People nowadays consider night sleep to be a luxury. The world is becoming busier, and work cultures are requiring longer working hours. Humans have more activities at night, which makes them prone to sleep disorders.
Snoring is one of the sleeping disorders that should not be overlooked. It happens when your upper airways become too narrow, causing turbulent airflow. It creates a vibration on surrounding tissues, resulting in noise. It is not worrisome if you occasionally snore while sleeping. Humans snore from time to time. However, if it becomes serious enough to be disruptive to you, your roommate, or your partner, it is time to have it checked. It could lead to worse sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
There are snoring remedies you can achieve naturally by altering your lifestyle or diet. You may also be able to use technologically developed products, such as a snoring device or a sleep aid.
Check out these ways to help you reduce your snoring problems.
- Reduce your weight.
Snoring is common in overweight or obese people. Losing weight will reduce the amount of tissue in the throat that may be causing this sleep disorder. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are always a good place to start changing your current lifestyle.
- Change your sleep position.
When you sleep on your back, your tongue moves back to your throat, obstructing airflow through your airway. Sleeping on your side is one of the alternative sleep positions that allows air to flow freely and reduces snoring. Try elevating your head four inches to help with breathing and allow your tongue and jaw to move forward.
- Stop smoking and limit your alcohol consumption.
Snoring is exacerbated by smoking because it irritates the inside of the nose and throat.
Avoid drinking anything at least two hours before going to bed. It may relax your muscles, making it easier to fall asleep, but it also relaxes the muscles in your throat, interfering with breathing.
- Treat nasal allergies and other issues.
Inhaling becomes more difficult when one’s nose is clogged due to allergies or sinusitis, especially at night. It creates a vacuum in the throat, and it causes snoring. It may be beneficial to consult your doctor and request an over-the-counter prescription or allergy medication to alleviate your symptoms.
- Get enough hours of sleep.
When looking for solutions, we should go back to the source of the problem, and in the case of snoring, that should be our sleeping habits. Deep sleep may aid in the relaxation of our minds and muscles, allowing us to replenish all the energy we expend throughout the day. Inadequate sleep causes our bodies to crave more deep sleep, which worsens our snoring problem.
- Using anti-snoring devices.
Many products in the market are invented with the help of research and technology to reduce snoring problems. Some snoring devices that may be beneficial include nasal-dilating strips and external nasal dilators. Nasal strips can be applied to the nose bridge to help increase the space in the nasal passage, allowing for more effective breathing.
Wearing anti-snoring mouthpieces is another potentially effective option. This device helps to open the upper airway by pulling the jaw forward slightly. It also aids in the reduction of teeth grinding.
In severe cases of sleep apnea, a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine is advised. When you sleep, you can wear a pressurised air mask over your nose to help keep the air passage open.
Snoring may appear to be insignificant, and in light moments, a snorer is usually the topic of a laughable conversation. But with someone who has a severe snoring condition, snoring is a sleep disorder that must be taken seriously with proper care. A snoring device can be very helpful to people who suffer from the condition, but they are only effective if used in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle change.
