Month: January 2019

Eating Late and Snoring? Try the Four Hour Fast

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Diet & Lifestyle, Solutions

Eating Late and Snoring? Try the Four Hour Fast

“Many of my patients find that eating earlier alleviates their sleep apnea.” [1]

A lot of snoring fixes require perseverance before you start to see results. The SnoreLab-recommended “Four Hour Fast” is a free and easy life hack that can produce instant benefits for your snoring.

Put simply, we strongly recommend not eating anything at least 4 hours before you go to bed. It’s working for lots of SnoreLab users and could very easily work for you too.

Why should I try it?

Plenty of sources recommend not eating too late, but there is very little research into the effect of a large, late meal on snoring. However, anecdotally we have heard from our users and many other people that having a small evening meal with plenty of time to digest can drastically reduce their snoring.

“For people who would like to control their snoring, eat your dinner early – at least 4 hours before bedtime. Keep the dinner light and use the app to monitor the difference. You will be amazed!”

“SnoreLab is great to help me understand what influences my snoring: late food, fatty food, dehydration etc.”

“I’m a petite female side-sleeper who doesn’t smoke and rarely drinks alcohol, yet my highest snore score was 92 (16% epic, 19% loud!). With SnoreLab I was able to quantify my snoring and quickly narrow down the causes. My lowest scores (2 & 3) were nights I inadvertently skipped dinner! That 92? I ate a greasy burger and fries that day. I’ve been adjusting my diet and now my snore score is consistently under a 10 rather than 60-90.”

How eating late can contribute to snoring

1. Pressure and shortness of breath

It is thought that having full belly can exert pressure on your chest and negatively affect your breathing. This is because your lungs and diaphragm share space with your stomach and small intestine.

When your stomach is very full, your diaphragm has less room to expand and contract. This explains the shortness of breath people often feel after a particularly heavy meal.

If this shortness of breath lingers until bedtime, the strained breathing can cause snoring.

2. Acid Reflux

Reflux literally means “backflow” and this is when acid from the stomach spills back up into the oesophagus and even the airway.

Reflux is a common symptom of eating late. The stomach takes several hours to empty properly. Lying down too soon after eating can allow the contents of the stomach to come back up with the help of gravity.

As well as impacting the oesophagus, there is growing evidence to support the notion of reflux affecting the airway [2][3][4] which can exacerbate snoring.

This “airway reflux” [4] can directly irritate and inflame the tissue responsible for snoring.

Acid reflux can also contribute to postnasal drip. This is simply excess mucus buildup at the back of the nose and throat. Severe postnasal drip can result in a sore throat and coughing which in turn contribute to worsened snoring [5].

Coughing is strongly linked to snoring as both are a result of airway irritation and inflammation [6]. Reflux is implicated in many people who experience chronic coughing and snoring as a result [7].

Reflux has also been associated with other upper airway issues such as hoarseness, difficulty swallowing and chronic throat clearing [1].

3. Certain ingredients can worsen snoring

Another thing to consider is the foods you eat and if they can impact upon your snoring.
Whilst the research into specific foods and their impact on snoring is sparse at best, there’s plenty of evidence regarding reflux and the foods to avoid.

High-fat foods slow digestion and relax the valve that separates the stomach and oesophagus. Acidic foods like including certain fruits and spicy ingredients are known to irritate the throat lining which can worsen snoring directly and indirectly through acid reflux [3].

Remember to use SnoreLab’s notes tool to keep track of certain foods if you suspect they play a role in your snoring.

In the long term

Whilst we are confident that many SnoreLab users will see instant results through eating an earlier evening meal, there is also plenty of long-term benefit to this eating pattern.

Most people agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but many of those people continue to skip it. Eating less in the evening can be a great way to encourage eating more in the morning. This so-called “front-loading” of your diet can be an effective weight loss technique too.

Some sources speculate that this is due to enhanced fat burning or shifting metabolisms, but it is more likely to simply be an effective way of regulating your appetite and staying within calorific limits.

 

SnoreLab’s SMART strategy for effective weight loss in snorers

Have a look

Conclusion

Lifestyle is known to influence snoring. Increasingly, we are seeing the evidence that small life hacks can make big and important changes to our nightly noises. The Four Hour Fast is free, simple and can produce instant results for your snoring.

