Nearly everyone occasionally snores in their sleep, although, besides just being a nuisance to your sleeping partner, the act of chronic snoring may indicate a host of serious oral and bodily health conditions. While men tend to snore more often than woman, as many as 45% of overall people snore occasionally, and 25% of people snore chronically. Below we describe common causes of snoring, its impact on your oral and bodily health, and methods you can practice in the effort to stop your obnoxious snoring habit.

What Causes Snoring?

When people fall asleep, their throat relaxes, their tongue slips backwards, and their throat naturally narrows. Snoring is the noisy breathing from improper inflow and outflow of air caused by vibrations from obstructions, such as your tongue, blocking your loose throat muscles. Being a widespread issue, snoring can be light and infrequent, or it may be a sign of severe health issues such as underlying sleep-related breathing disorders. Factors that contribute to a higher risk of snoring may include:

• Alcohol consumption
• Smoking Cigarettes
• Certain medications
• Obesity
• Congestion
• A large tongue or tonsils
• Nasal polyps or a deviated septum
• Being pregnant
• A misaligned or small jaw

Snoring’s Impact on Oral and Bodily Health

Snoring is often an indicator of sleep apnea, which deprives the brain of oxygen. When the brain is deprived of oxygen, it commonly sends signals to the mouth to clench or grind your teeth (read our article on Bruxism here). Because of this correlation with snoring and bruxism, oral health issues that arise may include:

• Enamel damage or erosion
• Cracks in your teeth
• Calloused cheeks
• Receding gums
• Enlarged cheeks muscles
• A crusted tongue

Chronic snoring can cause an excessively dry mouth, which can lead to the growth of harmful bacteria, which can then lead to a variety of oral health conditions including:

• Gum disease
• Tooth decay
• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Oral infections
• Mouth sores

Additionally, snoring and sleep apnea may cause both you and your partner to lose several hours of sleep due to the presence of loud noises. Sleep deprivation can cause major negative health impacts on your everyday life including poor concentration, delayed reaction times, altered moods, and much more.

Methods to Stop Snoring

Those who moderately snore on occasion and want to stop can try practicing the following techniques to lessen the habit:

• Adhere a nasal strip to the bridge of your nose to widen nostrils.
• Sleep on your side instead of your back.
• Raise your head on a pillow a few inches before sleeping.
• Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, quitting smoking, or lessening your alcohol consumption.

For those who suffer from chronic snoring, a medical professional will perform an imaging test and sleep studies to assess whether or not you have sleep apnea. Occasionally, surgical interventions are necessary to stop snoring, such as procedures to open your airways or softening your palates. Sufferers of sleep apnea may be treated with a CPAP machine while sleeping which assists with blowing air into your airways.

GumChucks

As mentioned above, chronic snoring can cause a host of debilitating oral health issues, such as tooth decay and gum disease. It’s essential to floss and brush regularly to compensate for these oral problems. Flossing your teeth is the only way to remove plaque and prevent tartar from entering hard-to-reach places. The simple act of flossing your teeth twice per day dramatically decreases your chances of experiencing painful toothaches. Fortunately, Gumchucks’ design ensures a flossing experience that’s faster, easier, and more effective than competing flossers or traditional floss. Our two handles with disposable floss allows you to comfortably reach all your teeth, even those in the back while wrapping the floss around each tooth. This creates the vital “C-Shape” necessary to get below the gum line and effectively clean each tooth.