You are not alone if you tend to snore when you sleep. While this is usually a harmless habit, it can cause issues if you sleep with a partner or if the snoring disrupts your own rest. Here are eight of the best snoring remedies that you may want to try to bring about relief from this occurrence.
Lose Weight
While thin people can also snore, overweight individuals tend to be more prone to this habit. Weight gain around the neck is the biggest culprit of snoring. This is because the extra weight squeezes the throat. This pressure on the heck makes the throat more likely to collapse when your body enters the sleep stage, leading to a higher chance that you begin to snore. Many people find that losing weight will help them to sleep more soundly without the disruption of snoring.
Non-Surgical Treatment
With today’s modern medical advancements, there are many non-surgical treatments that have proven to be successful in beating snoring. A custom oral appliance can go a long way in getting rid of snoring so that everyone in the room sleeps better. Consulting a snoring dentist to learn how this can work for you is a great first step in trying to combat this problem.
Tweak Your Sleep Position
It may be that your sleeping position is causing you to snore. People who sleep on their back are more likely to snore because of the way that the tongue and soft palate collapse along the back of the throat while in this position. This collapse causes the vibration of snoring. Sleeping on your side is a better idea if you know that you snore. A specially designed body pillow makes this position more comfortable.
Change Your Pillows
If you have not changed your pillow in a long time, it could be that the allergens that accumulate on this sleeping surface may be triggering your snoring. Dust mites are known to accumulate in pillows, leading to allergic reactions that make you more likely to snore. Along those same lines, pets in your bed may also cause you to snore because of the irritating animal dander. It is a good idea to replace your pillows twice per year to keep allergens at bay.
Hydrate
There is no shortage of health benefits to staying hydrated, including the prevention of snoring. If you are dehydrated, the secretions that lie in your nose are more likely to become stickier. This stickiness can create the tendency to snore more. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will keep the secretions fluid so that snoring is mitigated.
Limit Alcohol Before Bedtime
Although alcohol may make you fall asleep faster, it also disrupts your sleeping patterns throughout the night. The use of sedatives such as alcohol reduces the way that the muscles in the back of the throat relax and rest while asleep. This makes it more likely that you will snore. Even people who are not normally prone to snoring may find themselves snoring if they drink alcohol a few hours before heading to bed.
Open the Nasal Passages
You may have noticed that you snore worse when you have a cold. This is because a clogged or blocked nose is more likely to produce snoring. There are a number of ways that you can support the opening of these nasal passages. Try taking a hot shower before bedtime to encourage the passages to clear. Rinsing your nose out with salt water or using a neti pot may also bring about relief. Many people find success with nasal strips as they lift up the passages and open them up.
Avoid Sleep Deprivation
The more tired that you are when you fall asleep, the higher the chance that you drift into a sleep that induces snoring. Sleep deprivation causes the muscles around your throat and mouth to become floppier. This naturally leads to more snoring. Practicing good sleeping habits can help to reduce this problem.
While there is no magic cure for snoring, these eight remedies are all good ideas to help you to get rid of this tendency.
