Snoring is a common habit which is caused by the partial obstruction of the airways while sleeping, resulting in a hoarse and harsh or low sound. Snoring can cause auditory discomfort and disrupt your sleep patterns and those of the people around you. It also elevates your risk of developing heart problems and high blood pressure. However, there are some simple lifestyle changes, or snoring solutions, that might help you in eliminating this habit that we’ll go over below.
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What Causes Snoring?
There can be multiple causes of snoring. The common reasons include:
- Obesity: Heavier people tend to have more tissue development in the throat area. This leads to snoring.
- Genes: If your mother or father snores, chances are you will as well.
- Sleeping posture: If you sleep on your back, you might snore more than otherwise.
- Age: People in the older age bracket tend to snore more.
- Gender: Males snore more than females on average.
- Alcohol: Consuming alcohol eases your muscles which can cause snoring.
- A smaller airway: Having a narrower respiratory tract can make you more prone to snoring.
Now, let’s go over a few snoring solutions, which can greatly reduce your snoring issue.
1- Focus On Closing Your Mouth
The nose is the main body part used for breathing. When we sleep with our mouths open, the air starts coming through our mouth as well. This is when the air hits the softer part of the roof of the mouth and creates the snoring sound.
This can be remedied using a mouth guard. Or you can use a band that straps around your head and under your chin, keeping your mouth closed.
2- Keep a Routine Sleep Schedule
Irregular sleep patterns, overworking and lack of a proper night’s sleep over long periods of time forces your body to ‘crash’ when you do finally sleep, resulting in the unusual loosening of the throat muscles that makes you snore. Sleeping regularly at a fixed time for the recommended period -7 to 9 hours for adults, 10-12 hours for children- might help reduce the snoring.
3- Create an Appropriate Sleep Environment
If the presence of light disrupts your sleep, darken the room at night: shut the curtains and blinds, turn off all overhead lights and install blackout curtains if needed. You can also wear a sleep mask if these measures are not effective.
4- Change Your Sleeping Position
Sleeping on your back causes the throat and tongue muscles to collapse on themselves, hence blocking the air passageways. Sleeping on your side effectively eliminates this issue. Elevating your head by 4 inches using a pillow can be effective in unblocking the airways.
5- Think About Your Weight
As mentioned earlier, one of the causes of snoring is obesity. Heavier people tend to have more tissue development in their palate which causes the snore. Therefore, if you have this problem, consider changing your lifestyle.
Start on a balanced diet and incorporate regular exercise in your daily routine. Look for a nutritionist who can help you with a plan for your diet and exercise. This will not only reduce snoring, but also reduce risk of heart disease and chances of incurring diabetes.
6- Clear Your Nasal Passages
Blocked nasal passages result in breathing through mouth and lead to snoring. Take a hot shower before going to bed or use oral sprays or nasal decongestants such as normal saline. An air humidifier can also be an effective tool for unblocking nasal passageways in dry weather. However, refrain from using decongestants and oral sprays for more than 3 days in a row.
7- Do Not Rely on Sleeping Aids
Sleeping aids work by relaxing the body muscles, also causing the soft palate muscles to collapse and lead to snoring. Therefore, long-term or even continued short-term use of these drugs is not recommended.
8- Drink Water
Dehydration causes the nose and throat secretions to become stickier and denser, causing blocked passageways and snoring in certain cases. 11 cups of water per day for women and 16 cups of water per day for men are recommended to maintain good hydration levels.
9- Do Anti-Snoring Exercises
These exercises are designed specifically to help prevent snoring and include ‘Tongue Extension’, which involves extending the tongue and curling it towards either side of the mouth for 30 seconds, ‘Chewing-style’ jaw exercises and throat muscle exercises, the simplest of which is to say each vowel out loud for 30 seconds.
10- Consider Surgery
Surgery is also one of the snoring solutions but it is only an option if your snoring is really problematic and persistent. Surgical options usually to tweak the air canal. The techniques implemented can include cutting down the extra tissue development, shortening the softer palate, or placing a small object inside the softer part of your palate.
Talk to your personal care practitioner to get a better idea of how serious the issue is and whether surgery is advisable.
If your snoring persists after implementing these snoring solutions, then it may be a sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea; in which case you must immediately seek medical aid which is also possible by Booking Appointments with Top Specialists in Islamabad, Lahore and Multan through oladoc.com. Or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 if you need any help with finding the RIGHT Doctor for your needs.
