How to stop snoring: A good night’s sleep is what every person desires at the end of the day, especially when you have had a hectic day. However, if your partner is someone who snores, it is unlikely that you will have a great sleep. Here are easy cures/remedies to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Why Do We Snore While Sleeping
Snoring is a sound that is made when our breathing is disturbed due to blocking of air passing through the back of our mouth.
The opening and closing of the air passage cause the tissues in the throat to vibrate, making a soring sound.
Negative Effects of Snoring
If you’re a middle aged person, I’m sure you would have had this experience – you wake after a full night’s rest only to feel tired. Now there could be several reasons for your poor quality of sleep (including protein deficiency), but one of the most common problem is snoring.
Your snoring can also affect other people.
- Have to sleep in a room with a middle-aged/elder person? Its very likely that you will hardly get to sleep through the night.
- Travelling by long-distance bus/train? If you have a neighbor who snores, then it means no sleep at night.
- Anybody with a big belly (mostly men) near me, I would change rooms (or seats) if I had the option.
Even though many pass of snoring as a minor problem, it could cause severe health issues to an individual. Some of the common side-effects of snoring include poor concentration, irritability, drowsiness, and even decreased libido. Some studies even suggest that sever snoring could lead to heart attacks and stroke (vibration in the carotid artery could be a factor).
Snoring can also affect a person psychologically and even socially as you could become a butt of jokes if others find out that you snore. It could also be a reason for frequent fights with your spouse.
Lot of people want to know “Why do I snore?” or “what can I do to stop snoring?”.
Scientifically speaking, snoring is caused due to vibrations of the tissues as air passes through your nostrils. But there could be other factors that could be behind these unwanted noises – your weight, sleeping position, health condition, and even the structures of your mouth and nose could be the reasons behind the snoring sound.
How to Stop Snoring?
Here are some easy ways to stop snoring.
Change your sleeping position
Experts say that sleeping on your back could cause the strong snoring. If you’re having a hard time looking for an alternative comfortable sleeping position then you can probably try sleeping on your side.
The reason behind this lying position is that it makes the base of your tongue including the soft palates collapse to that back part of your throat. If this occurs, vibrations would take place which would cause the snoring sounds. Most doctors would even suggest that you use two to three stacked pillows just so you don’t sleep on your back laid flat.
Lose some weight
Your body weight could also be a factor. While thin or slim people also snore, obese people are more likely to snore. If this is the case, in order to stop snoring, you will need to lose weight.
Avoid Alcohol
Lot of people who consume alcohol before going to bed are likely to snore. Some studies suggest that alcohol as well sedatives could make a person snore. So avoid alcohol and if that’s not possibleyet, avoid alcohol for at least four to five hours before going to bed.
Drink Water Regulalry
When you are dehydrated, the secretions in your nose and your soft palates usually becomes stickier – causing you to snore as airways become narrower thus making it harder for the air to pass through. So make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day.
Get Some Rest
Not having enough sleep or overworking could also contribute to the snoring. So if this is something that happens once in a while, its no cause for worry.
Open Nasal Passages
A clogged nose could cause snoring. So you can try keeping the nasal passages open to ensure the air moves freely through the nose. To open nasal passages, taking a hot shower before bedtime can help. You can also rinse your nose with the saltwater. You can also check out some nasal strips / drops to open the nasal passages.
Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
Majority of snorers have obstructed sleep apnoea (OSA). This is a condition where the airway is obstructed during sleep, resulting in choking. So during sleep – when the body should be recharging and resting – it is instead taxed and stressed, resulting in fatigue, irritability and poor concentration.
This is not something to be taken lightly!
Long Term Effects of Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA)
- Studies have shown that OSA accelerates ageing and cognitive brain decline by 10 years, which can lead to early-onset dementia and drug-resistant hypertension.
- The chances of experiencing frequent urination, getting heart attacks, diabetes and strokes, as well as the risk of being involved in car crashes, are also increased by three- to five-fold for those who suffer from OSA.
- For women, OSA may manifest in subtle symptoms such as insomnia, headaches, mood swings and tiredness. These are often dismissed as insignificant or menopausal symptoms. For children, it could translate to poorer academic grades, hyperactivity, crankiness and headaches.
More Remedies to Cure Snoring
If you spend a few minutes online, looking for a solution, you will see their are hundreds of devices claiming to curb snoring. However, most of them are not backed by scientific studies.
Common remedies such as nasal rinses and strips help only with mild nasal congestion. And while prescription oral mouthpieces move the jaw forward, they might lead to dental bite change, gum or jaw joint pain, and increased salivation.
That said, there are ways through which you can help yourself.
- For those with mild snoring, losing weight, cutting back on alcohol, and sleeping on your side with a full body pillow may help alleviate the condition.
- However, for those with significant OSA, its better to consult an otorhinolaryngologist (Ear Nose and Throat, or ENT, doctor) or a sleep specialist. This is important as there are a myriad causes of OSA – ranging from nose block due to crooked nose septal bone, allergies and polyps to low-lying soft palate, obesity and prolapse tongue base. By figuring out the various potential causes of a blocked airway, a specialist will be able to offer a treatment according to the specific root causes.
Closing Thoughts
Snoring is not only embarrassing, it can cause sleep deprivation and other problems. The best way to stop snoring is to start with simple changes – poor hygiene, bad sleeping position, body weight, etc. You may also try out other snoring remedies listed here to get rid of it. If that still doesn’t help, you should see a doctor.
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