Sleep Better Tonight: 6 Strategies to Help Curb Snoring
Snoring can be a major nuisance that keeps you and your partner up at night. But beyond disrupting sleep, snoring can also be a sign of a more serious health condition, like sleep apnea.
Thankfully, there are many strategies you can try to help reduce or stop snoring. In this article, we’ll explore six simple tips that may help you or your partner curb bothersome snoring and sleep better.
1. Check Your Sleep Position
One of the easiest ways to cut back on snoring is to adjust your sleep position. Sleeping on your back allows the base of your tongue and soft palate to collapse backward into your airway, vibrating as you breathe to create the snoring sound.
Instead, try sleeping on your side. This helps open your airway and decreases the chances of snoring throughout the night. You can prop a pillow behind you to prevent rolling onto your back or use a body pillow for comfort.
If side sleeping is uncomfortable, try elevating your head with extra pillows to keep your airway open.
2. Lose Excess Weight
Carrying extra weight, especially around your neck and throat, squeezes your airway and can lead to snoring. Losing weight is one of the most effective ways to reduce snoring in overweight individuals.
Even a modest amount of weight loss can open up your breathing passages and decrease tissue obstruction in your throat while sleeping. Work on lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and activity levels to lose those extra pounds.
3. Limit Alcohol Before Bed
Drinking alcohol too close to bedtime can increase your chances of snoring. Alcohol is a muscle relaxant that can cause the muscles in your throat to loosen and collapse. This restricts air movement and creates the vibrations we hear as snoring.
Avoid drinking for at least 2-3 hours before going to sleep. The effects from alcohol need time to wear off so throat muscles can function properly again. Limit yourself to no more than one drink in the evenings.
4. Avoid Sedatives
The use of tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and antihistamines as sleep aids can actually worsen snoring. These sedatives depress your central nervous system, causing excessive throat relaxation.
Avoid taking sedatives close to bedtime. Use alternative relaxation methods like yoga, meditation, or chamomile tea to wind down before sleeping. Also, make sure any essential medications you take don’t list snoring as a side effect.
5. Use Devices or Strips
There are many anti-snoring devices available that may help open your airway while you sleep. Nasal dilators and adhesive strips lift tissue in the nose to improve airflow. Mandibular advancement devices pull the lower jaw forward to prevent the tongue from collapsing backward.
You can also find throat sprays that lubricate and tighten tissue in the throat, as well as special pillows designed to keep airways open. Talk to your doctor to discuss which option may work best for your snoring.
6. Monitor Snoring Patterns
A snoring tracker app can help you gather important data on your snoring habits so you can pinpoint causes and solutions. Apps use microphones and sound technology to record and analyze snoring events throughout the night.
Features may include tracking snore volume and frequency, monitoring sleep positions, providing nightly snoring reports, and rating sleep quality. Having detailed records of your snoring can help identify patterns and determine which remedies work best for you.
The key to curbing bothersome snoring is finding the right strategies that address the specific reason behind your nighttime noise. Try incorporating a few of these tips for several weeks to see if your snoring improves.
Don’t forget to also speak with your doctor to rule out serious conditions like sleep apnea. With patience and perseverance, peaceful and quieter nights are within your reach.