LV LifeHealth & Fitness

Possible treatments for snoring

illustration by Christian A. Lopez
illustration by Christian A. Lopez

by Valerie Rojas
Staff Writer

When deciding to live on campus, most students worry about what kind of roommates they will be paired up with.

Will they listen to loud music?

What will their study habits be like?

What if they smell?

But many students forget to worry about one very common problem experienced at some point by most of the world: Snoring.

What causes snoring?

What makes people to produce such an annoying noise in their sleep, a noise that causes roommates to wake up disgruntled and lose precious hours of rest?

Snoring occurs when the muscles of a person’s tongue, throat and roof of their mouth relax as they fall into a deep sleep.

The throat tissues begin to sag as the muscles relax, causing the airway to become more narrow and begin to vibrate, said Brian Tessier, a University of La Verne physician’s assistant. This produces that familiar noise of snoring.

The more narrow the airway becomes, the louder the snoring gets.

Snoring affects many: men, women, the young and the old; anyone could be a victim.

Snoring tends to worsen as people age.

The older a person gets, the weaker their throat muscles become, causing them to sag and vibrate more frequently.

“Gravity kind of takes its toll,” Tessier said.

Those who are overweight also tend to have snoring problems, resulting from less firm throat muscles.

Other contributing factors include: sleeping on your back, nasal blockages resulting from allergies and alcohol and tobacco consumption.

There are numerous treatments out there that claim to prevent snoring or cure it completely.

Most of them, however, seem to be a little out of the ordinary, and should be used with caution, or at least a sense of humor.

“My boyfriend snores,” said ULV freshman Sara Heringer. “We’ve tried all the weird gadgets to try and fix it, including those weird nose strips. Finally, I just bought ear plugs.”

Some people turn to all-powerful hypnotists to help cure their snoring, believing that they have the power to mesmerize the victim into a snoring-free state.

Because singing uses the throat muscles, it also has become one of the more popular methods for curing people of this noisy affliction.

Singing exercises tighten the throat muscles, reducing the vibration that results from sagging muscles, according to the Web site, www.putanendtosnoring.com.

Magnetic therapy is also a common alternative.

There are numerous magnetic rings on the market that are designed to open nasal passages through stimulation, and thus reduce snoring.

Learning to position the tongue correctly is yet another way some people try to curb their snoring habit. As you sleep, your tongue may block air passageways, causing your snoring to continue. But training your tongue to position itself in a certain way as you sleep, may help reduce snoring, according to the Web site.

Numerous throat sprays on the market are designed to curb snoring. These sprays and oil moisten and lubricate the throat, which is also supposed to help.

When throat muscles are dry, they tend to vibrate more easily, experts say.

Having heavy meals late in the evening, sleeping with the window open, consuming alcohol and tobacco and sleeping on your back all increase the odds of snoring. These things should be avoided. While snoring is a problem for many, it can be treated.

For more information on snoring and its prevention, call the University of La Verne Health Center at (909) 593- 3511, extension 4441.

Valerie Rojas, Editor in Chief
Valerie Rojas
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Christian A. Lopez, Staff Writer
Christian A. Lopez
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