect your weight. As a dietary regime I don’t think snoring will catch on, and one of the great dangers of heavy snoring is that it can be related to sleep apnoea. This condition needs to be taken seriously because it can reduce the oxygen content in the blood to dangerous levels.

Adult snorers – It starts in childhood

If you have ever dug your partner in the ribs, or tried every brand of ear plugs on the market, it may help to know that really they can’t prevent it. Actually, it may not help at all, but a new study has shown that adult snoring may be rooted in early snorers .

This is based on a study of more than 15,000 adults ages 25 to 54 in Northern Europe, specifically in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, and Estonia. They were asked questions about their early life environment, childhood history and adult medical problems. The result was that they concluded that there are several factors in early childhood that are associated with adult snoring.

So what are the risk factors so you can identify if your child is going to disturb someone’s sleep in later life? First clue was that adult snorers were more likely to have been hospitalized for a respiratory infection before they were two, had recurrent ear infections such as glue ear or inflammation or have large tonsils that can compromise the upper airways. On the environment front, the child was more likely to have grown up in a large family, or to have been brought up as a baby in a household with a dog.

Karl Franklin, M.D., Ph.D., who carried out the research, speculated that these factors may enhance inflammatory processes and thereby alter upper airway anatomy early in life, causing an increased susceptibility for adult snoring.

Typically the habitual snorers in the study (defined as more than 3 times a week) were more likely to be male, overweight and had a higher prevalence of asthma and chronic bronchitis and were smokers. You may not be able to do anything about their childhood, but those other factors also contribute so tackling the weight, smoking and asthma certainly couldn’t hurt and might help to reduce the frequency and volume. Sadly there is no real cure for snoring, but a good website for general information on what causes it, and what can help, can be found at www.britishsnoring.co.uk

Is snoring a health risk?

Certainly can be if you are moved to violence by the sound of your partner’s snoring. One friend of mine regularly pushed her husband out of bed and claimed it was a reflex action to thinking she was hearing a burglar breaking in and she was defending herself! Fear not they had a very thick sheepskin rug next to the bed and he occasionally stayed there and carried on sleeping!

Seriously though, the emotional toll of sharing a bed with a chronic snorer has always been clear and if you haven’t managed to persuade the guilty party to take action then maybe this extra health risk might encourage them.

A recent study by Chol Shin, M.D., Ph.D., of Korea University’s Ansan Hospital supported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Japan hs reported that regularly snoring may significantly increase susceptibility to chronic bronchitis.

The range of risk was a 25% to 68% of getting bronchitis, compared to people who never snored and the combination of smoking and snoring almost tripled the likelihood of chronic bronchitis compared with those who did not smoke or snore. Being overweight was also another risk factor so no more late night snacks, stay away from dairy foods to reduce mucus and try olbas oil to inhale before sleep to open the nasal passages.