Snoring- a small change can make a big difference

We all know how annoying snoring can be, both for the snorer and the partner. The effects and seriousness of snoring are becoming more apparent with snoring being linked to conditions like high blood pressure and coronary disease. The different types of snoring, range from a simple puff to a full on roar and there isn’t one school of thought on the reasons behind snoring. Snoring, I believe, is a signal that the body’s systems are out of balance. Finding which system is the difficult part. But correcting the balance may not take a huge change, take the example of Andy.

Andy was in his late 30s and had snored for several years. He’s not quite sure when it started but of late the snoring had being a more regular event. He probably still wouldn’t be aware of it, except it drove his wife crazy. Andy had always being active, not a football star but he liked to throw a ball around. If you asked a passerby, they wouldn’t describe Andy as overweight but Andy freely admits putting on a pound a year over the past 10 years and plans to start shedding some of it sometime soon.

Every year Andy and the family, his wife and two sons go camping. They always go to the same camping ground every year and always get the same site, or there about, near the water and away from the highway. Andy doesn’t believe a holiday should be hard work and the family doesn’t lack for comfort with inflatable mattresses, electric cooler, color TV (just for the news) and a large three room tent. Now last year the shower block at Andy’s end of the camp ground was under going a major renovation for the two weeks of Andy’s holiday. It wasn’t a major problem; it just meant that Andy had his nightly shower at the other shower block. But because Andy and his wife preferred that the boys didn’t have to walk in the dark they showered a couple hours earlier than normal.

After a couple of days after arriving Andy’s wife Karen noted that Andy wasn’t snoring nearly as badly as he normally did. On past holidays even the boys would mention how annoying dad’s snoring was. They too had noticed a more quiet night. Andy was pleased as he too had noticed that he awoke more refreshed in the morning and his mouth didn’t feel like someone had left sandpaper in it. He didn’t know what change he had made that brought this unexpected and pleasant result, but he suspected it had to do with his nightly routine, as this was the only thing that had changed.

Over the next two weeks Andy experimented with his routine and finally came to the conclusion that if he brushed his teeth several hours before going to bed rather than just before retiring he didn’t snore so much, if at all, and he woke in the morning without his mouth feeling all dry.

That simple change has made a big difference to Andy and Karen. Andy deduced that when he brushed his teeth just before retiring, the toothpaste was making him a little dehydrated. It was enough to dry out the nasal passages and cause him to breathe through his mouth making the snoring noise. By brushing earlier he didn’t suffer the same dehydration and was able to breathe through his nose the whole night through. Now Andy also realized that toothpaste alone shouldn’t be able to have such a major effect. It was that his body was very near the balance point and the toothpaste was the final small push over the edge. Andy decided he was too close to that fine balance point and began to look at his whole diet and has made made some small adjustments. He has lost a little weight, but that’s a bonus and he only now snores if he over indulges and that’s usually when he catches up with college buddies twice a year.

The chance of eliminating your snoring by changing the time of day when you brush your teeth is most likely less than one in a thousand or worse. Andy’s problem probably isn't your problem. The key is to find the system that is out of balance and work to set it right. You never know, you may only need the smallest of change. Is it worth the effort? You decide.