We are all familiar with snoring. If we are not the main culprits of this noisy nighttime problem, we know someone who is. Snoring affects about half of our population, and 25% of us are habitual snorers.
But why do we even snore? When we go to sleep, our neck muscles relax. Sometimes they can be too relaxed. This causes your upper airway i.e. nose and throat, to become too narrow for enough air to travel to the lungs. When this happens the surrounding tissue vibrates and results in sounds we recognize to be snores. The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration and the louder the snores.
Asides from being a nuisance to your friends or your partner, snoring also affects how you sleep. It reduces the quality of your sleep, could result in sleep apnea or lead to chronic sleep deprivation. Ever woken up in the morning tired, cranky and not quite feeling like you got a good night time’s rest? Snoring might be the cause. Good news is there are natural snoring remedies that can help.
How to stop snoring
Depending on what’s causing your snoring, different strategies will be more effective at stopping your snoring, or at least lowering the volume.
#1 - Lifestyle changes
For many, a few lifestyle changes is all it takes to make snoring go away completely or at least alleviate it significantly.
- Switch to sleeping on your side. If you sleep on your back, stopping your snoring could be as simple as switching to your side. Ensure you get a pillow that keeps your neck and spine aligned, ideal for keeping the airways open. You may also want to get a body pillow or two to help bolster your body and keep yourself in the side sleeping position as you transition to this new mode of sleeping.
- Watch what you eat. Heavy meals before bed disrupt sleep and may worsen your snoring. For more restful sleep, eat dinner at least a few hours before bed, and enjoy a late snack of one of these sleep-healthy foods if you get peckish. If you’re overweight, commit to eating healthier foods and work with a nutritionist to develop a diet you can stick to. The more you can reduce the fatty tissue around your throat, the easier it will be for you to breathe at night.
- Engage in regular exercise. Exercise helps you lose weight, reducing snoring, but it also strengthens muscle tone throughout your body. The stronger your muscles, the better they’ll be able to stay open while you sleep.
- Practice anti-snoring exercises as part of your bedtime routine. Any exercise will increase your neck and throat muscles, but you can strengthen your throat muscles specifically with any one of the following exercise
Stop smoking. Over time, chronic smoking dries out your nasal membranes, making snoring louder.
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol, especially before bed, relaxes your muscles and worsens snoring. Avoid alcohol late at night, and limit your intake generally. Although it may initially make you drowsy, alcohol does not lead to restful sleep.
Drink more water instead. Avoid drying out your mouth (and making snoring louder) by staying hydrated throughout the day.
Review your medications. Some of your medications may have sedative side effects or dry out your mouth. If you have a snoring problem, let your doctor know. They may be able to prescribe you an alternative medicine that does not have the same side effects.
Do not take sleeping pills. The sedative effects of sleeping pills put your nasal and throat tissues to sleep, too, worsening snoring. When overused, they can become addictive and dangerous. Instead, consult your doctor about using melatonin as a sleep aid.
#2 - Anti-snoring products
If lifestyle changes aren’t making a significant difference, investing in one or more of these products is the next step to take to reduce your snoring.
- Use a humidifier in your bedroom. By keeping the air in your bedroom moist, you prevent air from drying out your nasal membranes and causing that characteristic rattling snoring sound.
- Get an air purifier with a HEPA filter. For those with allergic rhinitis, this will clear your bedroom air of any allergens that contribute to your nasal congestion.
- Get fitted for an anti-snoring mouthpiece. These are specially constructed by a dentist and designed to pull your tongue forward or keep your lower jaw in a forward position while you sleep. The end effect is a wider airway that allows for easier breathing.
- Try nasal vents. These look like earplugs, but they fit inside your nose and keep your nostrils open while you sleep, preventing snoring.
- Try anti-snoring nasal strips. These flatten your nose, thereby opening up your nostrils. Many women find these to be a helpful, non-medical solution for snoring during pregnancy.
- Look into anti-snoring wedge pillows. These are designed to keep the head in an ideal position for open airways.
- Stay on your side with anti-snoring pajamas. These help prevent snoring by keeping you in a side-sleeping position. These may have an inflatable belt around your midsection, or feature a pocket for a tennis ball to fit into. When you start to roll onto your back, the discomfort pushes you back onto your side.
- Use a nasal rinse with saline, like a neti pot. These effectively clear the airways if you’re dealing with nasal congestion from seasonal allergies or an illness.
- Get over-the-counter nasal decongestants if you’re sick. Not only will these relieve snoring during your cold, they’ll also free up your nasal congestion and help you feel a bit less miserable.
#3 - Medical treatment for snoring
Sometimes, lifestyle changes and anti-snoring products aren’t enough. If snoring is still disrupting your sleep quality, it may be time for medical intervention. There are various options here.
CPAP therapy (continuous positive airway pressure) is the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. If your snoring is caused by your sleep apnea, you will first need to get a sleep study done and be diagnosed with sleep apnea. From there, the sleep doctor will have you fitted for a CPAP machine. These devices are connected by a tube to a mask you wear on your face while you sleep. Through the tube, the machine delivers a consistent amount of air pressure, keeping your airways open and preventing snoring and sleep apnea.
Multiple anti-snoring surgical procedures have been developed to address specific areas of your airway that are blocked and causing snoring.
- Septoplasty realigns the septum (the piece of cartilage between your nostrils) to enable better airflow.
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP or UP3 for short) opens your throat by removing the uvula and some of the soft palate.
- Uvuloplasty removes just the uvula, opening up the throat behind the soft palate.
- Somnoplasty uses heat to shrink the throat tissues and widen your airway.
- Tonsillectomy removes enlarged tonsils or adenoids, opening up your throat. This is one of the most common procedures for children with snoring or sleep apnea.
