I have a dear aunt, let's call her Flynn. Aunt Flynn, God bless her is the sweetest soul you would ever meet. She has a face sculpted by angels, and curves in the right places. Her voice though an octave lower than mine is music to any of her fortunate listeners, and its no surprise that she is a highly successful executive in one of the new generation banks headquartered in Lagos Nigeria.
Aunt Flynn about the time of this story was about thirty three, and very single.
At times I would wonder why someone who had it all was yet to get hitched, not even an occasional man to hang around during family functions. Well, the riddle was solved when she came to spend the weekend at our house. Of course we were pretty excited to see her and after catching up on old times, everyone got set to sleep.
I was awakened from my bed precisely by one a.m by a strange growling sound. At first I thought the Rottweiler had somehow managed to find its way inside the house and was eating someone's liver out. On second thoughts however, it dawned on me that we didn't own a Rot, so where exactly was this sound coming from. I got up from bed and followed the strange noise which kept increasing as I drew closer to the source. At the door of Aunt Flynn's room, it took on a wild crescendo, I could actually hear an orchestra of mad drummers, being run over by a faulty train inside an overworked smithy. Aunt Flynn must be in trouble I thought as I barged in the door without bothering to knock.
Ladies and gentlemen, it wasn't a gang of thieves robbing our house and shooting sporadically, nope, neither was it a visit from boko haram bomb makers, using her room as a testing field, nope. It was my dear Aunty, generating enough noise from her throat to keep a small army at bay. Surprisingly, she could actually sleep through it all.
I gently poked and prodded Aunty till she woke up and when she was finally clear headed, I asked her what was up. She didn't comprehend but when I explained the ruckus she had been creating, she calmly admitted that she had always had a problem with snoring and hers was so bad, it had ruined every relationship she had entered, usually on the first night.
It was really heart breaking to hear her story, and we stayed up till dawn discussing her little issue.
Flynn is not alone however as it has been estimated that two third of the world population snore regularly. While for some it may not really be an issue, for others, it is a terrible affliction that they would love remedied. Snoring has been known to have caused a number of divorces too by the way, so if you find yourself in this situation, you absolutely should read on.
Snoring is caused basically by the obstruction of the wind pipe while sleeping.
It is not just a cosmetic issue, as it has been linked to poor sleeping habits, sleep apnea, and it can cause insomnia to your faithful listeners.
It may be caused by a number of factors, which determines how it can be arrested.
For some individuals, lying at a particular position increases the depth and intensity of snoring. Lying on your back is a very notorious snore enhancer, so for such people, trying out a different position is key to ending their woes.
For others, it goes a bit beyond that and their snoring is caused by the fact that they breath through their mouths while sleeping. Usually, it is quite impossible to control how you behave while sleeping so it may not be helpful to plan to close your mouth while asleep.
However, there are various devices which can help to keep your mouth clamped shut while asleep. A nasal dilator can be inserted into the nose before sleeping to keep the nostrils open, or a snore mask which keeps the mouth closed can enhance a noise free sleep.
Snore mask
An underlying medical condition can be the cause of snoring also and treating it will relieve symptoms. People who have rhinitis are more likely to snore and when it is treated, they will be snore free.
People who smoke and take alcohol also have a higher risk of snoring than those who do not so it could be helpful to stay away from these substances if you indulge.
There are minor surgical operations that can be done also in the case of a chronic blockade of the wind pipe. It is not as rare as you would think though and a lot of people who the previous methods haven't worked for are opting for this.
In conclusion, it is helpful to find out exactly what triggers snoring before you decide to tackle it head on. You really do not have to suffer in silence as help is available.
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