Snoring is a very common ailment especially in people over 50 (although people can snore at any age).

Let’s face it there is nothing worse than laying awake beside someone as they snore away like a chainsaw, leaving you having to face the day tired and worn-out. Well this article is here to help you, with a list of simple home remedies to stop snoring so you can have those blissful nights of sleep back again!

Why do we snore- Snoring is caused by the soft palate at the back of the throat partially blocking the airways, so as the air is forced past it the palate vibrates causing the dreaded sound.

Simple home remedies to stop snoring

Often something as simple as raising the suffers head up with another pillow can help as this better aligns the throat so the air has a straight passage.

Sleeping on your side will also help to make the passage of air less uninterrupted (use a wall of pillows to stop you rolling on to your back).

Use a lavender scented spray on the suffers pillow, or even a sprig under the pillow case as lavender is good at keeping the airways open. If you would prefer use a lavender oil in a burner an hour before bedtime

Drinks as home remedies to stop snoring

A milky drink before bedtime might help you sleep, but this is one of the worst things you can do to stop snoring. Milk forms a mucus layer on your throat temporary reducing the opening of your air passage which means you have more chance of causing your soft palate to vibrate.

Surprisingly honey has been proven to help with snoring as has ginger. Both can be used as a nightcap before bed

Lifestyle will help with stopping snoring. One of the many benefits of a healthy life style is the reduction of snoring. So give up the cigs, cut down on the drink and ease up on the junk food.

Some people who take the fast-acting sleep-aid zolpidem (Ambien) have been observed walking, eating, talking on the phone and even driving while not fully awake. Many often don’t remember doing any of these activities the next morning. Similarly, this drug has been shown to awaken the minimally conscious into a conscious state. A new study by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers may help explain why these “awakenings” occur.

The study, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Monday, suggests that while some powerful brain circuits are shut down with zolpidem, the powerful sedative activates other circuits when deprived of activity.

“Brain cells or neurons are highly reactive to incoming activity throughout life,” explains Molly M. Huntsman, an assistant professor in the department of pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center and corresponding author for the study. “When brain activity is silenced, many neurons automatically react to this change. We see this in our study which suggests that inhibitory neurons responsible for stopping neural activity are themselves shut down by zolpidem. The excitatory neurons, responsible for transmitting activity, are then allowed to re-awaken and become active again, without monitoring because the inhibitory neurons are ‘asleep’.”

Rodents are especially dependent upon their whiskers to explore their environment; for the study, researchers trimmed the whiskers of mice (while under anesthesia). They then studied the region of the brain responsive to whisker movements to examine activity-dependent brain circuits. After removing the whiskers and depriving neural activity, the inhibitory neurons that normally don’t respond to sedation by zolpidem underwent a change, becoming more sensitive. The researchers posited that these neurons are shut down and, in turn, not able to monitor other brain circuits.

“This was really unexpected. It appears the receptors on some inhibitory neurons were changed and were able to be inhibited by zolpidem, preventing them from performing their normal functions. We merely wanted to use zolpidem as a tool to examine which type of functional inhibitory receptor is expressed in certain neurons. Yet it turns out that sensory deprivation in the form of whisker trimming is enough to alter the receptor composition expressed in these cells.” Huntsman says.

Researchers say that while the study suggests that zolpidem shuts down active neural pathways and perhaps then triggers others, the activation of this trigger is unknown.

“Nevertheless, the paradoxical activation of brain circuits by a powerful sedative definitely needs more attention in additional studies both human and in animal models,” Huntsman concludes.

Other authors of the paper include Peijun Li of GUMC and Uwe Rudolph of McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate. The authors report no related financial interests.

This work was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Source:
Karen Mallet

Georgetown University Medical Center

Sleep Disorders

Insomnia

Because the circadian rhythm controls the sleep/wake cycle, circadian rhythm disorder often results in au/insomniacircadian.php”>insomnia. If there is a pattern to the sleep disturbance, i.e., one consistently wakes up or falls asleep at the wrong time, or if he/she cannot get to sleep at certain times, it is most likely that his/her circadian rhythm is malfunctioning.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) estimates that 25% of all sleep problems are directly related to circadian sleep disorders and several other sleep problems are either caused by or contribute to circadian rhythm disorders. These sleep disorders include late night and early morning, insomnia, interrupted sleep patterns, free-cycling sleep disturbances and irregular sleep disorders.  The two most common sleep problems??”Late night and early morning insomnia are discussed below.

Late Night Insomnia

The majority of people with sleep problems experience difficulty being able to fall asleep. They may only experience a few hours of sleep each night, and feel worse in the morning time. In this case, the body clock is running slower than a normal circadian rhythm (24 hour period). The clinical term for late night insomnia is Delayed Circadian Rhythm Disorder or DCR. DCR sufferers’ body clock doesn’t ‘wake up’ until later in the morning or day. They have difficulty getting started in the morning, may feel a bit groggy or down during part of the day, and may experience a second wind later in the evening. Those with DCR are often referred to as night owls, and find it easier to stay up late at night.

With DCR, the daily cycle, or circadian rhythm is running slow, and the pineal gland releases the nighttime hormone melatonin too late, causing sleep to occur later. In the morning, the body clock is still producing the nighttime hormones. This is why it may take several hours to feel active and energetic. Because DCR sufferers don’t receive the proper amount of sleep, energy, alertness and ability to function may also be diminished.

Because DCR is the result of a slower circadian rhythm, bright morning light is the most successful means to speed the body clock up and restore circadian rhythms to their normal function. Because DCR disorders vary with individuals, the treatment schedule needs to be adapted accordingly. Apollo provides an effective assessment tool on its website for determining the proper treatment schedule and guidelines.

Early Morning Insomnia

As people age, they tend to have difficulty staying asleep, and usually awaken hours before dawn. Those with early morning insomnia generally tire easily in the afternoon or evening and have little difficulty falling asleep. The clinical term for this disorder is Advanced Circadian Rhythm Disorder or ACR. ACR happens when the body clock is running faster than a normal 24-hour period. Because the body clock is running too fast, ACR sufferers tend to run out of energy before the ‘day’ or 24 hour period is through. ACR also tends to compress the sleep portion of the daily cycle, causing ACR sufferers to often sleep less than 8 hours per night.

Because the circadian rhythm is running fast, the pineal gland releases the nighttime hormone melatonin prematurely, causing one to feel tired earlier in the evening. Since melatonin is released prematurely, the body clock can’t sustain a complete sleep cycle, causing early insomnia.

Bright evening light has been shown to be the most effective treatment for ACR. Evening light slows the body clock down to a normal rhythm. This delays the onset of melatonin and sleep, allowing the person to sleep longer and have more energy in the late afternoon and evening.

CRD’s contribute to other sleep disorders

Circadian Rhythm Disorders keep our bodies from enjoying a complete or rejuvenating sleep. Because CRD’s disrupt the sleep pattern, they may contribute to narcolepsy, sleep apnea, snoring, etc. Most people find these symptoms diminish when their circadian rhythms are working properly