Can yoga help treat snoring?

Snoring is a fairly common but a serious problem many of us face. Deal with snoring before it leads to severe health problems like heart disease.

It is very likely that you or at least one of your family member snores while sleeping. Snoring occurs when the flow of air is obstructed while you're sleeping. This happens when the back of your mouth and nose is covered with soft tissues. The soft palate at the back of your throat vibrates when you breathe obstructing the airflow, causing snoring. There are a lot of people who snore because they have narrow airways. Blocked nose or allergies, throat infection, tonsillitis, nasal polyps,deviated septum could also be causes for snoring. In some cases, snoring can also be genetic. Did you know that regular snorers are at a risk of serious problems like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)? There may be face partial or complete blockage of airways. In sleep apnea, air flow could get blocked for a period of 10 seconds or more. After the breathing stops, the oxygen levels in your blood drop. Low levels of oxygen can affect all systems in your body and actually kill you. Prolonged OSA is also linked to hypertension and heart disease like heart attack and stroke.

If you have OSA you could also get upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS). This condition is similar to OSA but people having this condition have a tendency to breathe heavily to overcome the resistance of obstructed airways Yoga, if practiced regularly, can help relieve breathing problems and treat snoring. Here are some yoga asanas you can try.

Pranayam, a deep breathing technique helps to strengthen the muscles of the face, increases the amount of oxygen present in the body and relieves congestion. Pranayam variations like bhramari and Ujjayi pranayam can help increase the vibrations within your respiratory system, helping you breathing easily.

Anulom Vilom: This clears your nasal passage and lets more oxygen into your lungs thus helping you breathe better and sleep better.

Simhasana or roaring pose: The roaring action will work on your larynx, trachea and lungs helping more oxygen into your body.