Can Exercise Cure Snoring?
The problem of snoring is a universal one. It does not afflict just one nationality or religious group; it affects both sexes and many species.
In fact snoring could be described as a truly global problem.
Wherever there is an ‘itch’ someone will offer relief! Because of the enormous challenge that snoring presents, there is also an enormous market in gadgets, gizmos, pills, potions and pillows all claiming to offer a solution. Snoring is big business.
The final resort of course is surgery and with the surgical procedures for snoring being painful, invasive and not always successful, it is worth exploring other options.
So, can exercise stop snoring?
The noise of snoring is caused by air struggling to pass through blocked or obstructed airways. The airways become blocked for many reasons including anatomical problems, infections and inflammation. A major factor in snoring is excess weight, especially when it is carried around the neck and throat.
Modern day lifestyles are sedentary, particularly when compared to those of our ancestors. Very few people get the exercise their bodies need. Calorie intake has increased and as a result the calories which are not needed for energy are stored as fat – and the front of the neck is an ideal place to stash excess fat cells.
By incorporating exercise into your daily routine you begin to burn off these fat stores and increase your metabolic rate which means you are less likely to lay down fat stores in the future. The exercise needs to be aerobic but banish those images of slim young things bouncing around in tight Lycra leggings. Aerobic exercise can take many forms. Why not use the stairs rather than the lift (or elevator)? If you take the train or bus to work can you get off a few stops early and walk the rest of the way? Do you have a dog? If so, he or she will love the extra exercise obtained from a daily walk.
There are many ways to incorporate exercise into your day without going to the gym – although the gym is good, if you like it.
As well as assisting weight loss and improving your metabolic rate, aerobic exercise also increases your oxygen uptake which allows cells to function more efficiently and, paradoxically, this will make you feel more energetic. Aerobic exercise will also tone muscles and tissues, making them firmer and less likely to be flabby when relaxed.
If you are overweight and think this could be making your snoring worse, you may like to consider exercise as a way of improving the condition. It is important, when carrying excess weight, to get a medical check up before embarking on a new exercise regime and it is also essential to start off slowly building up frequency and duration of exercise sessions as you lose the weight and achieve higher levels of fitness.
Of course, there are many added health advantages to incorporating exercise into your day – although curing your snoring problem may well be the major consideration for you.
