Taking snoring seriously

Snoring can have many health complications including high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, as well as the much more serious condition called sleep apnoea, in which you stop breathing temporarily during sleep for periods that could be as long as a minute or even more. If it occurs during pregnancy, snoring increases a woman’s chance of developing high blood pressure and of having a low birth-weight baby. In children, snoring is associated with learning and behavioural disorders including ADHD. Snoring can also have serious social consequences—it is cited as the third leading cause of relationship breakdown.

What are common symptoms associated with snoring

• Heavy, ‘windy’, noisy breathing
• Restlessness, ‘restless legs’, kicking while asleep
• Mouth-breathing, dry mouth, dry throat
• Morning headaches
• Waking unrefreshed, low energy, daytime tiredness
• Foggy thinking
• Frequent sighing, yawning, extra-deep breaths

What causes snoring

The first thing you ought to know is that snoring does not occur in people who have a normal breathing pattern. Those who snore do not breathe correctly, no exceptions. Research shows that a heavy snorer can breathe up to 2 – 3 times more air per minute than is normal, both when awake and asleep. That is, they overbreathe.

Overbreathing, breathing too fast, and/or too much air per breath can cause the tissues lining the nose and throat to get dehydrated, swollen and congested, narrowing the airway. During sleep, when the throat muscles are relaxed, these tissues can vibrate and create the snoring noise. If you suck in a large amount of air rather quickly, the walls of your throat can be drawn closer together and further obstruct the airflow.

Those who snore do not breathe correctly, no exceptions

Snorers are usually unaware of their pattern of overbreathing. During daytime, they can be so used to it that they don’t notice their mouth-breathing, heavier or faster breathing, upper-chest breathing or their intermittent deep breaths, sighs or yawns—all indicators of overbreathing. When lying down and asleep, however, overbreathing and its effects are very noticeable to an observer.

Anyone who has slept next to a heavy snorer will identify with this high “drive to breathe”. One woman described her partner’s snoring thus: “He breathes two breaths for my one. When he breathes in, it’s like he’s sucking the paint off the walls; when he breathes out, I feel I have to hold on to the edge of the bed so he doesn’t blow me out.”

Healthy, physiologically normal breathing is silent; in and out the nose, all day and night and during exercise. It is 8 – 12 breaths per minute, even and regular; it is diaphragmatic—with just a small movement visible at solar plexus level.

Breathing is a critically important body function. It is the first thing we do in life, and the last. Many people are getting it wrong over 20,000 times a day.

Healthy, physiologically normal breathing is silent; in and out the nose, all day and night and during exercise

The good news: You can change the way you breathe

That’s what breathing retraining is designed to do. First, it identifies faulty daytime breathing habits that have become automatic, altering your brain’s breathing control mechanism, and setting you up for what happens during sleep. Then, through awareness and simple practices, breathing retraining gets you back to silent, slow, smooth, soft breathing day and night. Improvement is often noticeably from the first night.

Gregory had been snoring for as long as he [and his family] could remember. His wife rated his snoring as being at least eight out of 10. Gregory had a lot of congestion and his nose was, more often than not, blocked. His daytime breathing was too fast, and too heavy. After his first consultation he noticed that his mucus decreased. On the third night into his breathing programme he found he slept eight hours straight without needing the usual toilet visit. He felt totally refreshed and clearheaded in the morning. His wife came home after being away for three weeks and she thought he had died in his sleep! He was the quietest he had been in 40 years!

This simple, natural, science-based approach to the management of breathing disorders is often overlooked.

Overbreathing: Overlooked!

As explained, snoring is fundamentally a problem with the way you breathe—day and night. Unfortunately this fact is rarely considered and checking someone’s baseline breathing pattern is not part of standard medical diagnosis. People are often steered towards surgical, pharmaceutical or appliance-based interventions without considering what they can do themselves to improve their breathing habits.

Breathing retraining process

A typical breathing retraining programme with a breathing educator, involves an initial consultation in which the breathing pattern is assessed, then a programme that is a combination of formal and informal practice [blended into normal daily activities] is designed. The aim is to eliminate faulty breathing habits and restore a normal and stable pattern of gentle, silent, nose-breathing, at the correct rate, rhythm and volume, and with the correct use of the breathing muscles. You are shown how to maintain better breathing while asleep, when talking, under stress, and during physical exercise.

