This may sound like a strange title for an article but there are serious reasons why you might want to record yours or someone else's snoring.
You may be unaware that you snore, or know you do but are uncertain of the severity of it. Recording your snoring can help detect other underlying issues. Below you can read why you or someone else would want to make recordings of their snoring and how this could affect your health.
Reasons to record your snoring
You may have a partner who has complained about your snoring and therefore you are interested in alleviating the cause of this problem. Normally if someone was recording or filming you, you would want to know but a partner may want to record your snoring so you can be aware of it.
Snoring can be an indication of lifestyle factors, sinus problems, colds, allergies, and even the weight of a person can cause a person to snore. Drinking coffee, alcohol, and sugary beverages can also cause snoring as can eating food containing a lot of sugar.
Here are some of the reasons that people snore:
● Enlarged tonsils
● Enlarged tongue
● Overweight
● The structure of the person's nose or jaw
● Consuming dairy
● Drinking alcohol
● Eating meat that is high in fat
● Allergies
● Sleeping on your back
● Deviated septum
All of these are causes of snoring in people. The problem with snoring is the effect it can have on the snorer and the person around him or her.
How does snoring affect people?
Snoring can put a great strain on marriage or relationships as one person suffers from disturbed sleep regularly. There is a thing called sleep divorce now where partners move into another bedroom for the night only to avoid snoring from their nearest and dearest. However, this isn't the only way it affects people and it may not be the best cure.
Apart from disturbing your partner, your snoring could be a symptom of an underlying health issue. Generally, the person who is snoring doesn't suffer from a worse or better night's sleep. But, some people find themselves fatigued during the day even after a proper night of rest. This may mean that person has sleep apnea without knowing it.
What are the health issues associated with snoring?
Although some health issues can affect your snoring you would likely already be aware of it. For example, if the cause of your snoring is allergies then you surely have symptoms in the daytime too. The same goes for having a cold or the flu
Being overweight can cause snoring as can being pregnant. Not much you can for the second one but wait, the first one can be dealt with by exercise and diet. If you have nasal congestion regularly then you may have a deviated septum which can be confirmed by your doctor.
There is one other health issue that is potentially serious and it is obstructive sleep apnea.
What is obstructive sleep apnea?
More than 20 million people are suffering from sleep apnea in the US alone and although there are three types, OPS is the most common form of sleep apnea.
This condition causes the patient's breathing to halt for small periods while they are asleep. This will happen repeatedly during the night and this causes snoring. When the airways are narrowed the airflow is forced through a smaller space than normal and this creates the snoring noise that you know.
Unlike other causes of snoring, sleep apnea does affect the quality of the person's rest. Therefore, they will feel tired during the day even after a normal amount of hours of sleep. This is caused by a reduced amount of oxygen flowing around the body and to the brain at night.
There are many voice recording and spying apps available for Android and these can help monitor you or your partner's snoring habits.
Why is recording your snoring important for sleep apnea?
Although someone might want to record a person's snoring just to prove a point about how often and loud it is, there is also a very genuine reason to record these patterns if someone suspects they have sleep apnea.
The condition is characterized by symptoms including day-time tiredness, depression, moods, and general grumpiness, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating.
On top of this, sleep apnea can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure so a proper diagnosis must be made.
Using voice recorders to monitor sleep patterns, breathing, and snoring can help with making a diagnosis correctly.
What apps are available for recording your sleep patterns?
You can use a simple voice recorder for capturing your or your partner's snoring but there are also many apps available. Depending on why you want to record your snoring you could look at SnoreLab, SnoreClock, and Snore Control which all have different features to help record and stop your snoring.
If you are one of the many people who would prefer not to have their smartphone or mobile device near them during their sleep then you should look at a dedicated voice recorder.
If you feel that you may want your snoring recorded to help with making a diagnosis or any other reason then a voice recorder from SpyCentre could help. While they can't directly stop you from snoring they can be used for many other reasons such as meetings or dictation as well as recording your snoring levels.
Ways you can improve your snoring
For some causes of snoring, there are many obvious solutions. If you are overweight then look at your lifestyle. Exercise and a balanced healthy diet can help you shed some pounds and this will improve how you sleep.
A deviated septum may require septoplasty which is a way to straighten the nose and reposition it so there is no longer any deviation.
Avoid drinking alcohol, taking valium or other sedatives, and reducing or giving up smoking will all help lower the chances of snoring.
Laying on your side instead of your back will help, as will raising the head of the bed a few inches. There are also nasal strips that can help with keeping airways open.
If you suffer from allergies then consider getting an air purifier. These machines will help clear allergens and other pollutants from a room. Keep pets out of the bedroom and if you can, keep the bedroom window closed during seasons where known allergens are high.
Treating sleep apnea
There are many treatments available for sleep apnea and surgery is always a last resort. If your recording device or app has managed to help you get a diagnosis for sleep apnea then you will need a medical professional to prescribe treatment.
Summary
While there are many laws on secretly recording phone calls and conversations, capturing your partner's snoring in private is likely ok. If you want to get them to understand how much you are suffering then this is one way to do it and it could have great positive effects.
If someone is unaware of their snoring then after hearing a recording it may make them change their lifestyle, get fitter, save their relationship, and maybe even lengthen their life by diagnosing a serious health issue.
