Introduction: Sleep is meant to rejuvenate and re-energize the body. It’s the time that hormones, like growth hormone, get released so the body can repair from the day’s injuries and stresses. There is one thing that may be robbing you, or your loved one, of this; snoring. In this blog post, we'll explore the relationship between neck position and snoring and how a tiny tilt of the head can be the difference between a sound night’s sleep and someone who snores.
1. The Anatomy of Snoring: Snoring occurs when air flowing through the nose and mouth is impeded on it’s way along the airways. The obstructed air begins to “vibrate” or shake the walls of the airway, thus making the not so beautiful sound of snoring.
2. The Supine Dilemma: a. Body position: Lying on your back does increase your chances of snoring. This often happens due to having a head that is too elevated, typically due to utilizing too many or too fluffy of a pillow. As the neck flexes forward, that constricts the airways, promoting snoring. b. Relaxed Muscles: As we sleep, our muscles relax, On your back, gravity further increases the chances you’ll snore. If the muscles of the throat are not strong enough, the airway collapses, thus we snore.
3. Chiropractic Connection: a. Pain promotes your position: Many of us sleep in positions that we choose. For others, the pain they are in often influences the position in which they sleep. People with certain back and neck problems find benefit from sleeping on their back however sleeping on the back increases the chances of snoring. Alleviating this pain allows the individual to sleep in a position where they are less likely to snore. b. Proper breathing exercises: The muscles of the throat are just like any other muscle, the more they are worked, the better, stronger, and more effective they become. Through proper breathing exercises you can set the throat muscles up for success. c. Lack of cervical curvature: Our necks are sort of shaped like a bow or a shallow “C”. When there is a loss of this curvature, that puts us at an increased risk for snoring. Excessive sitting and history of whiplash are two of the more prominent histories seen in people who have a loss in this important curvature.
Conclusion:
Snoring is problematic, for both the sufferer and whoever may be in bed with them. Sleep is vital to our body and is arguably the most important aspect to our overall health. Sleeping position, work-posture, and pain all influence how much we’ll snore. Snoring is not inevitable, you can do something about it!
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