Snoring is caused by irregular airflow that makes the soft tissues in the mouth or throat vibrate enough to produce a harsh or rumbling sound while a person is sleeping. The most common cause of this irregular airflow is obstructions in the mouth, nasal cavity, or throat. There are several things that can lead to blockages in the airway.
How To Prevent Snoring?
Most people would agree that snoring is a nuisance. Whether you are the snorer or the bedmate of one, you just want the noise to stop. Like most medical problems, the best way to treat snoring is to keep it from occurring in the first place. Here are a few ways you can prevent snoring.
Avoid Cigarette/Cigar Smoke
Smoking contributes to snoring by causing congestion in the nose and lungs. You don’t have to be the one smoking either. Contact with secondhand smoke is just as harmful as lighting up yourself. Stop smoking, avoid smoking areas, and encourage your loved ones to drop the habit.
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Avoid Drugs and Alcohol Before Bed
Illicit drugs, prescription medications, and alcohol relax the muscles in the body including the ones in the throat. This relaxation encourages the throat to collapse, leading to a long night of snoring. If you want to consume these substances, do so at least four hours before you go to bed.
Remove Allergens
Contact with allergens can make the nasal passages swell which inhibit breathing and cause snoring. While you may love having your dog lay at the foot of your bed, you’re going to have to kick him out if he is causing you to snore. Look around your bedroom and get rid of things that may be aggravating your allergies.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
In addition to causing a host of medical problems, excess weight contributes to snoring. The extra fat around the throat makes the tissues more prone to collapsing. People who are overweight also have a higher risk of developing sleep apnea. Losing weight will improve your overall health and reduce snoring.
Change Sleeping Positions
The soft tissues of the mouth and throat are generally loose and floppy. This makes them more prone to the effects of gravity. Sleeping on your back can make the tissues fall back into the throat and obstruct the airway. Turning on your side can prevent this from happening and prevent snoring. If you are not able to sleep on your side, try propping your head and shoulders up with pillows.
Self-Help Cures to Stop Snoring
Whether you have snored for years or the condition is a recent development, it is possible to reduce or eliminate snoring. There are several home remedies and treatments you can use to stop snoring quickly and safely. Be aware, though, that one size doesn’t fit all and you may need to use multiple methods to free yourself and your bedmate from snoring.
Lifestyle Changes
For most people, their snoring is directly related to their lifestyle choices. Try making these changes to quit snoring.
Stop smoking – Cigarette and cigar smoke causes congestion in the lungs and nasal passages. It also irritates and inflames the tissues in the mouth and throat. Quit smoking if you are a smoker and avoid being around smoke if you are a non-smoker.
Avoid alcohol or muscle-relaxing drugs – These substances can relax the muscles in the throat and make them more prone to collapse. Limit alcohol intake to 1 to 2 drinks per day, and consume drugs and alcohol at least 4 hours before bedtime.
Lose weight – Excess fat around the throat can cause snoring. Even a little as ten extra pounds can contribute to a snoring problem. Improve your overall health and sleep better by taking off the extra pounds.
Don’t eat before bedtime – Avoid eating heavy meals and mucus-producing foods like milk and ice cream before bedtime.
Remove allergens in your environment – Even substances that you are only mildly allergic too can cause blockages in the nasal passages that lead to snoring. Clear your home, especially your bedroom, of items that induce an allergic reaction.
Do throat exercises– Throat exercises can strengthen those muscles and make them less likely to collapse. In lieu of doing the following exercises, you can sing or take up an instrument that gives your mouth and throat a good workout.
- Purse your lips for 30 seconds
- Repeat each vowel aloud for 3 minutes
- Open your mouth and hold your jaw to the left and right for 30 seconds each
- Open your mouth and contract the muscles in the back of your throat for 30 seconds
Bedtime Routine Changes
Sleep differently – Sleeping on your back can induce or aggravate snoring. Sleep on your side or prop your head and shoulders up at least 4 inches. If you are having a hard time learning to sleep on your side, place a tennis ball in a sock and pin it to the back of your pajama bottom. When you roll on your back, the discomfort will force you to roll onto your side again.
Use a humidifier – The tissues of the throat and nose can become irritated and inflamed by dry air. Keep the air moist with a humidifier.
Clear nasal passages – Nasal congestion leads to snoring. Take time before going to bed to clear you nasal passages using decongestants or strips.
Use dental appliances – If a misaligned jaw is causing your snoring, use a dental appliance to correct the condition.
Over-the-counter remedies – Use an over-the-counter spray or medication to help alleviate your snoring. Be careful and choose a product that does not cause side effects.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
The most common cause of snoring is obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This is a medical disorder where the walls of the throat partially or completely collapse and obstruct the airway. In addition to snoring, OSA can cut off a person’s breathing which leads to frequent arousal during the night to jumpstart breathing. People with this condition experience fatigue or excessive sleepiness during the day, headaches, choking or gasping at night, restless sleep, and mood instability.
Anatomy of the Mouth
Snoring can be caused by irregularities in the mouth and jaw. Soft palates that are low and thick, enlarged tonsils, or an elongated uvula can narrow the airway and amplify the vibrations that cause snoring. The tension in the jaw muscles can push the jaw out of normal alignment, which inadvertently blocks the passage of air.
Nasal Problems
The body prefers to breathe through the nose and obstructions in the nasal cavities can cause snoring. These blockages can be anything from congestion due to viral infection or seasonal allergies to swollen blood vessels in the nose that narrow the passageway. Typically, snoring caused by nasal obstructions goes away once the reason for the blockage has passed.
Excess Weight
Being overweight can cause fat to pile up around the throat and contribute to narrow airways. It is also a risk factor for sleep apnea. Oftentimes losing weight can alleviate snoring.
Consumption of Alcohol or Drugs
Alcohol, certain illicit drugs, and some prescription medications relax the muscles in the body, including the ones in the throat. In addition to causing snoring, these substances can aggravate obstructive sleep apnea.
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Sleeping Position and Stage
Sleeping on your back is a common cause of snoring. Because they are soft and floppy, gravity pulls down the tissues of the pharynx, palate, tongue, and tonsils. This can obstruct the airway enough to cause snoring and is frequently the reason why your bed mate pokes you at night to make you turn on your side.
Although snoring can occur at any stage of sleep, it occurs most often during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. During this stage, the brain sends out a chemical that paralyzes all of the muscles in the body to prevent the person from acting out his or her dreams. This level of relaxation makes it easier for the soft tissues in the throat and mouth to collapses, especially if the person is sleeping on his or her back.
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