If you have a late evening meal, remember to select the “Ate late” factor in SnoreLab and see how it effects your score. Conversely, try the Four Hour Fast and you could very easily see your Snore Score cut drastically!

Let us know how you get on via support@snorelab.com, Facebook or Twitter.

Stop Snoring by Treating Allergies – Jenny’s Story

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User Stories

Stop Snoring by Treating Allergies – Jenny’s Story

Sometimes, people snore for years and just accept it as an inevitability – something that can’t be fixed.

When you understand your triggers with SnoreLab, a lot of snoring can be remedied through some very basic but important changes. We always like to hear from users who are spurred on to make positive changes when they see and hear their SnoreLab results.

Jenny has slept in a separate room to her husband for the last five years because of her snoring. SnoreLab has given her valuable insights and she has effectively eliminated her snoring in two days!

Jenny first contacted us on Facebook with concerns about her high Snore Score:

Great App. I have been using it for the past five days. I have seen and heard my results – horrified! My husband has refused to sleep in same room as me for the past five years! We have settled into a routine but it’s lonely.

My readings started at 124, and last night it reached 199 with snoring at the epic level for 70% of the time that I am asleep.

At some point, I am quiet for 30 minutes but then go straight back to epic snoring! Help – is this dangerous?

People often ask us if they should be worried about a high Snore Score. Our reply to them and Jenny is to ask yourself if you think your snoring is negatively impacting on your physical, mental or social wellbeing, or if you are having very poor sleep.

Whilst loud snoring is linked to an increased risk of obstructive sleep apnea, a high Snore Score doesn’t mean you definitely have the condition.

Jenny hadn’t been sleeping in the same room as her husband for many years, so whilst she may not be feeling physical ill effects of poor sleep, the situation she found herself in as a result of snoring was still not good.

We gave Jenny some advice on what to do if she was concerned about her snoring. A couple of days later we received this reply:

I have great news. Despite suffering for years and trying sprays, nose plugs, mouth guards and finally banishment to the spare room – after more than five years I have had two completely snore-free nights thanks to SnoreLab! So happy!

I was in hospital on Christmas day with anaphylactic shock, I then had two bad asthma attacks this month. I mentioned to my doctor that I am worried that my snoring is causing an issue. She said she may put me in sleep clinic but it could take a while even if I get accepted.

So I searched the internet and found SnoreLab. I downloaded the app and for the first week I recorded my snoring and scored 199 with 70% of my snoring at the epic level. I cried!

I joined the Facebook page for advice and read some articles. Having had problems with asthma for many years, I thought that maybe allergies were causing my problem.

So this weekend, my husband helped me to clear my bedroom and throw away my ancient bed I have had for twenty years along with all bedding and feather pillows and toppers. We cleaned, vacuumed and aired the room.

I also bought an electric bed so I could raise my head. I bought hypoallergenic pillows, covers, and bedding, we installed a steam vaporizer, and rock salt lamp. I took an allergy tablet at night and made sure I had my asthma preventer each night before bed. I had some allergy medication from the doctor, settled down and WOW! I didn’t snore!

I went from a score of 199 and lots of epic snoring to 0 in just two days! I can’t believe it. If this continues we are going to buy a double electric bed so I can return to main bedroom. The steamer and hypoallergenic bedding will move in too.

I can’t believe I have suffered this long without attributing my snoring to my allergies. Thank you for a great app and advice.

P.S. I woke up today feeling refreshed for the first time in years.

Allergies can easily bring on snoring by causing inflammation in your airways and blocking your nose. If you think allergies are making you snore, have a look at our guides to preventing snoring caused by dust allergies and hay fever.

All of our stories are genuine accounts from SnoreLab users. If you’d care to share your experience about using SnoreLab, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us on support@snorelab.com or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

In the interest of privacy for our users, names and pictures may be changed. We use the wording quoted to us by our users but may make small stylistic changes.

Zero Added Sugar Diet for Snoring – Richard’s Story

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Diet & Lifestyle, User Stories

Snoring Diet Success Story – Richard

This story comes from Richard who contacted us about his amazing success with the No Added Sugar Challenge. Ask anyone about snoring and they’ll tell you that losing weight it a great way to reduce it – but this story isn’t about weight loss. We were stunned to hear that snoring can effectively stop straight away with some healthy adjustments to what you eat …

My name is Rich, and I am a Snorer. It took me a long time to be able to say that but last year I participated in a sleep study that categorically confirmed I am what they call a “heavy snorer.”  

