It’s believed that pretty much every single person on this planet has snored at least once in their lifetime. However, while some people snore only occasionally and under certain circumstances, others have the misfortune of snoring all the time. That kind of snoring inevitably takes a toll on your health and quality of life, which is why there are so many snoring aids on the market today.
You may be wondering what exactly qualifies a person for a snoring aid. The answer is simple – if snoring bothers you, you should get rid of it. That’s where snoring aids come in. There is no general rule of thumb and every physician will tell you that – as harmless as it may seem – snoring may actually be dangerous. So, why should you suffer and put your health and your quality of life at risk?
Consider The Factors
The answer to the question “Do I really need a snoring device?” depends on several factors. The first one, of course, is how much and how often you snore. Like we said earlier, some people snore only occasionally. For example, many people snore when they have a cold or flu and their nose is stuffy or downright blocked. We won’t get into the actual physiological mechanisms behind it, but let’s just say that a stuffy nose is one of the major factors in snoring. People with allergies also tend to snore a lot, especially during the high allergen seasons.
Some people snore when they sleep in a certain position, especially on their back. When you sleep on your back, facing upwards, there’s a bigger chance your jaw will drop and your mouth will open, which may cause you to snore. Changing your sleeping position will take care of this, but some people instinctively roll on their back in their sleep, even after they fell asleep on their side or on their belly, and that’s something that’s very hard to control once you’re sound asleep. If you often wake up to the sound of your own snoring to find yourself on your back, mouth open, dry and achy, you should probably get one of the many snoring aids available on the market. A jaw retainer might be the ideal solution for you.
Serious Health Concerns
Obesity is another factor that is closely related to snoring. Low muscle tone and an increased presence of fatty tissue, especially in the neck and throat area, have been linked to increased incidence of snoring. In other words, obese people are more likely to snore. You don’t even have to be very obese – weak muscles and neck fat alone are enough to increase your chance of snoring. If you have recently gained weight and started snoring around the same time, it’s almost one hundred percent connected and you should definitely considering getting an anti-snoring device because you’re only going to be snoring more until, of course, you start losing weight again.
There is also the type of snoring that is so severe it starts putting your overall health at risk. It’s called obstructive sleep apnea and it’s definitely more than just snoring. One of the definitions of sleep apnea says that it’s a “condition in which a person’s breathing is completely interrupted one or more times during their sleep.” These interruptions are always connected to snoring. Some people literally stop breathing a hundred times during sleep. Obviously, this is a serious condition that should be treated. In this case, the answer to the question “Should I get a sleeping aid?” is – yes, absolutely, as soon as possible.
Other Options
There are many things you can do to stop snoring. Certain lifestyle changes have been proven as quite effective, especially treating any underlying nasal and sinus problems and allergies, increasing the humidity in the room you sleep in, changing your sleep position, working out, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol, normalizing your sleeping schedule and, of course, losing weight. However, sometimes these measures are not enough and you find yourself in the market for a snoring aid. That’s probably a good call since lifestyle changes are fine but sometimes, they are simply not enough.