Sleep Better with CPAP Pillow for Sleep Apnea Video is a post from: Best Snoring Solution

Before I discuss the various ways to breathe better, a short anatomy course in in order. The nasal septum is a thin piece of cartilage and bone that splits your nasal cavity right down the middle. No one has a perfectly straight septum; everyone’s septum is slightly curved. Sometimes, nasal trauma can shift or move the septum away from its’ midline position. The nasal turbinates are wing-like structures that line the sidewalls of your nose. It’s covered with a mucous membrane, and normally it helps to smooth, warm and humidify air. The turbinates and sinuses also produce about 2 pints of mucous every day. The turbinates swell and shrink, alternating from side to side every few hours. This is called the nasal cycle.

The front side walls make up your nostrils, which are soft cartilages covered on the inside and outside with skin. The back of your nose is one big cavity (called the nasopharynx), and the passageway turns down 90 degrees into the back of your throat. The nasopharynx is also where your ears connect via the Eustachian tubes.

If any part of the anatomy that I described becomes obstructed partially or completely, you’ll feel stuffy in your nose. Usually it’s not one thing, but usually due to a combination of different reasons. For example, if you have a mildly deviated septum, suffering from mild allergies will swell up your nasal turbinates, narrowing you nasal passageways. This may not be enough to clog up your nose, but if you have flimsy nostrils or had rhinoplasty in the past that weakened the nostrils, then breathing in with a stuffy nose may trigger your nostrils to collapse.

Starting from the tip of your nose, the first thing you must do is to find out if you have flimsy nostrils. If you have a very narrow nose, or if your nostril openings are very narrow and slit-like, then you may be prone to having flimsy nostrils. Try this experiment: Take both index fingers and press them just besides your nostrils on your cheek. While firmly pressing on your cheeks, lift the cheek skin upwards and sideways, pointing towards the outer corners of your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Can you breathe much better through your nose? Let go and try it again. If this maneuver works for you, you may benefit from using nasal dilator strips at night (one brand is called Breathe-Rite). Sometimes, the adhesives on these devices are not strong enough, or end up irritating the skin. Another way of treating this condition are various internal dilators (such as Nozovent, Breathewitheez, Nasal cones) that you can find over the counter or over the internet.

Second, try using nasal saline sprays. You can use the simple spray bottles that put out a fine mist, to more sophisticated methods such as aerosol cans or even using a Water-pik machine (there’s a nasal adaptor that you can buy for this). Another popular variation is something called a Nedi-pot, which uses gravity to pour salt water into your nose and sinuses. You can either use prepared saline packages, or mix your own recipe (one cup of lukewarm water and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt or Kosher salt with a pinch of baking soda). Whatever method you use, you’ll have to do it frequently to get maximum results. Besides cleansing out mucous, pollutants and allergens, saline also acts as a mild decongestant.

Third, try not to eat anything within three hours of going to bed. If you still have food or juices lingering in your stomach when you go to bed, it can leak up passively into your throat and not only prevent a good night’s sleep, but these same juices can also leak up into your nose, causing swelling and inflammation. In addition, many people will also stop breathing once in a while, which creates a vacuum effect in the throat which actively suctions up your stomach juices into your throat and nose.

Fourth, try to avoid drinking alcohol close to bedtime. Not only does alcohol irritate the stomach, it also relaxes your throat muscles as you sleep, which aggravates the process described in the previous paragraph.

Fifth, if you have any known allergies, especially if it’s something in your bedroom, try to either remove it or or lessen your exposure to it. For example, many people are allergic to dust or molds, and if you have carpeting, or an area rug, it can harbor these allergens. Frequently washing your bed sheets in very hot water also helps. Investing in a quality HEPA filter should help even more. If you have any pets, consider keeping them out of your bedroom. If conservative measure to control allergies is not good enough, consider seeing an allergist for a more formal evaluation.

Sixth, get regular exercise, especially outdoors. Not only are you exercising your heart and your muscles, you’re also exercising the nervous system in your nose. Vigorous physical activity activates your sympathetic nervous system, which constricts the blood vessels that supply your nasal turbinates. This allows you to breathe better through your nose, with all the added benefits described in my previous article.

Lastly, slow down and relax. Modern society has removed all the natural built-in breaks throughout the day. Along with all the information overload and constant stimulation, going nonstop all day only adds to the increased stress levels that everyone experiences. In between major activities, take a minute or so to stop what you’re doing and stretch, get up and move around, and do some deep-breathing exercises. Stress can tense up the muscles, causing you to breathe shallower, which causes physiologic changes that can ultimately aggravate nasal congestion.

These simple 7 steps won’t help everyone, but If you can go down the list and apply all the steps, many if not most of you should feel some improvement in your ability to breathe through your nose. If you’ve tried all these steps and still can’t breathe through your nose, then seek medial help. An otolaryngologist (an ear, nose and throat doctor) is the best doctor to take care of this condition.

If you are a chronic mouth breather, in addition to what I described above, your jaw is probably more narrow than normal, with some degree of dental crowding. Chronic mouth breathers also tend not to sleep well at night due to various degrees of breathing difficulty. I discuss these issues in my other articles (sleep apnea and upper airway resistance syndrome).

7 Tips For Better Nasal Breathing is a post from: Best Snoring Solution

To find the cure for the problem of snoring, there are many stop snoring devices. The problem of snoring is attributed to many reasons and these stop snoring devices are problem specific. So the use of such devices should be contemplated after the reason for snoring is well understood. The snoring problem not only effects the sleep of the person who snores but also his family. This disturbed sleep can lead to various diseases and issues. To avoid this, nowadays lot of products are coming onto the market. Another stop snoring device to help people from snoring is Nozovent. This device helps in reducing the snoring very effectively. It dilates the nasal airways that increases the airflow and helps reduce the nose congestion, which in turn reduces the snoring problem in the people who snore because of congested nose.

For those who find magnetic therapy a better alternative, there is also a cheap and easy solution for snoring. This small stop snoring device is a plastic nose ring with earth magnets at its ends. Just before going to sleep the patient has to wear it on his nose. These oral mouthpieces are a good option for snoring prevention since they are quite effective and non-intrusive. Even though sleeping with a mouthpiece can be a little awkward and uncomfortable at first, this does not last since you will soon find that you are used to the feeling of wearing it.

Acupressure therapy has also dealt with the snoring problem in the form of cute little silver ring. This unique stop snoring device is worn on the little finger and exerts pressure on the vital spots and thus releasing the free flow of energy. This ring is claimed to have stopped snoring and also comes with a warranty. There is also a modern technique to stop snoring. This stop snoring device is in the form of an electronic bracelet. This bracelet, when worn on arm, passes electronic pulses that help the person relax and even change positions to more comfortable postures.

These snoring prevention devices look like oxygen tanks that stay next to your bed. You use them by wearing a face mask that blows air into your nostrils and makes breathing easy while sleeping, thus preventing the collapse of the throat and stopping snoring. You will need to be fitted for an anti snoring device by your doctor or dentist as it needs to fit your jaw perfectly to avoid discomfort.

Sleeping Better With A Anti Snoring Device is a post from: Best Snoring Solution