How to Stop Snoring

Snoring is a common occurrence for most people, and though snoring is an involuntary act, it can still be embarrassing or disruptive to our sleep. Plus, if you share your mattress (or even bedroom) with another sleeper, your snoring may interrupt their shut-eye and keep them awake at night. Disturbing your roommate or partner’s sleep is not the only consequence of snoring, it could be a sign that you have an underlying health condition.

In this article, we discuss some ways you can kick the snoring habit with at-home remedies and lifestyle changes. Of course, we’ll also talk about when it’s time to address your snoring with a doctor and discuss a few possible treatment options your doctor may suggest to quiet snores and improve your sleep.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattress for Neck Pain

Causes of Snoring

Snoring is caused by a number of thingsVerified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH)World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View source, such as congested sinuses, allergies, and even bodyweight. Any of these factors could be blocking air from moving freely through your nose and throat during sleep. A blocked or narrowed airway causes the surrounding tissues to vibrate while you breathe, producing a snoring sound.

“Snoring is a common phenomenon that is generated by the vibration of soft tissue of the upper airway during sleep,” says Dr. Nayantara Santhi. “It is still unclear whether snoring on its own poses a risk to the health of the snorer.”

“However what is clear is that for bed-partners, snoring is an issue that can impair their sleep quality. Data from one study indicated that female partners of male snorers had poorer sleep quality and increased sleep fragmentation.”

SEE ALSO: Best Hotel Beds

At-Home Remedies to Silence Snores

Trying at-home remedies, such as nasal strips or saline rinses can help keep your airways clear when you are asleep. You might want to consider investing in some of these items if you suffer from allergies or a seasonal cold that’s causing your snore. Anti-snoring appliances will also be useful in combating tongue-based snoring.

Nasal Strips

Suffering from seasonal allergies or a stuffy nose can bring on bouts of snoring. Using nasal strips will provide instant relief for congestion due to colds, allergies, or a deviated septum and reduce snoring.

Saline Rinses

The saltwater mixture in asaline rinseVerified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH)World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View sourcerestores moisture and eases inflammation of the membranes that line your sinuses—inflammation that might otherwise make snoring worse by narrowing your airways. This treatment is best for snoring linked to allergies or chronic sinusitis.Verified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH)World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View source

In addition to using a saline rinse, you can also take a hot shower before bed. Hot showers for sleep are an age-old remedy to clear up nasal passages and soothe dryness in the nose.

Anti-Snoring Appliances

Over-the-counter devices may be able to help open up your airways. Tongue retaining guards grip your tongue and prevent it from falling into the back of the throat, which commonly causes snoring for back sleepers. Other devices such as athletic mouthguards push your lower jaw forward making it easier to breathe.

Other Tricks to Getting Rid of Snores

Using a humidifier, an air purifier, or just dusting more regularly can help put an end to your snore. The air in your home could be too dry or full of allergens and may be inferring with your breathing at night.

In this section, we talk about other ways to improve air quality in your home to help deter chronic snoring. We also examine the sleeping positions that have proven to help you breathe easier.

Eliminate Allergens Around the House

If you have allergies, it is best to limit your contact with indoor allergens. Allergies cause the upper airway to narrow, which makes it harder to breathe. Avoiding or decreasing the number of allergens in your home may make it easier to breathe and quiet your snoring.

Common places where allergens gather include bedding, pillows, and mattresses. Washing your sheets and pillowcases and cleaning your mattress can keep allergens from accumulating within your bed. You should dust around the house at least once of the week to keep the rest of your home dust mite-free.

If you have pets, we suggest using a baby gate to keep them out of your bedroom. Frequently washing pet beds and toys will also lower the amount of pet dander around your house.

You will also want to make sure you have a mattress without fiberglass, as fiberglass that escapes a mattress and becomes airborne is quite the breathing irritant.

Use a Humidifier

Humidity levels in the home can have a limited impact on snoring. Snoring is typically caused by vibrations in the throat and nasal passages due to relaxed tissues and narrowed airways during sleep, but humidifiers can help if the root of your snoring is swollen nasal tissues or thick mucus.

