6 Yoga Poses To Treat Snoring Problem

Snoring, often perceived as a disruptive element in sleep, can significantly impact one's health by causing inadequate oxygen intake. While it may affect anyone, its severity tends to escalate among obese individuals and with advancing age. This often leads to a condition known as sleep apnea, wherein breathing halts momentarily, causing a decrease in oxygen levels in the blood, sometimes persisting throughout the night.

Beyond sleep apnea, snoring can result in various adverse effects, including sleep deprivation, irritability, cardiac issues, and respiratory obstructions. In children, enlarged tonsils and adenoids are common culprits behind snoring, often accompanied by behavioral problems.

However, there's hope for controlling and even permanently addressing snoring through a combination of remedies. Breathing exercises serve as an effective remedy, acting as a panacea for snoring. Alongside these exercises, Ayurveda and home remedies can yield quicker and lasting results. Embracing a regular yoga routine can significantly diminish the occurrence of snoring and prevent sleep apnea.

Snoring, more than just a noisy breathing issue, can lead to several health complications such as hypertension, headaches, migraines, and sleep apnea. It's a condition that isn't limited to men; women, particularly pregnant mothers, can also experience it, impacting the entire family and potentially leading to sleep-related disorders.

Taking proactive measures to address snoring not only benefits the individual but also contributes to the overall well-being of the entire household, ensuring a restful and rejuvenating sleep for all.

# Kapalbhati

- Close the eyes and relax the whole body.
- Inhale deeply through both nostrils, expand the chest.
- Expel the breath with forceful contractions of the abdominal muscles and relax.
- Do not strain.
- Continue active/forceful exhalation and passive inhalation.
- Complete 30 rapid breaths, then take a deep breath and exhale slowly.
- This is one round of Kapalabhati.
- Each round shall be followed by deep breathing.
- Repeat 2 more rounds.

# Bhramari Pranayama

- You can practice this before any yoga asana.
- Discover a peaceful place before starting Pranayama.
- Sit in a comfortable place in a lotus pose or easy pose.
- Keep the spine completely straight and close the eyes.
- Take a deep breath through your nose.
- Insert the thumb of both hands inside the ear.
- Put both fingers (index finger) on the forehead and other fingers on closed eyes.
- While keeping the mouth closed, exhale the breath and chant Om, which will produce a bee-like sound.
- You can practice it from 11 to 21 times.
- It can be practiced with an empty stomach at any time of the day.

# Ujjayi Pranayama

- Close the mouth and constrict the throat (the glottis — a part of larynx).
- Make a short exhalation and then start inhaling—slowly and rhythmically in one long and unbroken inspiration.
- Allow the air to pass through the constricted throat, creating a “friction sound”.
- Continue inhaling till a sense of fullness is felt in the chest.
- Retain the inhaled air for a period of 6 seconds (preferably double the period of inspiration).
- Ensure: While sitting spine, head and neck is maintained erect.
- Facial muscles are relaxed and nose is not constricted. Inhalation is slow and rhythmic – long, unbroken and without jerks.
- Now exhale as naturally as possible – gradually, avoiding jerky or hasty movements.
- Take few normal breaths and relax.

# Chanting of OM

- Turn your left palm up and keep it close to your navel. Place the back of your right hand onto your left palm. Maintain this position for the rest of the steps.
- Close the eyes and get into a relaxed mode. Make sure both your body and mind are at ease.
- Feel the vibrations that run through the body.
- Once you have paid attention to the sounds and vibrations in your body, breathe in and count to five. As you exhale, count to seven. As you practice more, you will be able to breathe in and breathe out for longer durations. This should be repeated thrice.
- As you breathe out for the third time, chant “AAAAA” and feel your abdomen vibrating.
- Breathe out completely and simply relax.
- Then take a deep and slow inhalation. As you breathe out, chant “OOOOO” and feel your chest and neck vibrating.
- Breathe out completely and relax again.
- Exercise a slow and deep inhalation. As you breathe out, chant “MMMMM” and feel your head and neck vibrating.
- Exercise exhalation, followed by relaxation.
- Again, exercise a slow and deep inhalation. Utter Om as you breathe out. You should spend 80 percent of your breath chanting "A-U," and only 20 percent should be devoted to the syllable, "M."
- The chanting of Om should initially be done for three times. Slowly, you can work your way up to nine times.
- As soon as your meditation ends, start breathing normally and spend five minutes concentrating on the breath.

# Simhasana

- To begin the asana, first sit in Vajrasana (kneel down), Bend the right leg at the knee and place it behind the left leg on the thigh. Similarly, bend the left leg from the knee and place it on the thigh of the right leg on the backside.
- In this position, move your body slightly forward and Place both hands on the ground in front of both knees.
- Transferring your weight to your arms.
- Keep in mind that the part above the waist is bent forward, yet it should be straight in 90 degrees.
- Move your head backward comfortably and lift your chest up.
- Take a deep inhalation through the nose, open your mouth wide and stretch your tongue out as wide as possible.
- Now, look up from the eyes i.e. raise the pupils of the eyes and focus your gaze on the eyebrow center.
- Contract the muscles at the front of the throat, fully exhale the tongue and make a sound of ‘Ahhhh. Make sure that the breath should pass through the back of the throat.
- This situation is exactly like a roaring lion.
- Roar a few times and maintain the position as comfortably as possible.
- After exhaling take the tongue in, close the mouth and now breathe normally.
- In the end, straighten the body, normalize the hands and spread both the legs straight in front, and relax.
- First, sit in Vajrasana and then relax in Child’s Pose.

# Bhujangasana

- Lie down on your stomach
- Raise your trunk and head supported by the palms
- Bend your arms at the elbows
- Arch your neck and look upward gently
- Make sure that your stomach is pressed on the floor
- Put pressure on your toes by pressing them onto the floor. (Extend them out to fully experience the cobra)
- Hold the asana for 5 seconds.