Hey, Stop Snoring

Author: Joel Warner

How would you like to sleep next to a power lawn mower going full throttle? It doesn't sound like fun, but chances are you or your partner has been known to make about as much noise in the wee hours snoring. In the National Sleep Foundation's 2005 "Sleep in America" poll, six in ten respondents said they believe they're snorers.

The culprit behind snoring is your throat-the muscles of which can relax while you're sleeping and potentially vibrate loudly, like oboe reeds, when you breathe in and out. Snoring may be the result of genetics, such as having a wide, soft palate; a crooked partition between your nostrils; or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. Or you might snore if you're overweight, congested, or drink alcohol before bedtime. "Any condition in which the mucous membranes tend to become inflamed can cause snoring, even something as simple as having a good cry after watching a particularly sad movie," says Keith F. Zeitlin, ND, a Wallingford, Connecticut-based naturopathic physician.

Sure, sawing logs is often the stuff of jokes, but it can also be a major problem. In some cases snoring can be the sign of a serious medical condition, such as obstructive sleep apnea, in which the throat muscles collapse, cutting off airflow for ten seconds or more. If you wake up gasping for breath or your snoring is accompanied by sleeplessness, morning headaches, confusion, and memory problems, you may have obstructive sleep apnea and should seek help from an ear, nose, and throat doctor. Even if your snoring is benign, it still might be a disturbance in your relationship. The good news is that a variety of natural treatments may help to calm even the loudest of bedtime beasts.