Top 6 solutions to your snoring problem
The bad news – You snore, it’s bad and it keeps your partner up at night.
The comforting news – You are not alone in your problems. In fact, so widespread is the problem of snoring that over 40 percent of American adults snore in their sleep.
Snoring affects around 90 million American adults occasionally or intermittently, while 37 million of these people indulge in the act every night. Men are the bigger snorers as the condition is half as common in women.
The good news – There are solutions that you can try out right away to help you solve your snoring problems. Let’s get into it.
What is snoring?
Snoring is a snorting sound produced when there is a vibration of the airway tissue at the back of the mouth, throat and nose as we breathe in and out while asleep. The sounds are produced as a result of a partial blockage in the airways arising from the relaxation of the muscles required to keep them open. Snoring can cause sleep disturbance for the snorer, but their sleeping partners and those around them are undoubtedly at the farthest part of the receiving end. If severe, snoring may be an early symptom of obstructive sleep apnea and should be diagnosed by a professional medical practitioner. If you happen to fall into the category of people who snore at night, here are 6 simple and effective solutions to solve your snoring problems. We’d start with the easiest.
- Use an anti-snoring mouthpiece
Anti-snoring mouthpieces are oral appliances that aid you in keeping your air passages open while asleep. Since snoring occurs because the blockage of the airways, an anti-snoring mouthpiece will help you to hold your jaw in proper alignment that allows improved airflow by moving the soft palate and tongue. It also allows for a proper separation of the vibrating parts in the mouth and throat to allow silent sleep.
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- Lose some weight
Being overweight ranks as one of the highest risk factors for snorers. Losing weight will help to reduce the amount of snore-causing tissues in the throat and will also reduce the pressure on your respiratory system.
Lose weight by eating healthy foods, cutting out unhealthy fats and partaking in regular exercises and physical activities.
- Sleep on your side
If you are not a chronic snorer, then the solution may be as simple as sleeping on your side. Sleeping on your back may cause your tongue to move to the back of the throat, subsequently blocking airflow through the throat and consequently resulting in snoring.
- Avoid Alcohol and sedatives before bed
Alcohol can relax the throat muscles to cause snoring and sedatives may make your respiratory system tired. As a rule of thumb, do not take any alcohol in the last 2 hours leading to your sleep and talk to your doctors about options on sedatives.
- De-stress and get enough sleep
Even people who have never snored before are likely to do so when under huge amount of stress. If you haven’t slept decently in days, you may also feel so tired and snore when you eventually do. Strive to get up to 6-8 hours of sleep each night to destress and keep you feeling better by the next bedtime.
- Elevate the head of your bed
Raising up the head of your bed by some three to four inches can give you a proper posture that inclines your body towards keeping the airways open. This may be a great hack to help you reduce snoring.