Just about everyone snores occasionally, and it’s usually nothing to worry about. But if you regularly snore at night, it can disrupt the quality of your sleep and lead to daytime fatigue, irritability and increased health problems. Your snoring may keep your partner awake too creating major relationship problems.
Thankfully, sleeping in separate bedrooms isn’t the only remedy for snoring. There are many effective solutions that can help both you and your partner sleep better at night and overcome some of the issues snoring can cause.
Causes of Snoring
Snoring happens when air doesn’t move freely through the nose and throat during sleep, making the surrounding tissues vibrate and producing the snoring sound. Many people who snore often have too much throat and nasal tissue or “floppy” tissue that vibrates. The position of the tongue can also get in the way of smooth breathing.
Top Ten Self-Help Tips
1. Change your sleeping position and elevate your head four inches. This should ease breathing and encourage the tongue and jaw to move forward. There are specifically designed pillows to ensure the neck muscles are not crimped.
2. Sleep on one side instead of on your back. One good tip it to sew a sock to the back of your pyjama top and put a tennis ball in it so should you roll over onto your back, the discomfort will cause you to turn back onto your side.
3. Try an anti-snoring mouth appliance which is like a mouthguard and helps open the airway by bringing the lower jaw and/or tongue forward during sleep.
4. Make sure you have cleared your nasal passage. If you have a stuffy nose, rinse sinuses with saline before bed. If you have allergies, reduce dust mites in the bedroom or use an allergy medication.
5. Keep bedroom air moist as dry air can irritate the membranes in the nose and throat. A humidifier may help.
6. Losing a little bit of weight can reduce fatty tissue in the back of the throat and decrease snoring.
7. Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills and sedatives because they relax the muscles in the throat and interfere with breathing.
8. Don’t eat too much just before bedtime as research shows that eating large meals or consuming certain foods such as dairy or soymilk right before bedtime can make snoring worse.
9. Gentle exercise can reduce snoring even if it doesn’t lead to weight loss. When muscles are toned it leads to toning the muscles in your throat, which in turn can lead to less snoring. There are also specific exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles in your throat.
10. Quit smoking - smoking irritates the membranes in the nose and throat which can block the airways and cause snoring. While quitting is easier said than done, it can bring quick snoring relief.