Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-06-27
HINTS ON HEALTH
prepared and Furnished by the
Public Health Education
Committee Of Minnesota
State Medical ASSN.

st. Paul, misunderstanding be-
comes habit that may be corrected
when determined efforts are made to
keep the mouth closed while going to
sleep. If the habit persists it may be
necessary to break it by the use OF
adhesive tape. The disease is not con-
fined to Pullman cars.
Pointing out that in most cases
snoring is originally caused by some
diseased condition of the mouth, the
bulletin of the educational committee
of the Minnesota State Medical associ
alton issued today declares that once
the habit is formed, it is difficult to
break.
I'm most snoring where the person
sleeps with the mouth open, closing
the mouth will stop the snore," de-
clares the bulletin. More than one
domestic situation has been improved
by adhesive tape. A good grade of
plaster, in two strips about One-half
inch wide and four inches long crossed
diagonally over the lips, will usually
keep the mouth closed during sleep.
In fact, with a little persistence in
such a method, the snoring habit may
be broken. Mouth breathing is not
as healthy as nasal breathing. The
mouth breathing habit is worth break
ing in itself.
What makes the snOre? 1t de-
ponds upon the physical properties of
the upper air passages. Their ar
rangement and proportions, together
| with the type of breathing, determine
the quality of the sound, just as truly
| as the shape and material, as well as
the manner of blowing, determine the
tone of cornet. Most snoring is done
with the mouth open, although it may
occur even with the mouth and lips
| shut. Vibration of the soft palate and
uvula due to the air escaping through
both nose and mouth gives the COM
monest variety in adults.
ANY narrowing of the upper air
passages so that free airway is OBJ
| structed may be associated with noisy
breathing when asleep even if breath
| ing is quiet when awake.
This production of noise does not
| seem so curious when one notes the
physiological changes during sleep.
The relaxation of our muscles takes
place in the back of the nose, the
throat, the larynx, just as it does for
the limbs. This allows the walls to
lose the tension maintained while
awake. If in so doing mechanical diff
ficulties in breathing occur or are
increased, snoring may result.
Apparently, the sense of hearing
goes to sleep before parts of the nerv-
Gus system which maintain the
muscle tension of the throat, so that
one never hears himself snore. Some
times a person will get to snoring so
| loudly or breathing so difficulty that
it will wake him up abruptly enough
to be dimly conscious of his own last
snore. But usually you don't know
that you snOre, except as your friends
and enemies tell you about it. OF
course the mouth becomes very dry
and uncomfortable when used for
commonly accompanied by snoring,
you might draw deductions.
| practically every condition that
may obstruct the nose and throat may
be the cause as small narrow nostrils,
adenoids, nasal polypus, any inflam-
nation causing enlargement of the
mucous membrane of the nose and
throat, such as nasal catarrh, sinus
tits, acute colds, tOnsilitis. In most
cases snoring is just a habit. Once
the habit is formed, curing this con-
dition does not necessarily cure the
snoring. A child may become mouth
breather because of adenoids, but con-
tinue the mouth breathing and snor-
ing after the adenoids have been re-
moved"