If you’ve never suffered from snoring yourself, it’s a pretty safe bet that you know a friend or family member that does. All that really shouldn’t come as a surprise, as they are more than likely among the 45% of adults who suffer from snoring on a regular basis.
Often seen as a harmless condition, with much humour attached, the result of being affected by a snoring condition can be more detrimental than people first think. For example, those who are married could find themselves in separate bedrooms if their partner is unable to endure the snoring on a nightly basis.
There can also be other consequences associated with snoring if it causes them or their partner to lose important sleep as a result. People can be affected at work, as they’re not working to the best of their ability due to the lack of sleep, as well as leaving a person vulnerable while driving.
There are also numerous health risks associated with loss of sleep, such as loss of libido and lack in sex overall. As expected, this can lead to further problems in a relationship if a solution is not found.
Having a snoring condition also carries the risk of heart disease, due to breathing becoming disrupted when a person is asleep.
That’s not to say that snoring will carry the above ramifications as many go through life with the condition without any consequences. However, there are a number of ways to make a person stop snoring, so really there is no reason as to why you or your partner should suffer going forward.
1. Change Your Sleep Position
Sometimes the most basic of remedies are the most effective, and many find that simply changing their sleeping position makes the world of difference in relation to their snoring. Snoring is often a result of the tongue and soft palate collapsing in the back of the throat, thus creating a vibration that can cause someone to start snoring.
Sleeping on your side is enough to ensure that such vibrations aren’t made. However, it can be hard to stay on your side when you have fallen into a deep sleep. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to help ensure you stay sleeping on your side.
A body pillow promotes you to sleep on your side, so can be a smart investment if you’re looking to rid the shackles associated with snoring. A further method is to sew tennis balls onto the back of your pyjamas, or your partner’s pyjamas if you’re looking to stop your partner snoring. However, although this will help you to stop sleeping on your back, you could endure some neck pain as a result.
2. Avoid Drinking Alcohol
If you find you snore, or your snoring is worse, when you have consumed alcohol, then it should be avoided where possible. This is due to alcohol relaxing the muscles in the back of your throat.
It is thought that even if a person never suffers from snoring normally, they will find that snoring will become a problem when consuming alcohol.
3. If You Smoke, Consider Quitting
There’s no question that tobacco is not good for you, but if it also contributes to your snoring, then it may be an idea to look at what options are available to assist you with quitting.
Smoking causes the same reaction that drinking alcohol does, so it’s likely that if you smoke a lot, you could find that your snoring is made worse as a result.
While it can be hard to quit, it should be considered for a better quality of life. If you are not sure of which route to take, there are often a number of support groups, both locally and online, who will be able to point you in the right direction.
4. Develop a Healthy Sleep Routine
People nowadays work harder than they ever have, and as such finding their sleeping pattern interrupted, or that they don’t get enough sleep. As such, not having enough sleep can be as detrimental as smoking cigarettes or alcohol as the muscle in the throat become more relaxed.
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If you find yourself working more than you sleep, then it’s time for an intervention. Look at your current workload, and schedule out your to-do list so it allows you time to recuperate fully.
5. Open Up Your Nasal Passages
Snoring conditions aren’t caused by a poor lifestyle alone; sometimes they can be the result of an existing condition.
Those who suffer from conditions such as hay fever may find that their nasal passages are constantly narrow, making them snore as a result.
Although antihistamines do a lot to remedy hay fever, there are those who may suffer more than others, and find that their nasal passages constantly feel blocked as a result. This can cause the fast-moving air to produce snoring.
There are a few remedies you can try before going to bed. The first is to simply have a hot shower. The steam produced by the shower can help open up passages.
There are also some over-the-counter remedies available that look to deal with blocked nasal passages, but if you don’t have one to hand then you may want to consider a homemade salt water solution to help rinse out the nasal passages.
Finally, you may want to give nasal strips a try, although these only help if the problem exists in your nose.
6. Change Your Pillows
Many will have heard the horror stories about the creepy-crawlies that can exist within the bedroom, but if you suffer from snoring, they really are something that you shouldn’t avoid dealing with. When was the last time your bedding was cleaned thoroughly? Are there any areas of dust within the bedroom, such as an overhead fan, that will cause dust to spread everywhere?
Allergens contained within a pillow can be one of the main culprits behind snoring, so if it’s been some time since you last replaced your pillow, now may be a good time to consider a change.
While it’s not something everyone wants to know about, it’s a proven fact that dust mites nest within pillows, which can lead to an allergic reaction, which in turns leads to the person snoring.
Another factor that can cause snoring is allowing your pets to sleep in the bed with you. While it seems innocent in the first instance, animal dander is another common irritant that can cause you to snore.
If you have recently invested in new pillows, then it pays to look after them. Putting your pillows on a rinse cycle once every couple of weeks will help keep dust mites and allergies at bay. It is advised that you change your pillows once every six months to help reduce the risk further.
There are specialist pillows that can be bought to help stop people snoring, but while it can prop your head, this could cause neck pain depending on any pre-existing conditions.
7. Ensure You Stay Hydrated
Some of us drink more fluids than others, but staying hydrated can do wonders to tackle snoring. As secretions in the nose become ‘stickier’ when dehydrated, a person is more likely to snore when they retire to bed.
Generally, women should aim to drink around eleven cups of water a day, whereas men should aim to drink sixteen cups of water. This may seem a lot for those who don’t drink that much water but staying hydrated means that snoring could be reduced.
8. Consider an Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece
Evidently, some of us can suffer from snoring more than others, and if the above remedies haven’t worked, then it might be a time to consider an anti-snoring mouthpiece.
Not only is an anti-snoring mouthpiece known to be effective, but they are also one of the best-selling solutions on the market.
These small but effective inter-oral devices are designed to stop the tongue falling into the back of the throat, which as we know, can be one of the main instigators behind snoring. The lower jaw is kept in a forward position to help those with a snoring condition get a restful sleep.
Although they can take a little longer to get used to, anti-snoring mouthpieces are fast becoming the preferred choice of remedy when it comes to stopping snoring.
Overall, there can be many reasons as to why a person snores. It could be due to their diet, lifestyle, their living conditions or a combination of everything. Evidently, finding the right kind of solution can be a little cumbersome, which can be enough to dissuade some people from even trying to find a solution.
However, tips mentioned above can go a long way to help stop snoring, and many of the remedies can be easily implemented in our everyday lives. There’s no denying how may consequences can be suffered as a result of snoring, so isn’t it worth investing time in finding a solution?
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