The doctor said my snoring was most likely the result of enlarged tissue in my airway due to ageing, lack of fitness, drinking alcohol before bed, weight gain, and some medications.

Thankfully, my wife Shannon chose to wear ear plugs instead of leaving me! I tried a number of things to reduce my snoring, but had little success.

In 2017 I found SnoreLab. I finally found out how bad I snored and I began to try several remedies including exercise, diet, mouthpieces, and pillows designed to help snoring. Things weren’t really improving that much.  

My Snore Scores averaged above 50 and I ranked in the 86th percentile of SnoreLab users. Or as my wife put it, my snoring was horrible.  

Then came the seven day No Added Sugar Challenge (NASC) and the week that just may have saved a life.

I thought I’d give the challenge a go after hearing about the success others had. I don’t normally eat or drink a lot of sugary foods, but when I do, I go all in. But it’s only seven days – challenge accepted.  

Completing the challenge with Shannon made it so much easier. We eat fairly well most of the time so it wasn’t too difficult to stay on track. Nonetheless, we were very surprised about how much of the food we typically eat has added sugar.  This led to a couple of heated discussions, “There is no way bacon has sugar!” Turns out it does.

We planned and prepared some food for the week: hard boiled eggs, roasted almonds, cheese sticks, veggies and fruits. Shannon was very creative with dinners. On day one she made a chicken and black bean salad with homemade avocado dressing – it was absolutely delicious. Day two we had stuffed peppers with a no sugar added sauce that was a little pricey but very good.  

We made it through the challenge, and had a little fun with it along the way. I noticed that I initially had to resist getting up and looking for a snack, but by the end of the week I didn’t feel the urge so much. I lost about six pounds and Shannon and I both seemed to be getting better sleep.

But what does sugar have to do with sleep? And what about the snoring?

The day before the challenge my Snore Score was 77. After one day of the challenge, my Snore Score dropped to 1. I thought it was an anomaly but the scores over the next few nights proved otherwise:

Day 2:  3
Day 3:  8  
Day 4:  9  
Day 5:  8  
Day 6:  6  
Day 7:  4

My Snore Score average went from above 50 to single digits. I couldn’t believe it. While I have not discussed this with my doctor yet, I am convinced that added sugar intake is a source of the tissue inflammation and likely the cause of my snoring.

The week after the challenge, I tested this theory by eating foods that I would normally eat. For lunch I had an Italian meat sandwich with condiments and salad with dressing. For dinner: pizza, wings, veggies with blue cheese dressing. I had a significant increase in snoring and scored 35 – and then an immediate decrease as I went back to paying closer attention to added sugar intake.

I continue to monitor my snoring and control my sugar intake. By reducing sugar, my snore score continues to average about 8. I have been getting quality sleep and Shannon has even given up the ear plugs.

Snoring’s link with bodyweight is well studied and well understood. Less appreciated is the importance of what and when you eat. We are hearing more and more stories from people who make these adjustments to their diet and almost instantly see reductions in their snoring: from reducing sugar, the paleo diet, to eating very small evening meals.

Be sure to check out SnoreLab’s SMART strategy for weight loss and a healthy lifestyle – a great way to kick start your journey towards silencing your snoring.

All of our user stories are genuine accounts from SnoreLab users. If you’d care to share your experience about using SnoreLab, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us on support@snorelab.com or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

In the interest of privacy for our users, names and pictures may be changed. We use the wording quoted to us by our users but may make small stylistic changes.

What is Snoring? – An Introduction

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Causes, Science

What is Snoring? – An Introduction

Partial airway obstruction causes soft tissue to vibrate and make noise.

Nearly everyone snores at some point. Snoring can affect young and old, men and women, and people of all shapes and sizes. Roughly 40% of men and 20% of women snore – that’s over 2 billion inhabitants of planet Earth.

This habit is often shrugged off as annoying and embarrassing but otherwise nothing to be worried about. In reality, snoring can affect so much of life, having physical, mental and social repercussions.

But what is a snore?