It really is that simple. The benefits are experienced right away, with most people commenting that they have had their best sleep in decades within just a few days of starting the process. Clients are advised that changes in prescribed medication and treatments must be undertaken only in consultation with their doctor. A follow-up sleep study is recommended for clients who also have sleep apnoea.

First Three Steps to Better Breathing, Health and Sleep

1. Be aware of your breathing. Know that normal healthy breathing is nasal, silent, slow, soft, smooth and relatively small.
2. Breathe through your nose whenever it is comfortable to do so.
3. Breathe more gently. If your nose is blocked or you are uncomfortable breathing through
   it, then as a first step, try to breathe more gently through your mouth.

The simplest things in life are often the best: changing the way you breathe has to beat having an appliance do it for you.

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The reason for breathlessness in asthma is the over-reactiveness of the airways, which causes them to narrow and impede entrance of air. This also causes a feeling of tightness around the chest and the characteristic whistling sound from the lungs [wheezing] that is typical of asthma.

Although asthma is a genetic condition, it can be triggered by various factors, a fact which most asthmatics are painfully aware of. Still, the importance of identifying and avoiding triggers needs to be emphasised for that is the key in controlling the condition. Indeed, it is the only way for those with asthma to breathe easy and lead a normal life.

Avoiding the triggers of asthma

External irritants

Allergens in the air, either indoor or outdoor, are notorious for triggering an attack. Carpets, pet fur, damp rugs, pillows, mattresses, pollen and stuffed toys are the top contributors in the list of indoor pollutants. Ensure that they are vacuum-cleaned weekly and dried completely before use. In simple words, pollutant proof your home.

People rarely associate an attack with the fragrance of a product they use, especially if it’s a cleaning product. But try using cleaning products that are odour-free.

More pollen travel in the air in the afternoon than any other time of day. Hence, it’s best to busy yourself indoors during that time to avoid exposure to pollen.

Air conditioners help keep allergens out. So, use them whenever possible.

Fungus and moulds are arch enemies of those with asthma and house-plants are the last place people look for, for moulds. Give house-plants a good wash now and then. Also, clean the bathroom tiles on a regular basis with soap and water, they’re another favourite mould hang-out. To prevent the mould from forming, ventilate the bath area and fix leakages promptly.

Things kept outside gather dust, which is a trigger too. So keep much of your stuff in closed cabinets to avoid accumulation of dust or if outside, clean it on a regular basis.

Good ventilation is a saviour for asthmatics. So, switch on the exhaust fan when cooking and keep the storage and other areas of the home well-ventilated.

Internal irritants

Those who suffer from asthma know well that an attack is often brought on not just by external triggers but also by fear, anxiety, anger, insecurity and other strong emotions. Ironically, not just negative emotions, but laughing too much may also bring on an attack in an asthmatic.

In fact, if you’ve been having too frequent episodes of breathlessness, it’s best to avoid situations that you suspect will be high on emotions, either positive or negative, and hence difficult to manage.

Breathing techniques for asthma

Breathing exercises, if done on a regular basis, help reduce the frequency and severity of symptoms. They relax your body and mind, helping you deal effectively with internal irritants. Remember, though, that they shouldn’t be done when the attack is in progress.

Shallow breathing: Also known as the Buteyko method of breathing, this technique was developed by Dr Buteyko, a Ukrainian physician in the 1950s. According to him, asthmatics breathe in about 15 litres of air a minute as compared to the normal five litres. In the Buteyko method, you take in shallow and slow breaths, which helps normalise breathing and the oxygen-carbon dioxide ratio in the body. In this, the breathing rate is consciously reduced and the inhalations are shallow.

Diaphragmatic breathing: Place your hands on the diaphragm, with the middle fingers touching each other and shoulders relaxed. As you inhale, expand the chest and observe the diaphragm stretching. Notice how your fingers slide away from each other. Exhaling, relax the chest and the fingers move back towards each other.

Ujjayi breath: This is also known as the victorious breath. Sit with your legs crossed. Partially constrict the air passage in the throat. Inhale producing a soft hustling sound and exhale in the same manner. The breath should be long and slow and taken without straining the facial muscles. Allow the sound to come naturally and do not produce it using your vocal cords.

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