Bad breath, Snoring and other signs of foundational health issues

When you fall asleep, your throat, tongue, soft palate, roof, and muscles of the mouth (or your tongue) relax. The unheardful or hoarse sound of a person choking is caused by air moving past the tissues that are not relaxed. This causes the tissues to vibrate and vibrate as the air passes through the obstruction.

Of the 67 percent who snore, the majority is palatal flutter, or vibration of the soft palate.

Nose Breathing Versus Moth Breathing

We should breathe through our noses.

Nitric dioxide is produced in the nose and has a positive impact on the respiratory system. It dilates blood vessels throughout the body, which results in better oxygenation.

Nitric dioxide is a natural substance in the body. It can be absorbed into the bloodstream by eating nutrient rich foods or through nasal breathing. The body’s ability to produce more nitric oxide will decrease with age.

Nitric dioxide, which is produced by nasal breathing, not only increases heart function and blood pressure but also improves the immune system and cognitive function. It can also decrease inflammation. The use of nitric oxide can aid in weight loss and digestion. It also decreases anxiety, depression and neuropathic pain.

Mouth breath, however, reduces nitric oxygen and causes poor heart function and an increase in blood pressure. This can lead to poor immune function and chronic inflammation.

Causes for Snoring

Sedative drugs and alcohol may relax your muscles supporting your airway, making you more susceptible to snoring. A high BMI or large neck can also be a factor.

If you have an abnormality in your anatomy such as a small jaw or large tonsils or tongue, or growths like polyps or septums, this can lead to snoring. Dry air, allergies, infections, or dry air may also make your nose stuffy. This can obstruct the airway, increasing the chances of you snoring, as well.

Lying down on your stomach can increase your chances of snoring. Gravity can lead to the tissues around your airway becoming narrower and dropping. As we age, our muscles weaken. This includes the muscles around and in your airway and mouth. Snoring can be caused by this weakness.

Excessive weight around your neck may cause you to snore and constrict your airway. Some people have a tendency to store fat in their throat and around their tongue. This could be genetic. This causes the tongue to become larger and makes it more difficult to breathe. It also contributes to turbulent airflow in the throat.

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to function at its maximum capacity. This can cause a host of problems, such as snoring and cigarette smoking, both of which can also lead to irritation and inflammation.

Bad breath can be caused by snoring. When one snores one opens the mouth, which causes dryness in the mouth. Dry mouth means that there’s no saliva protecting your tissues. Dry mouth can cause bad breath and infection.

Snoring can be a major irritant for a partner in bed.

There are self-help methods that can reduce snoring, which may be more effective than professional solutions.

How To Reduce Snoring

To see if any of these steps have been successful, one could use a snore application to track snoring. To determine whether anything has changed, one would keep the phone at the exact same location in each bedroom.

One can try nasal hygiene first to determine if this helps.

There are over-the-counter anti-snoring nasal devices. The nasal dilators are used to reduce snoring by opening the passages of the nose to increase airflow. Nasal irrigators are able to clean the nasal passages using powered suction. This can flush out bacteria and allergens.

Myofunctional therapy can be used to reduce snoring.

You can also do some exercises to relieve snoring or sleep apnea.

• Push your tongue out three times, for approximately five seconds. Or push a spoon along the tongue.
• Next, hold the tongue against the roof of your mouth for 5 seconds. To stretch further, one can also open their mouth simultaneously. You can feel the tongue stretching at the back of the throat if you hold it up.
• Now push your tongue to the left and right in your cheek. To increase resistance, press against your tongue using your fingers on the cheeks. The tongue should now be dropped.
• Close your mouth, push the tongue towards the front teeth and swallow.

A mandibular advancement (MAD), which gently moves your lower jaw forward during sleep, is an option. They are adjustable, and allow for more space for your tongue while you sleep. You can move your lower jaw slowly forward until you reach the ideal position.

Laser Treatment

A 9.3mm CO2 laser is used to treat snoring. It’s held 1.5cm from the tissues. This delivers sub-ablative energy to contract the collagen in the lamina propria layer in the epidermis, which is 50 to 150 microns deep in the epidermis.

Collagen in this layer is heated to 60’C (140’F) which causes contraction of the collagen fibers and then breaks down to form new collagen. Although this can often be done without the use of anesthesia, it is possible to apply topical anesthesia if you feel discomfort. It takes about 15 minutes for each treatment.

The second treatment appointment is between 28 and 30 days later, with a third later if necessary. The treatment typically lasts between eight and two years. This treatment may not work for those who are obese.

Uvulopalato Pharyngoplasty (UPPP), is the procedure to remove or modify excess mucosa from the soft palate or uvula. Removed are the tonsils, uvula and posterior soft palate surface. It is a painful and time-consuming procedure. It is not recommended as a first option.

UPPP will be more commonly used to treat sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is closely linked to snoring. This is when one ceases breathing during sleep. This will be discussed next. A sleep test is the definitive diagnostic. However, the “Berlin Questionnaire” and the “STOP Bang Questionnaire” can give indications of sleep apnea.

Snoring should be treated as a serious condition. This condition can be treated.

Epoch Health articles are for informational purposes and are not a substitute for individualized medical advice. For personal advice and diagnosis, as well as treatment, please consult your trusted practitioner. Have a question? Email us at [email protected]

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