According to statistics, 24% of adult females and 40% of adult males are heavy snorers. Do you snore like a banshee, making it harder for your partner to have a great sleep? If yes, then you should definitely do something about it.
Snoring like a foghorn whenever you hit the sack not only annoys your partner and ruin their night’s sleep, but it can also have a serious, negative impact on their health due to lack of proper sleep. Clumsiness, daytime sleepiness, fatigue as well as weight gain are some of the common problems that can arise due to sleep deprivation. Ultimately, lack of sleep can affect your partner’s brain as well as cognitive functions.
What Are the Causes of Snoring?
As you can see, snoring is a bad thing for your partner and you need to find ways to stop it! So today we will educate you on how to get rid of this destructive problem once and for all. First though, let us look at the causes of snoring since identifying the root cause of a problem is always the first step toward getting rid of the problem successfully. According to a good number of snoring and sleeping informational sites, these are the common causes of snoring;
- Your Sleep Position
- Alcohol Consumption
- Your Nasal Passages
- Overweight Problems
- Fat individuals may have extra tissues in the back of their throats that may narrow their airways, causing them to snore while they are asleep.
- Your Mouth’s Anatomy
- Having a low, thick soft palate can narrow your airway, causing you to snore while you are asleep
- Age
- There is no doubt that age is one of the key factors that can cause snoring. Have you ever observed that the majority of males who tend to snore are in their middle age? It is one of the proofs that age can cause this problem. As you grow older, your throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in your throat reduces.
Ways to Keep Yourself from Snoring
You can get rid of your snoring problem regardless of what is causing it and here is how;
1. Change Your Sleep Position
- Your sleep position is the number one culprit of your snoring problem. Lying on your back makes the lower part of your tongue and soft palate contract to the back wall of your throat, causing snoring during sleep. You can avoid this type of snoring by sleeping on your side rather than sleeping on your back.
- There are several ways to avoid sleeping on your back. For instance, one of them is to use a body pillow to help you maintain sleeping on your side.
2. Do Not Drink Alcohol Close to Bedtime
- Your muscle tone and muscle tension are two factors that can significantly affect your respiratory process, resulting in deep snoring problems. Muscle tension is the state in which your body muscles remain semi-contracted for an extended period. Muscle tone, on the other hand, refers to the degree of muscle tension whenever your muscles are at rest.
- Snoring occurs when the muscles that form part of your respiratory system relax more often than necessary during sleep. As your muscles relax, your air passage becomes narrower, especially during inhalation, causing a vibrating sound. Alcohol causes you to snore by reducing your muscle tension, causing your muscles to relax more often than they should.
- Avoiding alcohol consumption close to bedtime can help prevent the problem of snoring. Therefore, only drink in the daytime that is if you have a snoring problem.
3. Open Your Nasal Passages.
Common cold can cause a stuffy nose that is clogged with mucus. Consequently, these symptoms can lead to heavy snoring because the airway is obstructed. To avoid snoring while sleeping, keep your nasal passages open and free from mucus. If you have influenza, take appropriate medication to get rid of the symptoms that can consequently lead to snoring.
4. Practice Good Sleep Habits
Practicing poor sleep habits can have a negative effect on how you sleep. Depriving yourself of sleep due to working long hours, for instance, means when you finally hit the hay you are beyond exhausted. You sleep hard and deep, and your muscles become more relaxed, causing you to snore like a banshee.
5. Make Some Lifestyle Changes to Age-Related Snoring
As said earlier, age is one of the key culprits of the problem of snoring. As much as there is nothing you can do about growing older, doing throat workouts, adapting new bedtime routines as well as making a few changes to your lifestyle can all help to limit your snoring.
6. Buy an Anti-Snoring Device
Did you know that there are specific devices that snorers can place in their mouth before going to bed to help prevent snoring? Mouth devices that are designed for people with snoring problems are available on the market. These appliances, which resemble a boxer’s mouth guard brings your tongue and lower jaw forward during sleep, thereby expanding your airway to avoid snoring. Although a professionally-assembled mouth appliance can be costly, affordable DIY options are also available.
7. Avoid Sleeping while Your Mouth Is Open
Sleeping with your mouth open is another major culprit of snoring. In fact, a good number of snorers have this problem due to sleeping with their mouth open. Keep your mouth closed to breathe correctly through your nasal airway. Doing so will prevent you from snoring and disturbing others at night. Practice keeping your mouth closed until you get used to it.
These are some of the best home remedies for snoring that we know. Changing your sleep position, not taking alcohol close to bedtime, taking the appropriate medication to unclog your respiratory system whenever you have a common cold and practicing good sleep habits will significantly improve how you sleep. If none of the above solutions work, avoid sleeping with your mouth open or use an anti-snoring device. Snoring is stoppable and you do not have to bother people with your snores every time you hit the hay. Try out the above solutions and choose the one that works for you.
