It represents Christmas almost as much as the bon bons - a senior family member, horizontal on the couch after the excess of a traditional Christmas lunch - snoring! It may be a gentle rumble, as regular as the labrador’s snoring on the floor beside, or it may be quite a cacophony of sounds, causing amusement to all around them, punctuated by a lengthy pause every now and then, and a loud snort or gasp as breathing restarts. 

But snoring is not a once a year, festive occurrence…….. The statistics are alarming! Too many of us are Ignoring Snoring and failing to recognise that snoring is actually a red flag, being waved furiously, trying to warn us that the way that we are breathing is having a major affect on our airways, on our sleep and on our quality of life.

Approximately 40% of the adult population snores at least occasionally, and in fact, 60% of Australians aged over 40 snore more than occasionally…… how many people do you know who are Ignoring Snoring?? Snoring is not a normal part of ageing. Snoring is not normal if you are overweight. Snoring is not genetic. Snoring isn’t something that you, and your family just have to put up with…..  Read more about the mechanics and science of snoring here Snoring Insight

So if so many of us snore, what’s the big deal with letting it run it’s course?? Here are 5 really important reasons to stop Ignoring Snoring , take control of your breathing and stop being a snoring statistic:

Snoring prevents you from getting the most out of your sleep

Let’s start with your partner, housemates or family members, who are regularly disturbed during the night time hours by your snoring….. Sleep deprivation is a proven torture tactic - you are inflicting torture on those closest to you! They cannot be at their best, living their best life when their sleep is interrupted - that is a serious negative impact you are having right there…..

Now that we have that issue out on the table, as the snorer, you may feel like you have an uninterrupted night’s sleep despite your snoring….. But nothing could be further from the truth. Even before your snoring deteriorates into sleep apnoea, the disordered breathing pattern that creates snoring prevents you from moving into all the necessary sleep phases. This means you will never achieve the restorative, healing phase of sleep that is essential for health and wellbeing. That sluggish, heavy feeling when you drag yourself out of bed is not because you weren’t in the bed for long enough - more that your snoring affects the quality of YOUR sleep as well as those around you.

Snoring increases your risk of heart attack, stroke & high blood pressure

There really is no arguing with true statistics and this one is frightening….. The relationship between snoring and these serious, life-threatening medical conditions is very, very strong. If you snore, you are far more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke and / or high blood pressure than someone who doesn’t snore. Sort out your snoring, and you will significantly reduce your risk of suffering these conditions - the choice is yours.

 Snoring progresses to sleep apnoea

There is only 1 direction things move when you choose to Ignore Snoring - it gets worse. Light, occasional snoring becomes regular, louder snoring, which becomes relentless, very loud snoring, which usually then progresses to sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea is different from snoring (the two may exist together or either separately) and is defined by a pause in breathing for 10secs or more multiple times an hour. After each apnoea (breathing pause) there is a semi-waking or arousal episode. Although sleep apnoea is a medical condition, most people suffer without an official diagnosis or treatment - just an irritated partner, usually sleeping in an alternate bedroom, and a poor quality of life. Both snoring AND sleep apnoea are treatable conditions - and a CPAP mask or mouthguard is not an essential part of a treatment plan. Changing your breathing will reverse both these conditions. 

Snoring affects your mental focus and concentration

Both snoring and sleep apnoea lead to daytime sleepiness. Snoring in the evening goes hand in hand with falling asleep on the couch in the afternoon or evening. It is easy to appreciate the impact poor quality of sleep has on your mental faculties - concentration, attention to detail, memory, creative and logical reasoning. It is important to stop and think about how much your snoring may be impacting your effectiveness at work, capacity to make the most of your school / university sessions and your ability to remember the important things in life! Imagine if you no longer snored, AND you remembered your partner’s birthday!!!

A mouth like the Sahara is not just a bad way to start the day

When you breathe large volumes of air, very quickly in and out of your mouth, which is what happens when you snore, the sensitive airway tissue that lines your mouth, throat and upper airways undergoes quite a lot of trauma. We were designed to breathe gently, slowly and quietly through our nose at all times. Our airway tissue is designed for this style of breathing. (Read more about breathing well here Breathing Insight). When we inflict a “snoring” breathing pattern it causes our airway tissue to become very dry, inflamed and irritated. This gives the “Sahara” mouth feel that is common to snorers. It makes this airway tissue very vulnerable and very easy to irritate further - making snorers often more susceptible to pollens, dust and germs. 

Ignoring Snoring is a dangerous phenomenon of the current era. When we spend so much time, money and energy pursuing a healthy lifestyle but ignore the fact that the way we are breathing is setting us up to snore, we are missing a very important point..... Snoring is a sign that you are on the road to poor health and wellbeing. Snoring is a sign that your breathing has gone a little awry. Snoring can be changed - without a CPAP mask, a mouthguard or mouth tape. Stop Ignoring Snoring today….

Breathing well allows your body to run efficiently and to thrive.  Breathing well is a pleasure and will allow you to achieve so much more with your life.  Breathing well will affect how you sleep, how you focus, how you enjoy life and how you turn up for those who are important to you. 

If you snore, let’s talk about how we can turn it around.  If you are ready to take control of your breathing and take control of your life, let’s get started!