The thought of waking up fresh in the morning after a good night s sleep itself is refreshing. However, many are deprived of this simple pleasure of life, one of the main cause behind it is snoring. Whether you are snoring or have a person next to you snoring, the result is a disturbed sleep, which leaves you feeling tired and not-very-rested.

Snoring is caused by multiple reasons including stress, obesity, smoking, sinus problems, circulatory problems, poor diet, large tongue or tonsils and with age. This leaves the person sleep deprived, including a feeling of drowsiness, sore throat, increased risk of heart disease, reduced libido and decreased concentration.

While there are surgical corrections that can get rid of snoring, yoga has some simple, effective pranayamas and asanas that have been proven to be effective since times immemorial. They improve lung capacity, help in weight management, keep the air passages open and also help in stress management. Try the following asanas and pranayamas to see snoring disappear.

Pranayama: This improves the strength of the facial and throat muscles. Bhramari or Humming Pranayama and Ujjayi pranayama are specifically useful in snoring patients. In Bhramari Pranayama, the lips are closed and the soft palate vibrations are entirely due to nasal airflow. Practised mouth snoring over a period of time where the soft palate is lifted towards the pharynx produces a buzzing bee sound. Both breathing in and out happens through the nostrils producing this sound, although slightly different during inhalation and exhalation. Ujjayi Pranayama is where a hissing breathing sound is produced due to the nasal snoring instead of the mouth snoring in the Bhramari exercise.

Breathing and Chanting the Om Mantra: Sit on the floor in a relaxed position with eyes closed and take few deep breaths. Begin to chant the word OM repeatedly for a few minutes. Break the word into two parts, the first part of OOOO should come from deep within followed by the lighter MMMM. This helps meditate, relax, and reduce snoring. Try to do this breathing and chanting at least ten to twelve times, and more if possible, on a daily basis.

Another effective measure is the Simha Garjasana or Roaring Lion Pose where you kneel down on the mat, lean back so that the hips are resting on the heels. The palms are faced in the space between the knees with fingers spread apart. Tilt your head back while taking deep breaths. This improves the airway and reduces the snoring.

Kapalbhati, Bhujangasana Dhanurasana, Warrior Pose and Surya Namaskar are also other effective asanas. When done regularly over a period of time, it helps in getting rid of snoring. This in turn makes you feel fresh in the morning; ready to take on the day. 

Snore a Lot? These Yoga Positions Can Help You Control it 

Dizziness is now a very common problem among the adults. Maybe people do not take this to be a serious problem in many of the cases, but repeated feeling of dizziness may lead them to visit a doctor. When in the case of such situation, you visit a general physician, not knowing the causes of such problem; often the doctor will refer you to an ENT. There have been some reasons of why you should visit an ENT for dizziness.

Symptoms of Dizziness

Often dizziness occurs along with some other symptoms too. Some of the symptoms that are accompanied by dizziness are:

Anxiety
Nausea
Buzzing noise in the ears
Pressure in the ears and the head
Hearing issues
Some Important Reasons for Dizziness
If you are facing dizziness on regular grounds, then it may happen that it is due to some very serious health complications that you are suffering from. Some of the problems that may cause dizziness are:
Inner ear issues,

Issues in the central nervous system,
Issues related to the cardiovascular system,
Bacterial or viral infection,
Side effects of any medicine.
Diagnosis of The Problem
Diagnosis of the problem is the most important step in case of dizziness. It is because the diagnosis is not about whether you are feeling dizzy or not, it is the diagnosis about why you are feeling dizzy. There are some tests related to balance to diagnose the cause of dizziness. To get the tests done related to balance, you need to visit an ENT because the balance system of the human body is there located in the inner ear.
Though the balance of the body is there to the inner ear, also the test of other sensory organs such as eye and brain is also done. This is because balance disorder or dizziness happens when there is a problem in the communication system of the body. One of the most important ways to diagnose balance is by doing an eye test that is known as nystagmus.

Treatment of The Problem
After several tests of various sensory organs, when the ENT expert reaches a particular result, then the treatment starts depending upon the diagnosis. Today treatment for such balance disorder or dizziness has become common. Some problems can get solved by a changed diet only while other may need the help of medicines. Again, some of the problems may get cured by doing exercises while for some; you may need the help of a physiotherapist too.

When it is about dizziness, it is surely about balance disorder due to some major problems. Balance is controlled from with the inner eye and other sensory organs also, hence it is important to visit the ENT in this case.

Why Should You Consult An ENT For Dizziness?

Virus is the most common cause of pain in the throat or sore throat and it is often accompanied by cold symptoms like running nose, red watery eyes, cough and sneezing. Smoking, irritants in the air and pollution are the main causes of sore throat. It becomes very difficult to swallow food in such a condition when an individual experiences pain, itchiness or irritation in their throat.

Causes
The main causes of occurrence of sore throat include:
-leukemia in exceptional cases
-measles
-sinusitis
-diphtheria
-mumps
-bacterial as well as viral infection as in common cold
-influenza
-smoking

Symptoms of sore throat
The nasal passages get blocked
-inability to gulp down food
-severe pain in the throat which is followed by coughing
-lymph glands get swollen
-fever is followed by chills

When to visit the doctor
It is very important to visit your doctor, if the pain in the throat lasts for longer time and it is accompanied by symptoms like joint pain, difficulty in breathing and fever. The primary symptom of sore throat is pain in the throat and other symptoms like hoarseness and white patches on the tonsils also occur under this condition. People of all age groups can get affected with this condition, but it affects mostly children and smokers. People with weak immune system and suffering from allergies are also prone to pain in the throat.