Dry air in your home can make it harder to breathe while you sleep, as well as affect your breathing while awake. A humidifier may be a good investment if your nasal passages or throat are regularly dry. Humidifiers emit steam to increase moisture levels in the air, preventing dryness from irritating the nose and throat.

As a general rule of thumb you want to keep your home’s humidity levels in the 30 percent to 60 percent range, and anything lower or higher than this is likely to cause you problems. The climate of where you live will influence more precisely what the best home humidity is.

Change Your Sleeping Position

Sleeping on your back increases the likelihood of snoring. When you lie on your back, gravity pushes the tongue against the mouth, creating a blockage in the airways that cause you to snore.

We suggest sleeping on your side as an alternative to lying on your back. Side sleeping is useful in the prevention of snoring, but switching sleep styles can be hard. Here are some tips you can use to make the transition to a new sleep posture easier.

1. Avoid tucking your chin into your chest or keeping your head down. If your head is too low, it could block your airways and make it harder to breathe at night.
2. Keep your arms around your waist or parallel to your sides.
3. If you are experiencing joint pain in this position, try placing a pillow between your knees. Knee pillows keep your spine in alignment and alleviate lower back pain.

Try an Adjustable Bed

Investing in an adjustable bed can keep snoring from interfering with your sleep since sleeping elevated opens restricted airways and makes it easier to take relaxed breaths. Given their ability to keep you resting at an incline, adjustable beds may help with treating and managing the symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring.

If purchasing an adjustable bed isn’t a viable option, we suggest a wedge pillow to keep yourself elevated. Alternatively, you can also try placing rolled-up towels beneath your pillow to prop your head up. When your head is propped, you can pass air more freely to your lungs.

Lifestyle Changes to Stop Snoring

Engaging in physical activity and eating light meals at night are both options to prevent snoring. Another way you can prevent snoring disruptions is by incorporating new lifestyle changes such as drinking more water or improving your sleep habits.

Develop a Regular Exercise Routine

Weight gain could be the reason you have recently started snoring. Excess weight leads to poor muscle tone and increases the tissue around the neck and throat. With more tissue around the neck and throat, your airway is likely to collapse while you are asleep.

Shedding a couple of pounds may put an end to your snoring. Exercise is one way to lose this extra tissue around your neck. Working out will also help you tone the muscles in your throat, even if it doesn’t lead to weight loss.

Eat Lighter and Healthier Before Bed

Late-night eating puts you at risk of snoring because the process of digestion relaxes the muscles at the back of the throat. Choosing greasy foods before bed makes it harder for your body to digest what you have eaten. Not to mention, going to bed with a full stomach can cause belly aches or interrupt your sleep.

If your stomach is too full at night your diaphragm may not have enough room to expand while breathing, causing discomfort and sleep disruptions. Another consequence of fatty food before bed is acid reflux. When acid enters the airways, it irritates the tissue in the throat, leading to inflammation and congestion.

When it comes to late-night snacking you should steer clear of dairy products. Eating ice cream or drinking a milkshake before bed can leave you congested. It’s best to avoid snacking before bedtime, as it can interfere with your sleep quality.

However, if you need a late-night snack, try munching on whole grains or veggies and avoiding sugars. You can also consider the benefits of a protein shake before bed if you want something more filling.

We also suggest eating foods high in protein at dinner time like salmon, tuna, or turkey. The high protein content in these meats works to combat the production of mucus and contain minerals to enhance your rest.

Drink More Water

Drinking plenty of fluids reduces your chances of snoring because water eases nasal congestion and slows down mucus production. When you are dehydrated, your nasal passages become dry, making it difficult to breathe at night. Dehydration also leads to thickened mucus in the mouth and throat, causing the surfaces in the nasal passages to stick together and worsening snoring.

Staying hydrated can keep mucus from building up in your nose and throat so you’ll be able to breathe easier while asleep. Plus, drinking eight glasses of water a day will improve your metabolism and curb cravings. So, if extra pounds are also contributing to your snoring, hydration will help.

Practice Daily Anti-Snoring Throat Exercises

Strengthening the muscles in your throat helps some people put an end to their snoring. Here are some exercises you can practice:

1. Repeat each vowel (a-e-i-o-u) out loud for three minutes a few times a day.
2. Place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth and slide your tongue across them for three minutes a day.
3. Close your mouth and purse your lips and hold for 30 seconds.
4. Open and move your jaw to the right and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the left side.
5. With your mouth open, slide the tip of your tongue backward along your hard palate as far back as it will go. Repeat 20 times.

