Snore No More! Tips to Help You (Or Your Partner) Stop Snoring
Almost everyone snores at some point in their life; and usually, it’s not a big deal. But, if you’re a regular snorer, then it could be disrupting the quality of you and your partner’s sleep!
Disrupted sleep can result in daytime fatigue, irritability, and more! Besides being annoying, habitual snoring can also hurt your health.
The Adverse Effects of Snoring
Snoring Can Cause Strain on Your Heart
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Frequent snoring can cause high blood pressure. This can lead to an enlarged heart and increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Snoring Can Cause Daytime Drowsiness
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You may not have even realized it was happening, but snoring can wake you up during the night. Waking up can leave you feeling tired the next day.
Snoring Can Cause Divorce
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Snoring is one of the leading causes of divorce in the United States. Sleeping with a snoring partner may cause constant sleep deprivation and low marital satisfaction (1).
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While both males and females snore, men are more prone.
What Causes Snoring?
The actual sound of snoring occurs when you can't move air through your nose and throat (2). The surrounding tissues vibrate, resulting in that awful noise. Once you understand what’s making you snore, you are better able to pick a remedy.
1. Age
Once you hit your 40’s, your throat becomes narrower, and your muscle tone decreases. Both of these factors increase the likelihood of snoring.
Although there’s nothing you can do to prevent aging, you can make a few lifestyle changes:
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Practice Throat Exercises: Tighten your throat muscles by saying the vowels out loud for three to five minutes a day.
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Singing: Singing improves the muscle control in your throat and soft palate. This also reduces the effects of snoring triggered by lax muscles.
2. Obesity
If you’re overweight, the fatty tissue around your throat can lead to snoring. By losing weight, you will reduce the amount of tissue located in the back of the throat. Which should decrease, or may even stop, your snoring.
3. Body Type & Build
Males have narrower air passages. So they’re more likely to snore. Other hereditary factors can also make you susceptible to snoring (3):
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Having a narrow throat
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Having a cleft palate
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Having enlarged adenoids
Like your age, you don’t have control over your natural build, body, and gender. But the same advice applies: try throat exercises!
It might also be hereditary. This article explains it: Snoring: Genes or Lifestyle? We’ve Got the Answer — and the Solutions.
4. Alcohol, Smoking, & Medications
If you drink alcohol, smoke, or take some medicines, you are more likely to snore. Alcohol and smoking cause the muscles in your throat to relax, triggering snoring.
Smoke also irritates membranes in your nose and throat and blocks airways.
If giving up a medicine isn’t an option, try another lifestyle change: limit alcohol and quit smoking.
5. Sleeping Position
Sleeping in a supine position can be the culprit, as the muscles in your throat are more likely to relax and block your airways. Instead, try sleeping on your side or in another sleeping position.
Tennis Ball Tip: If you keep rolling back onto your back, try sewing a tennis ball into the back of your nightshirt. If you roll onto your back, it should prompt you to move back onto your side.
Other Snoring Prevention Tips
Try an Anti-Snoring Device
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Anti-snoring devices resemble the shape and look of mouth guards and work well. They keep airways clear by forcing your lower jaw and tongue forward. This makes it easier for you to breathe while asleep.
Keep Your Nasal Open
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Before getting into bed, use anasal decongestant. Nasal strips and Manta Sleep’s Anti-Snore Nose Vents also help keep your nasal passages open. All these methods can help you breathe better while you snooze.
Keep the Air Moist
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Use a humidifier to keep dry bedroom air from hurting your nose and throat membranes. Keeping the air moist should help reduce snoring.
Snack Smart
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Eating large amounts of foods, especially dairy, can increase the amount you snore. Avoid these things after 7 pm.
Say No to Snoring
Snoring doesn’t have to be the end of a good night’s sleep – for you or your partner. Try some of the advice above and you may find yourself getting the quiet night’s sleep you deserve!
Sources:
(1) Rush University Medical Center. “Can Snoring Ruin A Marriage?" Science Daily, 2 Feb. 2006, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/060202075139.htm
(2) “15 Remedies That Will Stop Snoring." Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/health/snoring-remedies. Accessed 7 Jan. 2019.
(3) Melone, Linda. “7 Easy Fixes for Snoring.” WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/easy-snoring-remedies#1. Accessed 7 Jan. 2019.