Main Reasons of Throat Pain and How Can It Be Healed

About a 45 percent of adults snore occasionally, and although most people tend to ignore it, snoring is a problem that must be dealt with consideration. There are many families where one spouse snores and keeps the other person from a good night s sleep. It has been reported that snoring can create severe disputes in marriage and one who snores must take steps to control snoring.

Snoring is not simply a nuisance, but a major proportion of individuals who snore are affected with obstructive sleep apnea by which breathing is disrupted while a person is fast asleep. This condition increases the risk of heart diseases. Fortunately, there are ways to control a person's snoring.

Weight loss: Having a large neck circumference and being overweight increases the risk of pushing the fat down at the throat resulting in snoring. With a suitable weight loss training, one can control the snoring to a considerable extent.
Altering sleep positions: Sleeping on the sides help in forbidding the tongue from resting backwards and blocking the throat while sleeping. Some specially created pillows can help the individuals from rolling back during sleep.
Limit alcohol intake: Drinking alcohol contributes to further relaxation of muscles in the airways and collapse the path which makes snoring even worse. Limiting consumption of alcohol and avoiding to drink it at least 4 to 5 hours before going to bed can reduce snoring to a significant extent.
Stop smoking: Smoking invariably leads to nasal congestion as well as inflammation which in turn worsen snoring. If one is running out of reasons to avoid smoking, then this is one of the most convincing reasons to quit smoking and enjoy overall good health.
Certain medications: There are some medicines, particularly sedatives and antihistamines are designed to have a relaxing effect and can, therefore, aggravate snoring. But it is advised to consult with the general physician before making any alterations in the medicine routine.
Avoid opening the mouth: Those who are aware of snoring with the mouth open must avoid opening the mouth during sleep by using a specifically designed tape or adhesive for closing shut the mouth while sleeping.
Using specialised device: The mandibular advancement device is specifically crafted for those who suffer from tongue-based snoring. This equipment helps in moving the jaw forward as well as prevent the tongue from blocking the backside of the throat while sleeping.
Avoid nasal collapse: Those who suffer from nasal collapse must use some form of adhesive nasal dilator strip which has to be placed over the nose. This would aid in keeping the airways open as well as reduce snoring.
Treat allergies: Inflammation, as well as nasal congestion triggered by allergies, is a common cause of snoring while sleeping. One must opt to do an allergy test to identify and reduce potential allergens in the area where the individual sleeps such as bedding type, pet hair, dust mites, wheat or dairy intolerance and lessen snoring.
Thus, snoring can be controlled before it becomes a problem.

Snoring - 9 Ways You Can Prevent It!

Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose. If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues. 

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non- allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:-

Pollen from flowers
Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
Both active as well as passive smoking can be detrimental
High levels of air pollution contributes to the risk
Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.
Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:-

A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.
A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:-

Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.


All about Rhinitis

Hoarseness in the simplest sense means, 'hoarse voice'. It may be defined as an abnormal voice change. It is experienced in the form of strained, rough, thick, harsh and grating voice. Variations can be felt even in the loudness and pitch of the voice.

Hoarseness is a temporary infection associated with the larynx, which is also known as the voice box in animals as well as humans. Vocal cords are present inside the voice box. Depending on the vibration of the vocal cord, different sounds are produced.

What are the general causes of hoarseness?

Hoarseness may be caused by common cold, viral infection, cough, irritation due to screaming, smoking, allergy, thyroid problem, acute laryngitis and benign tumor. In adults, the stomach asset comes up to the throat causing hoarseness. Heartburn can also be one of the causes.

When hoarseness arises due to common cold and cough, it will last for 2 to 3 days and will subside using cough suppressant and home remedies like salt water gargling, drinking hot milk with turmeric and pepper powder. As cough or cold suppress, hoarseness will also reduce.

When to see an Otolaryngologist (ENT specialist)?

ENT stands for ear, nose, throat. Serious infections in these areas are treated by an otolaryngologist. It is very essential to consult this specialist if hoarseness lasts for more than 2 to 3 weeks; pain in ENT is not due to cold or flu, coughing up blood, lump in the neck.

Evaluation

The medical specialist starts his diagnosis by physically examining the vocal cord. Flexible light weight fiber optic tube scope is also used to visually examine the larynx area. Videotaping, acoustic analysis is also done to study voice irregularities, airflow to guide treatment.

How can hoarseness be treated?

The mode of treatments depends on underlying the cause of the problem. The patient may be advised:

In most cases, hoarseness can be treated just by resting your throat or modifying the use of your voice.
To avoid smoking or passive smoking
Referred to a speech therapist to improve sound of voice.
In case of benign tumor the nodule or polyp is removed by surgery.
How can you prevent hoarseness?

We've all heard the phrase, 'prevention is better than cure'. Alas, it is. Preventing hoarse voice and throat is a much better option than treating it. Here are some tips on how to prevent hoarseness:

Avoid smoking
Avoid overconsumption of caffeine and alcohol.
Consume plenty of water
Avoid eating spicy food.
Avoid speaking loudly for long intervals of time.

How Hoarseness Can be Treated

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