Narrative: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder characterised by loud snoring and periods of silence while breathing, often followed by snorts or gasps as the individual attempts to breathe.
There are some simple remedies for this problem that will be described for patients with OSA and the more prevalent problem of ‘snoring’. Some of our chiropractic patients with chronic snoring syndromes destroy the lives of their wives, husbands, and friends who sleep with them. Especially if your patient is a loud snorer, everyone in the patients’ family house may be affected. As an estimated 1 billion people around the world suffer from OSA, this is a more common problem than many Chiropractors have developed the clinical tools for effective management.
Snoring is caused by the patient’s inspired air not flowing smoothly through the throat or nasal passages, and vibrating over relaxed tissues as they breathe in or out. The soft palette at the back of the mouth and the muscles in the throat relax while the patient is sleeping. Over-relaxed (what are called “inhibited”) throat and tongue and jaw muscles can create disturbances in the patient’s airway, upsetting the flow of air through the throat. That is why substances that relax muscles, including alcohol and some drugs, increase snoring. In fact, any drug prompting deep sleep promotes snoring.
Author keywords: Chiropractic - AK - Applied Kinesiology - Obstructive sleep apnea - Snoring
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