Help for Your Snoring

... Wouldn't you like some help for your snoring!

One of the first things is to look at your problem and ask yourself, or better yet ask your spouse, significant other, or family members, and see if you are a "minor" snorer, snoring a few time a week and not too loudly, or do you snore every night and snore so loud that the paint is coming off the walls?

If it is the major type, you should see your doctor and make sure that a serious medical condition is not underlying your snoring.

Whether you have done that, or not, the next step is to take a look at yourself and your lifestyle.

* Are you truly an ideal weight for your height? If not it could simply be the excess weight that is causing the snoring. Lose the weight and you will lose your snore.

* Do you sleep on your back? You could start sleeping on your side. A remedy for staying off your back is to sew a sock to the back of your PJ's, you could just pin it too, and put a small ball in the sock or pocket. A golf ball or even a walnut will make so uncomfortable to sleep on your back, you'll quickly be staying of it all together.

If you are over weight too, sleeping on your back can even be worse as you have a lot of excess weight around your neck.

* Maybe you just have hay fever, or asthma? Is the pollen count high, or it could be a certain food you are eating? You may just be having allergic response that is causing inflammation of your mucous membranes which in turn will lead to snoring. Ask your partner if your snoring is worse some times than others and see if you can find a link perhaps between a time of year or a food stuff and your snoring.

* Dairy products, milk, yogurt, cheese, even ice cream can increase the amount of mucous in your system and restricts your airways. You may want to eliminate milk and milk products from your diet for a month to see if your snoring improves.

* If you aren't exercising already, start exercising. Besides helping with weight loss, if that is a problem, it will help in so many ways, lower your stress levels, open up your air ways, lower blood pressure, make you feel more energetic and just help you sleep better.

There are many ways to incorporate exercise into your day without going to the gym - walking around the block, swimming, taking the stair not the elevator, parking a way back from the store you are going to and walking "all that way", etc.

It is important, when, especially when carrying excess weight, to get a medical check up and talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise program and to start off slowly building up frequency and duration of exercise sessions as you lose the weight and achieve higher levels of fitness.

* The following are a number of very specific exercises that I have next to my bed and I do the different ones whenever I can -

In a very controlled manner, slowly open and close your mouth to its full extent. Make sure your lips meet when closing.

Pucker up as if to blow a kiss and hold for 5 seconds before relaxing.

Practice smiling, make it big, generous and exaggerated. Once again hold the position for 5 seconds before relaxing.

Press your lips tightly together and hold for 5 seconds before relaxing.

Press your lips firmly and then pretend to sip a drink making a sipping noise.

Stick your tongue right out. Keep it straight and horizontal, don't allow any drooping.

With your tongue sticking right out move it from side to side making it reach each corner of your lips.

Practice reaching for your chin with the tip of your tongue.

Practice reaching for the tip of your nose with your tongue.

Hold a spoon against your sticking out tongue and exert pressure as if to push the tongue back into the mouth. Resist the pressure with the tongue - push back against the spoon.

Say ‘Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma' as quickly as possible being sure to pronounce both letters.

Say ‘‘La-La-La-La' as quickly as possible being sure to pronounce both letters.

Say ‘Ka-Ka-Ka-Ka' as quickly as possible being sure to pronounce both letters.

Say ‘Kala-Kala-Kala-Kala' as quickly as possible being sure to pronounce both letters.

Say or sing all of the vowel sounds (A-E-I-O-U) as loudly as you can.

Overcome your snoring problem once and for all - get those muscles of the throat jaw and neck firmed and toned and stop the flabbiness blocking your airways.