How to stop snoring

Snoring happens whenever air can’t move into your airways when you sleep. As your breath attempts to make it through your airways, it clatters against the membranes in your nasal pasages and throat, resulting in a snoring noise.

The truth is that everybody snores. Some of us occasionally snore, especially after a night of heavy drinking or when you have a clogged nose.

However, if you snore frequently, it may be a symptom of something more severe. Snoring may be a precursor of sleep disorders like sleep apnea, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic health conditions.

Snoring may be bad for others near you as well. If your snoring is keeping your partner up at night, it can cause a strain in your relationship.

The question is if you snore, what should you do? The primary measure is to understand the basis behind your snoring. Then you can move forward in tackling it by a variety of lifestyle changes, behavioural techniques, or in some cases by medical intervention.

Whether you or your partner snores, my guide will answer your questions about this issue. You need to understand what causes snoring and how to stop snoring.

What Causes Snoring?

The reason for snoring is pretty simple: whenever air can’t flow into your airways when you sleep, snoring occurs. As air tries to make it into your airways, it vibrates against the airway tissues resulting in a snoring sound.

How do you know if you are snoring?

Most people only find out they snore by their sleeping partner. However, if you live alone, you still can determine if you snore.

Here’s a quick way to tell if you routinely snore:

• Wake up with a headache 
• Wake up with a dry mouth
• Feel tired all day
• You abruptly wake up during the night for no reason
• Wake up during the night snorting or coughing

If you’re encountering any of these symptoms, you may snore.

Causes of Snoring

Snoring happens whenever your airways become restrained, thus reducing your ability to breathe while you sleep correctly. The reduction of your airways can occur from a mixture of circumstances which may be short-lived or perpetual. For example, it may be too much alcohol, enlarged tonsils, or fatty tissue from obesity narrowing your airways. Following are common causes of snoring:

• Obesity: When you’re overweight, fatty tissues are more likely to obstruct your throat and cause snoring.
• Pregnancy: During pregnancy, gain weight maycontribute to snoring. 
• Gender: Men are almost twice as likely to snore than women because males have their larynxes which leaves more space in their throat. As they sleep, their tongue may slip back into this area, producing a narrowing of the airway.
• Age: As we age, our throat becomes narrower, and the muscle tone reduces, which may reduce your airways. 
• Large tonsils or adenoids: You may be born with large tonsils or adenoids, which can make you more likely to snore.
• Nasal deformity or injury: Nasal deformities from birth or trauma (such as a deviated septum) can block the airways and make it challenging to breathe clearly. 
• Sinus congestion or allergies: A stuffy nose or chronic allergies can cause snoring.
• Medication side effects: Some medications that relax the body may also relax the throat and nasal muscles, causing snoring.
• Alcohol: Alcohol is a depressant and has a sedative influence on the body, thus relaxing the breathing muscles and causing snoring.
• Smoking: Smoking cigarettes inflames your nose and throat, resulting in congestion and restricted airways.
• Back Sleeping:  Can obstruct the airways and cause snoring.
• Sleep apnea: Snoring sounds more like gasping or choking, coupled with fatigued during the day may be a symptom of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a critical sleep-related breathing ailment that needs proper investigation and treatment.

How to Stop Snoring Immediately

Depending on what’s producing your snoring, here are several strategies will be more productive at preventing or diminishing your snoring.

Tips for at Home to Stop Snoring Immediately:

• Sleep on your side: If you sleep on your back, ending your snoring could be as simple as turning to your side. Assure you get a great pillow that keeps your neck and spine aligned, ideal for keeping the airways open. 
• Diet: Large meals before bed upset sleep and may worsen your snoring. For a more comfortable sleep, eat supper at least a few hours before bed.
• Exercise: Exercise helps you lose weight, reducing snoring, but it also strengthens muscle tone throughout your body. 
• Incorporate anti-snoring exercises:  Try to strengthen your throat muscles, particularly with any one of the following exercises:
  • Purse your lips with mouth closed for 15 seconds.
  • Open your mouth and shift your jaw to one side. Hold for 15 seconds, then turn it to the opposite side for 15 seconds.
  • Place the tip of your tongue upon your top front teeth, and then slide it back along the ridge of your mouth for 60 seconds.
• Stop smoking: Smoking dries out your nasal membranes, making snoring louder.
• Avoid alcohol: Alcohol, mainly before bed, relaxes your muscles and increases your chances of snoring.
• Increase water intake: Avoid drying out your mouth (and making snoring louder) by staying hydrated throughout the day.
• Speak with your doctor about your medications or sleeping pills: Some medicines may have sedative side effects that can relax throat muscles or may dry out your mouth. 
• Try a humidifier in your bedroom. By having the air in your bedroom, moist may limit air from drying out your nasal membranes.
• Get a HEPA filter. Clearing the air of allergens may aid in reducing nasal congestion.
• Try anti-snoring nasal strips. These strips flatten your nose, whereby freeing up your nostrils. 
• Get a great pillow: A great pillow will keep your head in an ideal position for open airways.

• Great Mattress:  No point getting a great pillow if you have the wrong mattress. Your pillow and mattress should work in conjunction with each other.

Medical treatment for snoring

CPAP therapy (continuous positive airway pressure)

: 

CPAP is the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. If your sleep apnea causes your snoring, you will first need to get a proper diagnosis from a sleep study. If needed, your doctor will have you fitted for a CPAP device. These appliances are connected by a tube to a mask you wear on your face while you sleep in which this instrument delivers a consistent amount of air pressure to keep your airways open.

Surgical procedures:

In severe cases, surgery might be recommended to address specific areas of your airway that are blocked and causing snoring. Areas of surgery include:

• septum
• uvula
• soft palate
• tonsils

Resources to help you stop snoring

•  Harvard Medical School’s Snoring Solutions.
• Forums like the reddit, 
• British Snoring Association: Snoring & Sleep
• World Forum Snore World