Couples all too often accept their partner’s snoring as an annoyance of marriage. Yet worse, sleep deprivation that the non-snoring partner is enduring from second-hand snoring is deadly.
A study conducted with the Federico II University in Naples, Italy, aggregated decade-long studies from around the world involving more than 1.3 million people and found “unequivocal evidence of the direct link” between lack of sleep and premature death. A 2010 study examined the impact of short sleep on mortality and found that people with “.. less than six hours of sleep a night were four times more likely to die over a 14-year period. “ Lack of sleep also leads to depression, stroke, memory loss and more.
Research has shown snoring is very often a symptom of chronic inflammation. Inflammation is caused by several different factors including allergies, health, and diet. Snoring will be silenced permanently by identifying the underlying issue and insisting change.
Identify the Culprit
Common allergies are a part of life for millions of Americans. Pet dander and pollen are just a few of the sneaky offenders leaving people miserable for days or weeks at a time. White blood cells rush to the nasal passages causing inflammation and muscle weakness. WebMD suggests visiting your doctor and taking a skin test. A small amount of allergens are placed on or below the skin and a reaction will occur on a positive result. Results may be immediate or up to 72 hours depending on the test.
When allergies are not the perpetrator the next step is to make diet changes to reduce chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is very likely the result of an unbalanced diet. Over history, humans have evolved from a diet of hunter gatherer’s to domestication of livestock and farming. A diet heavy in complex cereals and meat is relatively new to the human diet and we have not yet fully evolved to digest it. The modern diet changed dramatically to include much higher levels of Omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids and less Omega-3 (n-3). Humans evolved on a ratio of 1:1, n-3/n-6, however now with calories being derived from plant oils, such as soybeans, some people have a ratio as high as 25:1!
Fight Back
Make your partner sing in the shower! Regardless of food allergens we need to strengthen and tone our throat muscles. Sing for 5 minutes every day for 2 weeks and you should start seeing results. If this doesn’t work, then the snoring partner needs to continue working on their diet.
If your partners has allergies then several natural and pharmaceutical options are available. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about the best ways to cope with allergy symptoms. Often medication in conjunction with small lifestyle changes can have great benefits.
Insist your partner avoid pro-inflammatory foods (anything processed or containing flours) and increase anti-inflammatory foods (fresh produce and marine algae). Eating simple structured food is easy for the body to digest and absorb. Wheat and flour have complex molecular structures that our digestive system has not evolved to tolerate in heavy loads. Compared to terrestrial plants, the World Health Organization states that “…algae-derived marine oils contain the longer-chain docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids.“ EPA (an omega-3) is a precursor to different class of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Adding live marine algae to our daily diet will ease the constriction of blood vessels and significantly reduce inflammation.
Sleep is one of the most important activities to staying healthy. Disrupted sleep from a partner will start an avalanche of problems like depression, aging skin, weight gain, and increased risk of death. Snoring is comparable to giving off second-hand smoke! If your partner snores then take action for you own health.
http://www.who.int/elena/titles/bbc/fish_oil_pregnancy/en/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24086169
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19022225
http://www.naturalhealthmag.com/expert-advice/how-can-i-stop-snoring
http://news.discovery.com/human/sleep-insomnia-health.htm
Jordan is a frequent content contributor to healthy living websites and publications, and is available for speaking engagements. Email [email protected] to learn more.