Q. What is a snoring sound?

A. Vibrating soft tissue

Snoring is the sound of the soft palate and other soft tissue in the upper airway vibrating. This can include the uvula, tonsils, adenoids, nasal turbinates and other surrounding tissue.

These vibrations happen when air can’t move freely through your airway which causes the floppy soft tissue to flap and make noise.

Q. Why does snoring only happen during sleep?

A. Relaxation

When we fall asleep, many muscles in our body relax. This is true of the muscles in our airway.

Being still in our sleep prevents us from doing damage to ourselves and others by acting out our dreams or walking around when not fully conscious. Therefore our muscles – including those in our upper airway – are paralysed when we sleep.

Because we are lying down while we sleep, gravity compounds this relaxation to set up snoring – whether it’s your jaw falling open, your tongue falling back or your throat giving way to the weight around it.

All of us relax when we sleep – so why doesn’t everyone snore? Snoring occurs when this normal relaxation is added to abnormal airway obstruction.

Q. Why doesn’t air flow freely?

A. Obstruction at various places in the airway

Airflow becomes turbulent when there is an obstruction in the airway causing a partial blockage.

The obstruction can be in several areas in the upper airway, sometimes concurrently [1]:

Tongue. When this falls back, it can block your airway.

Soft palate. This is the soft tissue behind the harder roof of your mouth. Excess floppy tissue here stops air flowing freely.

Nose. The nose is the more efficient way of breathing, and when dysfunctional, mouth breathing ensues and heightens the risk of snoring. Breathing through a partially blocked nose can also create whistling and popping sounds, or even cause suction that collapses your airway.

Knowing your obstruction is the starting point in identifying what causes your snoring.

If you are lucky, there is one cause for your snoring. You can tackle this and sleep quietly. More often than not, multiple factors accumulate to cause your obstruction.

Q. What causes airway obstruction?

A. Many different factors can influence snoring

Understanding what causes your airway obstruction is vital for matching snoring solutions to you. This is what we strive to help with at SnoreLab.

The reasons for snoring are made of lifestyle factors that you can control PLUS physical traits that are beyond your influence.

Factors that you CAN control

Many lifestyle factors need scrutinising if you want to identify the causes of your snoring:

Bodyweight. The heavier you are, the more likely you are to snore as excess weight compresses your airway.

Sleeping position. Sleeping on your back is a big risk factor for snoring. This position allows gravity to compress your airway more than when you sleep on your side.

Allergies. Allergic reactions cause nasal blockage and airway inflammation. Allergy sufferers have trouble breathing through their nose and therefore have to switch to noisier mouth-breathing.

Alcohol. Depressant drugs like alcohol make muscles relax. Relaxed airway muscles are more prone to disrupting airflow.

Smoking. Cigarette smoke irritates the airways, causing inflammation which can lead to obstruction.

Common cold. Similar to allergies, colds mean stuffy noses and mouth-breathing.

Medication. Certain drugs used to control blood pressure, sleeping pills and even some medicated nasal sprays can increase nasal congestion and relax airway muscles.

Factors that you CAN’T control

Unfortunately, in some cases, the obstruction is simply a part of your anatomy and genes.

Certain face shapes predispose people to snoring. For example, those with a pronounced overbite have a recessed jaw which pushes the tongue further back into the airway, making it more prone to falling back and causing a blockage.

Age. Older people are more at risk of snoring. This is because as we age we lose muscle tone in much of our body – this includes the muscles of the airway.

Sex. Men are more likely to snore than women. This is due to several reasons including how fat is differently distributed, contrasts in male and female airway anatomy and hormones.

Hormonal balance. Some hormones are protective against snoring, whereas others confer heightened risk. Menopause is a time in many women’s lives where snoring starts for the first time. This is because of a decrease in hormones that help to prevent snoring.

Thankfully, these uncontrollable elements are usually associated with heightened risk but not a direct cause.

Conclusion

By understanding the basis of snoring you can gain better insight into what makes you snore. Just as snoring impacts upon your life, your lifestyle impacts upon your snoring.

There are many snoring remedies and solutions available, including products that enthusiastically tell you that this will stop you snoring. Many of them do work very effectively, but only if they are well matched to you and your snoring.

Understanding how your snoring works and finding your specific causes is the first step towards healthier, quieter nights.

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