Snoring can affect not just your sleep, but your partner’s or family members’ as well. It’s caused when the airflow of the mouth and nose is partially blocked, causing tissue vibrations in the throat. Infrequent snoring is not necessarily a symptom of a serious illness, but chronic snoring can indicate a more serious health condition, such as obstructive sleep apnea. if you or someone you know suffers from snoring, here are 11 effective strategies to tackle it in detail.
Table of Contents
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Adding extra weight, especially around the neck, will make you more likely to snore. The fatty tissue around the throat narrows the airway and makes it more likely to collapse while you’re sleeping. If you lose weight by dieting and exercising, it opens your airways to let in more air. Even a small amount of weight loss is an effective improvement. When you want long-term effects, strive for sustainable lifestyle options such as eating healthy foods and exercising.
2. Sleep on Your Side
When you sleep on your back, your tongue and soft palate collapse toward the back of your throat, preventing you from breathing and snoring. If you sleep on your side, you maintain your airway and avoid snoring. In case you’re not accustomed to side-sleeping, consider putting a body pillow behind your back so you don’t roll over on your back in the middle of the night. Or use a tennis ball pinned to the back of your pyjama top to physically remind you to be on your side.
3. Elevate Your Head While Sleeping
Pillows or an adjustable bed can prevent you from snoring because you’ll have more open airways. Sitting up helps keep your throat tissue from collapsing and eliminates congestion in your nose. You can also buy specialized anti-snoring pillows that align your head and neck in such a way as to reduce airway obstruction.
4. Stay Hydrated
Dehydration will make the mucus in your nose and throat more thick, which increases snoring. Drinking enough water throughout the day will keep your airway tissues wet and less vulnerable to vibration. Make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day and don’t drink any alcohol or caffeine-based drinks that can make you dehydrated.
5. Avoid Alcohol Before Bed
Alcohol relaxes the muscles in your throat and mouth, making it more likely you will clog your airway and snore. Do not have alcohol at least 3–4 hours before bedtime to minimise the negative impact it has on your sleep. To those who snore on occasion, perhaps drinking less at night is sufficient to eliminate the problem.
6. Address Nasal Congestion
If nasal congestion is making you snore, then getting rid of it can help you breathe better. Cleanse your nose at night using a salt nasal spray or a neti pot. Even over-the-counter nasal strips or nasal dilators can keep your nostrils wide when you sleep. : If you’re suffering from allergies, try antihistamines or using an air purifier in your bedroom to help minimize allergens like dust, pollen and pet dander.
7. Quit Smoking
Smoking causes the tissue in your throat and nose to swell, making your mucus production higher. They constrict the airways, increasing the chances of snoring. Quitting cigarettes also boosts your health, it also lessens the inflammation in your respiratory system, which means more fresh air flows in. While this might take some time to show up, the effort is worth the impact on your sleep and your health.
8. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene
Irregular sleep patterns and sleep deprivation can cause snoring. If you’re exhausted, your throat muscles are less alert during deep sleep, increasing the likelihood of snoring. To practice good sleep hygiene, try to get 7–9 hours of sleep per night, establish a schedule for sleep, and create a calm bedtime routine. This will ensure that you’re snoring less and sleeping better.
9. Use a Humidifier
Air that is dry can irritate the tissues in your throat and nasal passages, making you more likely to snore. The humidifier adds moisture to the air to calm skin irritation and increase circulation. By introducing essential oils such as eucalyptus or peppermint to the humidifier, it will also be beneficial to open up the nasal passages. Make sure to clean your humidifier on a regular basis to avoid mould or bacteria growth.
10. Strengthen Throat and Tongue Muscles
If you have weak throat and tongue muscles, it can snore by forcing these tissues down into your airway. Some exercises can also strengthen these muscles and decrease the possibility of obstructing. For example:
- Singing: Singing strengthens the upper throat muscles.
- Tongue Workouts: Rest your tongue on the top of your mouth for several seconds.
- Jaw Workouts: Move your lower jaw forward and lock it in place for a few seconds. The more you practice these movements every day, the better you’ll become in the long run.
11. Consider Medical Treatments
If a healthy lifestyle isn’t stopping snoring, consider seeing a doctor. Continuous snoring, including gasping or pauses in breath, maybe the first sign of obstructive sleep apnea. Common medical treatments include:
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): A CPAP machine supplies a constant airflow to maintain your airways while you sleep.
- Oral Appliances: They move your jaw or tongue in a different position to clear your airway.
- Surgery: In advanced cases, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) or septoplasty may be necessary to correct airway structural problems.
Final Thoughts
Snoring is unpleasant, but can often be overcome by following the right steps. With lifestyle modification, home remedies, or medical treatments, snoring can be lessened or eliminated in numerous ways. To begin with, pinpoint the potential sources of your snoring and try different remedies until you have an outcome that fits. When the issue persists, don’t hesitate to contact professionals, because reducing snoring will make your sleep and health so much better.
