When snoring has made you desperate and helpless, what else can you do? Have you ever wished a genie comes to you and gives you three wishes? The first thing and perhaps the only thing you would like to wish is to get rid of your snoring.
The reasons are simple. You want a happy marriage, a joyful spouse, and a good night sleep.
You know how it feels when snoring has become chronic or habitual. Countless complains from your spouse or bed partner is what you have to deal with every day. Moreover, it makes you feel helpless when your spouse has to sleep in separate rooms.
As a snorer, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do to stop my snoring? And as a spouse or bed partner, what can you do to stop snoring?
What is Snoring?
Most people may associate snoring to that loud, hoarse, and annoying sound.
Snoring is a disturbing noise that is developed when tissues vibrate through the mouth and nose during sleep. The relaxed muscles in the throat cause the tongue to drop to the back of the throat. This results in airway obstruction which affects the way you breathe during your sleep.
The levels of noise are measured in decibels (dB) to determine the intensity of a specific sound. An average snoring can register about 60 dB. The noise level can increase to as much as 80-90 dB which can be compared to a lawnmower noise. Moreover, the loudest snoring recorded was the snore of a grandmother in the U.K. It registered 111.6 decibels which are as noisy as an airplane taking off.
Causes of Snoring
Aging
Why can’t people who reach the old age stage get away with snoring? The muscles in the body eventually become weak due to old age. The throat gets narrower. The tone in the throat muscles lessens. These explain why snoring can get worse with age.
Increase in weight is a typical phase that comes with age. The extra fats in the neck obstruct the air passage that triggers snoring.
Nasal Congestion
Snoring can be considerably attributed to nasal congestion. Nasal congestion, on the other hand, has various causes. It can generally be due to a small or obstructed nasal passages or nasal inflammation caused by allergies, dust, a cold, pet dander, or viral infection.
Nasal congestion affects breathing during sleep. Our body is naturally inclined to breathe through the nose. But nasal congestion forces you to breathe through the mouth that creates a substantial pressure on your uvula and soft palate. This triggers vibration and develops into snoring.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption and snoring are related for a few reasons. Alcohol is a depressant that enters into every area of your body. It is responsible for the response mechanism of our brain to slow down.
Alcohol relaxes our muscles which includes our throat and jaw muscles. This obstructs the airway which makes your breathing unusual. The air that enters and the tissue vibrate due to limited space caused by a blocked airway. This is how alcohol triggers snoring.
Smoking
What connection do smoking and snoring have? Smoking can lead to known health risks. If you are a smoker, include snoring as one of the effects of snoring.
When you smoke, your throat dries out swiftly. Moreover, smoking irritates the mucous membranes and the bronchial tubes in your mouth and throat. This leads to inflammation that compresses your airway and triggers snoring.
Sleeping Position
It has been known that sleeping on your back can cause snoring. The tongue and soft palate tend to fall back into your throat when you’re lying on your back. This narrows your air passage which results in snoring.
When you significantly gain weight
One day you look at yourself in the mirror. Then you’ve noticed that you are getting fat. Those fats, yes those fats can be responsible why your bed partner complains about your snoring.
Those extra fats in the neck constrict your airway. This provides less space for air to enter so you can easily breathe during sleep. This provokes snoring due to the vibration of the air and the throat muscles tissue.
Allergies
Have you been sneezing lately? This actually means that you allergic rhinitis or hay fever prompts you to sneeze a lot during the day. Unfortunately, this can bring about snoring during sleep.
Molds, pollen, dust, and animal dander are the known allergens that can swell your nasal passages. Allergies can cause your nose and throat to get irritated and inflamed.
The airflow is affected by nasal congestion due to allergies. This disrupts the natural airflow that eventually leads to snoring.
How Can Snoring Affect My Life?
Snoring can definitely affect your life in different ways. You have a spouse or bed partner who compares your snore to a lawn mower or a jackhammer. Then you begin to observe something is not right since you have started to snore habitually.
Relationship. If your spouse starts to sleep in a separate room, that might be a warning that your relationship is on the brink of divorce. But wait, you’re here to learn what to do to stop snoring right? Read on and you will find helpful ways to stop your snoring or to help your spouse stop his or her snoring.
Snoring does not only affect the health of the snorer but also the well-being of the snorer’s bed partner.
Sleep. Snoring can terribly mess up your sleeping cycle. Sleep is an essential component of overall health. Sleep is responsible for our body repair and restoration. Our deep sleep stage is disturbed by certain noises such as snoring, pets, rains, appliances, and television.
Mental. Our brain cell has vital functions so we can stay alert and sharp every day. Poor sleep due to snoring can damage our brain cell. In fact, sleep deprivation affects our mood. The stress level increase can be attributed to sleep deprivation caused by snoring.
Health. Snoring can lead us to different health risks such as heart failure, depression, high blood pressure or hypertension, stroke, diabetes, GERD, memory problems, and dementia.
What Can Be Further Done To Stop Snoring?
