Good respiratory quality during rest is synonymous with better health and a better quality of life.
In France, 60% of men and 40% of women over the age of forty suffer from nocturnal respiratory discomfort. Discomfort ranging from snoring to sleep apnea. In both cases, the physiological mechanisms are the same and snoring may be the precursor to apnea. Either way, there is a negative impact on health.
The origin of snoring and sleep apnea is always a dam in the flow of breath at the level of the throat. The throat muscles relax, the soft tissues at the back of the throat relax and obstruct the laryngeal air passage.
To supply enough oxygen to the lungs, the airflow is then accelerated, the soft palate and the walls of the pharynx begin to vibrate and produce snoring. In case of apnea, the obstruction being total, the body then puts an emergency procedure in place, waking up with a start. A person affected can wake up to 200 times a night without always realizing it.
Snoring and sleep apnea are associated with serious health issues. Headaches on waking, stress, increased blood pressure, depression, daytime sleepiness, sufferers have a 34% increased risk of suffering a heart attack and are 67% more likely to experience a stroke.
The struggle is through hormones
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago and published in the medical journal “The Lancet” has highlighted a link between the relaxation of tissue elasticity initiated by hormonal imbalance in relation to age. One of the best solutions to reduce snoring is to stimulate the tissue firmness of the laryngeal sphere.
It is advisable to play the trumpet, saxophone or didgeridoo regularly. It is a method unknown in France, but which has proven itself abroad. A study carried out in Zurich and published in the British Medical Journal in 2005 concluded that there was a real improvement in the quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness. To top it off, it’s soft, recreational and inexpensive medicine… But again, only for moderate apnea.
If you don’t have the soul of a musician, acupuncture can give very good results.