Exercise and snoring

“You can never teach an old dog, new tricks!” Have you heard this before? This was a response I got from a friend who is having sleep problems. In my study of snoring and sleep apnea, I realize that exercise improves your quality of your sleep. Thus, snorers will definitely benefit from exercise.

However, because you live in a stressful lifestyle you will surely settle for sedentary lifestyle. Doing this for a long time, it will be hard for you to change. You want to rest after a stressful day and exercising is last on your list.

You watch television and you eat while you watch television. After your eyes get tired of watching television and with your food still undigested, you decide to retire to the bed.

You sleep but your bed partner complains of less sleep because your snores wake them up. It may be worthy to tell you at this point that if your bed partner decides to move to the next room, you are at risk of death due to Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis and no one will be there to wake you up.

Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis happens when you sleep with your stomach still full. This is fatal and has claimed lives especially in countries where rice is a common food staple.

On the other hand, snoring may lead to lost of oxygen in your brain. This is a condition called sleep apnea, where you stop breathing while you sleep. It may not be as immediately as Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis where you will die instantaneously, but daytime sleepiness and sleep driving may be fatal when you leave it untreated.

Sleep driving have been claiming lives for years now especially for men over 40 and those 20% above their normal weight.

Exercise will help improve your sleep and avoid snoring. However, if you have blockage in your airway due to collapse in your throat, exercise is not the only remedy. Visit your doctor if you feel there is abnormality in your throat that is causing you to snore.

If your throat collapse and you are deprived of oxygen it may cause severe damage in your organs and could be fatal in the long run.

Snoring is easily avoided if you are conscious with how you sleep i.e., avoiding sleeping in your back or using specially designed pillows. Additionally, exercise can help your body rest well giving you sound sleep.

However, if snoring is due to sleep apnea, then exercise alone is not sufficient. Your doctor will be the best person to ask in this case.

In addition to the above, avoiding alcohol and cigarette which could be hard for some will help improve your sleep. If you are not willing to give this up, minimizing and avoiding them immediately before going to be could be helpful.

I know it is hard but if you love your family, you can do anything just to be with them for a long time or am I wrong?