You may be reading this article because you have been bombarded with complains about your snoring. Your spouse or bed partner wants to get away from your snoring. And you’re afraid this may end the relationship. So you want to know what to do to stop snoring at night.
Reading this article makes you think you’ll find the answer on what to do to stop snoring. Yes, the snoring of your spouse has tremendously affected your sleep and your relationship. And you’re desperate too to save the relationship.
Natural Ways To Stop Snoring
- Change your sleeping position
Sleeping on your side has been proven to reduce snoring because it prevents your tongue and soft palate from falling back. You can maintain this sleeping position by supporting your body with a body pillow.
You can also raise your bed about four to five inches so you can eliminate the chances of your tongue to produce a blocked airway.
- Avoid Alcohol
You may think that drinking alcohol can give you the deep sleep that you need. Alcohol can make you sleep too soundly but this affects your breathing patterns that cause snoring to occur.
If you can’t totally stop consuming alcohol, do yourself a favor: do not drink alcohol at least four to five hours before you hit the hay.
- Clear Your Nasal Passages
You can reduce or eliminate snoring due to nasal congestion by simply rinsing your nasal passages. You can use a simple saline solution of water, baking soda, and salt.
Take a hot shower a few minutes before you go to bed. This will help in clearing and opening of your nasal passages.
Add nasal strips as solutions to your nasal congestion.
- Lose Weight.
Stop looking at your body in the mirror every now and then and start losing weight. You can silence your snoring habit as soon as you get rid of those floppy throat tissues.
You can find different ways to lose weight. Start by motivating yourself that you’re doing this for your overall health. Knowing your deep reason helps you to endure and finish the line.
- Deal with your allergies seriously
It’s high time that you start getting your air conditioning ducts cleaned out to get rid of those bedroom allergens. You may also need to vacuum your rugs and any textile surfaces every now and then.
Check with your doctor the appropriate medications for your allergy to stop snoring at night. You can also use a hypoallergenic pillow that gives dust mites a very slim chance to cause you snoring.
- Install a humidifier
Dry air can be one of the reasons that cause nasal congestion. You can install a humidifier at home. A humidifier aids in removing the dry air so that you can breathe easily through your nose.
You may also want to add an essential oil like peppermint oil which is good for your airways. Peppermint oil has a component that opens your sinuses so you can have a good night sleep.
- Quit Smoking
How many times have you been reminded of your spouse to quit smoking? Yes, you have to quit smoking because this may be the same reason why your spouse is complaining about your snoring every night.
Nasal congestion and inflammation can be attributed to smoking. Your throat lining can get swollen due to irritation caused by cigarettes.
Quitting smoking is not that easy. But you can conquer it with the help of your spouse, loved ones, and friends. Your doctor can give the best advice so you can quit smoking for life.
Anti-Snoring Devices
Mandibular Advancement Devices
Mandibular Advancement Devices or MAD look like mouth-guard and can help alleviate snoring. A MAD appliance holds your mouth open and moves your mandible jaw in a forward position during sleep.
Mandibular Advance Devices expand and tighten the tissue in the upper airway to prevent any vibrating movement. Snore RX is a Mandibular Advance Device.
Tongue Retaining Devices
TRD or Tongue Retaining Devices hold your tongue in a forward position. A TRD looks like a pacifier. When you place it on your lips, you’ll see a hole to attach to your tongue.
This device holds your tongue forward to prevent your tongue from dropping to the back of the throat that restricts your air passage.
The Good Morning Solution device is one of the familiar examples of Tongue Stabilizing Device.
Pills You Can Take To Stop Snoring
Over-the-counter medicines are available to reduce or eliminate your snoring.
Baywood’s Dr. Harris Original Snore has the Lipase, Amylase, Protease and Cellulase enzymes to hinder the formation of mucus that causes nasal congestion.
SnoreStop® FastTabs can strengthen the upper airway muscle tone. It’s a chewable tablet that conveniently dissolves in your mouth. This also helps in decreasing nasal allergic reactions.
SnorEase by Nature’s Sunshine has combined ingredients of immature bitter orange, bromelain from pineapple fruit, and COQ10 to improve your airflow.
Surgery
Are you considering surgery for snoring? It can be painful and it not always effective. This can be the last option especially when snoring is caused by nasal deformities.
Tell your family doctor about this option. Only your doctor has the best way and capacity to evaluate your snoring situation.
Essential Oils
Essential oils, according to research, can help people with a snoring problem. A study was conducted to observe the impact of essential oils. The remarkable result shows that essentials can indeed reduce snoring.
Eucalyptus is good for chest colds. It opens your air passages and it can get rid of mucus so you can breathe smoothly during sleep. You can add leaves or pour a eucalyptus oil into a boiling water. Inhale the steam to clear your airways.
Peppermint oil can help you alleviate chest and nasal congestion. Do a steam inhalation with a natural peppermint oil. You can also gargle a drop of peppermint oil with a glass of cold water to treat your throat.
Britney Whistance
Author: Britney Whistance