Improve Your Sleep Hygiene Habits

It’s common for people to snore louder and more frequently when they are sleep-deprived. When your body is extremely tired, your muscles become more relaxed than usual. This causes the larynx, a muscle that forms air passage to the lungs, to collapse, resulting in a snore.

To get better sleep at night and prevent exhaustion, improve your sleep hygiene habits. You can improve sleep hygiene by following a consistent bedtime schedule, avoiding blue light before bed, creating a relaxing bedroom environment, and eating healthy dinners with sleep-inducing foods.

Knowing When to Seek Medical Attention

If at-home remedies are helping with your snoring, you may suffer from a sleep disorder that needs medical attention. In cases of sleep disorders, it’s common for health professionals to suggest medical devices and surgeries as a treatment for severe snoring.

Medical Devices for Snoring

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP machines are a popular treatment option for sleep apnea and snoring. A CPAP machine uses a mask to deliver a continuous flow of air into the nostrils. The constant air flow into the nostrils from CPAP keeps that breathing steady while you sleep.

There are two variations of CPAP machines physicians usually suggest, including the BiPAP, which has two levels of air pressure, and the VPAP for varying levels of air pressure.

Your doctor may also recommend a palatal implant as a treatment option. These are oral implants designed to relieve snoring and other disturbing symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. Palatal implants stiffen and are permanently placed into the soft palate, minimizing the vibrations in your airways.

If you travel frequently, you’ll also need a mini CPAP machine that you can take with you on the go. Additionally, if you’re not staying in a hotel and are looking to use CPAP while camping, you’ll likely need other accessories such as a portable battery.

SEE ALSO: The Best CPAP Cleaner

Surgical Options

Your doctor may suggest minor surgery to correct your snoring. Here are some surgeries you inquire about with your doctor.

• Somnoplasty: A minimally invasive procedure that reduces the soft tissue in the upper airways or back of the throat
• Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: This procedure removes the tonsils, and/or adenoids that could be causing your snoring.
• Palate surgery: Your doctor may recommend removing certain tissues of the soft palate that may be making it difficult to breathe.

FAQs

Why do I snore loudly?

Snoring loudly could be a sign that you are sleep deprived. When you are in deep sleep, the muscles in your body tend to be more relaxed. When the air passages in your throat are too relaxed, they can create a blockage, causing the snoring effect or pattern to be more abrupt.

What foods help with snoring?

Foods that help with snoring include soymilk, fish, and honey because these items are proven to prevent mucus from building up when you fall asleep. You should also avoid sugary and greasy food before bed, since they are difficult to digest. Improper digestion can cause heartburn or discomfort in the chest and may worsen with lying down. Nighttime heartburn can also result in throat irritation and chest congestion, which may produce a snore.

What should I do if my partner’s snoring is disrupting my sleep?

Communicate with your partner about the issues that are affecting your sleep. Making your partner aware of their snoring will allow you to work together to find a solution for a good night’s sleep. You can start by encouraging them to make some lifestyle changes or switch their sleep position.

Should I contact a health professional if I snore frequently?

Snoring that occurs often could be a sign that you are suffering from a medical condition. If you have tried to implement lifestyle changes but haven’t had any luck, try talking with your doctor about your concerns. Consulting with a doctor can help you identify the cause of your snoring, and your doctor may be able to assist you in finding better solutions.

If I snore, is my lifestyle unhealthy?

Snoring every now and again is not unhealthy, but if you just recently started snoring, it might be due to your poor lifestyle habits. It’s common for long-term snorers to have unhealthy sleep habits, like sleeping at inconsistent times or falling asleep with distractions. Bad sleep habits can cause sleep deprivation—a contributing factor for louder, and more frequent bouts of snoring.

Conclusion

Snoring frequently is not something that should be ignored. Home remedies may be all you need to stop snoring, but they are not a guarantee. If remedies and lifestyle changes do not work, it could be a sign that you need medical attention. If your snoring persists, contact a physician to address your concerns and work toward better sleep.