This week I’m going to show you acupressure points and other remedies for snoring. Snoring shouldn’t be ignored because it can be a sign of developing sleep apnea which deprives of oxygen intake because you stop breathing during your sleep. Snoring also very annoying to your partner or others in the room because it deprives of their good sleep.
Snoring is caused by restricted airways in the throat and nose due to being overweight, enlarged tonsils or your tongue falling backward into your throat and the passing air vibrates the surrounding tissues. These acupressure points will help open up the airways in your nose and throat. Press these points for one minute as you breathe deeply before you go to bed.
上星 (GV 23) – The first one is one thumb width from the hairline in the front in the center or where the middle finger touches when you put your wrist on your nose. This is called GV 23 or Governing Vessel 23. This point will help clear the nose. If you can breathe from your nose there is less chance of snoring because snoring happens mostly to mouth breathers.
迎香 (LI 20) – The next one is right next to the nostrils on both sides. This is called LI 20 or Large Intestine 20. These points will also help clear your nose so you can breathe from your nose better.
人迎 (ST 9) – The next one is about two finger widths from Adam’s apple on the border of the neck muscle called sternocleidomastoid. You should feel the pulse on both sides. This is called ST 9 or Stomach 9. Gently stimulate these points with your thumb and index finger. These points help reduce the swelling of the throat and possibly help reduce the fat around your throat.
天突 (CV 22) – The last one is right above the sternum in the middle. This is called Conception Vessel 22 or CV 22. Slightly hook your finger and press this point in and slightly downward instead of straight in to choke yourself. This point helps to open up the airway in your throat.
Another thing you can try is to put your tongue between the lip and teeth and go around 10 times in one direction and 10 times in the other direction. You will probably feel the muscles around your mouth are tired and that’s good because this strengthens the root of your tongue. One of the causes of snoring is weakened tongue muscles. When the root of the tongue is weak it tends to fall back into the throat to close the airway especially when you are sleeping on your back and you start snoring. By strengthening the root of your tongue it has less chance of your tongue falling into the throat to close the airway. The result can be seen in as little as three days.
In general, men snore more than women. But many women start snoring when they get older or hit menopause because their muscles weaken including tongue muscles. I highly recommend this tongue exercise if you didn’t use to snore but now you are told you snore for no reason.
Acupressure and tongue exercise may take a while to produce results. Here are some other remedies to stop snoring right away at least temporarily. Some of them are funny.
– When someone is snoring, move the pillow or wedge a towel under the head to change the head position.
– Tap lightly on their head or forehead.
– Whisper their name into their ears.
– Put a tape over your mouth so it forces you to breathe from your nose. But if your nose is stuffed you may suffocate.
– Put tennis balls on the back of your PJ or wear a backpack with something in it. So it forces you to sleep on your side. You have less chance of snoring when you are sleeping on your side than sleeping on your back because your tongue doesn’t fall into your throat.
– Put something with strong smell by their nose such as curry paste, stinky sock or put Vick’s Vapor Rub under their nose.
The key is to not wake up the snorer but the good thing is if the person does wake up, you can always pretend you are asleep.
There are so many other devices that you can check out from the link below. I hope you find the solution for your good night sleep.
Anti-Snore devices: Anti-Snoring Devices
Thanks for watching. I’ll see you back next week. Make it a great week. Feel free to comment below and please don’t forget to subscribe.
Massage Monday #369 – Acupressure and Other Remedies for Snoring http://bit.ly/mm-112017