Consider trying to sleep with a noisy diesel engine in your bedroom. The sound of snoring is often just as loud. This horrible sound can actually endanger your health as well as that of your sleeping partner. Luckily, there are plenty of self-help tips, professional snoring solutions, and even mouthpieces that can help with this problem.
What causes snoring?
The flabby, relaxed tissues at the back of your throat, including your palate and uvula, can vibrate if there’s enough force of air moving around during sleep breathing. Think of a flag when there is no breeze; he’s just laying there, but when there’s a big breeze, the flag flutters and makes a loud noise. Of course, a stiff fixed flag probably won’t fly. Age, certain anatomical variations, and sedative drugs, including alcohol, can all relax airway tissues, creating the flappy flag comparison. Weight gain increases fat around the neck, which can further narrow the airways. Greater airway force or greater wind speed is needed to get enough air during sleep when the airway is constricted due to neck fat or some other type of obstruction. Treatments that open or constrict the airways, such as certain surgeries or a snoring mouthpiece, can improve breathing during sleep and reduce snoring.
Social and medical snoring problems
Snoring is the number one medical problem cited as a cause of divorce. Your sleep partner’s health may also suffer as their sleep is fragmented by their disturbed sleep. Sexual performance issues are common with snoring. Generally, as the volume of snoring increases, the potential medical problems also increase. Since snoring is also associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), there is much concern as OSA is associated with multiple medical conditions including cardiovascular disease, GERD, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and other diseases.
Tips and remedies to stop snoring
Most people try self-help advice first before consulting professional sleep doctors or dentists.
Nasal airways
- Since mouth breathing is commonly seen in snorers, you can try nose breathing using a chin strap to force yourself to breathe through your nose or a form of nasal airway enhancement such as a nostril expander.
- Use one of the over-the-counter nasal sprays if you have trouble breathing through your nose. Some effective sprays require a doctor’s prescription. For example, people often snore if they have a cold and cannot breathe through their nose.
- Breathing nasal strips can hold the nostrils open to prevent nasal drooping during sleep. Since the band makes it easier to inhale through the nose, the reduced inspiratory air pressure can reduce the force of vibration that causes snoring.
- The Neti Pot or other similar nasal irrigation products help keep the airways moist and clean. It can reduce nasal obstruction during sleep and reduce snoring.
Lifestyle changes
- Losing weight. Since excess fat blocks the airways, weight loss can re-open the airways to reduce snoring. Excess fat also reduces the diaphragm’s breathing efficiency.
- Stop smoking. Smoking causes throat irritation and inflammation and snoring.
- Reduce or eliminate alcohol intake, especially within 3 hours of bedtime. Alcohol relaxes all muscles, including the airway muscles of the upper respiratory tract. Alcohol further complicates your sleep as normal sleep patterns are disrupted. You may have drunken dreams. Sedatives can cause a similar problem of airway relaxation.
- Do not eat lager or caffeine within 4 hours of bedtime. A very large meal can affect the movement of the diaphragm. This reduced efficiency will require greater respiratory effort and increased wind speed when inhaling during sleep. More wind speed equals more vibration and hum.
- You could sleep alone to avoid disturbing your partner.
- Some partners used white sound machines and earplugs to block snoring.
Sleep habits
- Keep your head up while you sleep. Some pillows have a certain configuration that claims to reduce airway sagging.
- Do not sleep on your back as gravity tends to close the airways in this position. Sleep on your side.
- Sleep at the same time every night.
Get an anti-snoring mouthpiece online
These mouthpieces stiffen and open the airway by moving your jaw forward or holding your tongue forward of your mouth, which opens the airway to reduce your snoring.
- For some people, a user self-adjusting anti-snore mouthpiece available online may be the answer.
- While others may want a custom made mouthpiece from a dental lab to help them snore.
- Some prescription mouthpieces are available that hold the tongue forward. These require interaction with a sleep professional from an online service since a medical history questionnaire is required.
Professional stop snoring solutions
Dentists trained in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing as well as sleep doctors can offer the best solution for people with complicated snoring problems. These professionals often work as a team to provide the best anti-snoring solution.
- If you have allergies that prevent nasal breathing, these must be treated to overcome the nasal obstruction. Treat your allergies.
- In some cases, surgery can remove or stiffen the soft tissue causing snoring. Approach this solution cautiously as the results are not always successful.
- Professionally trained sleep dentists can make dental mouthpieces to treat snoring. These dental mouthpieces will provide a more durable and comfortable fit than the self-adjusting varieties available on the internet.
There are many solutions to stop snoring. If you are not successful with self-help solutions, consult your dentist or a medical professional.
