If you snore, don't worry you're not alone. It is widely believed that more than half the people in the world snore at some point in their lives. Some studies claim that snoring is more common in men with 40 percent of adult men and 24 percent of adult women being habitual snorers. And, stop snoring is likely to run in families and becomes more recurrent as you get older. This sleeping habit affects both the quantity and quality of sleep, especially for the people sleeping next to them. A common question that arises is, how to stop snoring? The answer is simple, there are a number of lifestyle changes that can be adopted to reduce, if not stop your snoring.
Why Do People Snore?
Snoring is a sleep-centric disorder that occurs when air flows through your throat whilst breathing. When the following happens, the relaxed tissues in your throat start to vibrate and cause harsh and irritating sounds that are termed snoring sounds.
Snoring can create a major rift in your personal life as it may not bother the snorer but it definitely irritates and disrupts the sleep of your partner sleeping next to you. Snoring occasionally and mildly can be quite normal. But, severe snoring is not a condition to ignore as it can be a sign of serious health concerns.
Snoring Concerns:
Snoring may be a cause for concern as severe and frequent snoring can lead to a sleep disorder called, Obstructive Sleep Apnea. There are various conditions why you might be snoring. These are described below:
- Obesity
- An issue with the structure of your mouth i.e. mispositioned jaw.
- Blocked nose
- Sleep deprivation
- Use of alcohol or narcotics
- Enlargement of tonsils
- Fat content in and around the throat
- Incorrect sleeping posture
Lifestyle Changes to Fix your Snoring Habit (Stop Snoring)?
In some cases of snoring, it's important to seek a doctor's care and advice in order to get the medical treatment you need to address the underlying condition. In other cases, there are a number of lifestyle changes that can be adopted to effectively stop snoring. These lifestyle changes are as follows:
1. Lose weight
If you are overweight, you should work towards losing weight. This will help reduce the amount of tissue in the throat that might be causing the unfriendly snoring sounds. To lose weight, consume fewer calories, more proteins (healthy foods), and make sure you exercise religiously.
2. Change sleeping posture
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Sleep Sideways. Image Source[/caption] Many times snoring is connected to the position you sleep in. As sleeping on your back, many times causes the tongue to move to the back of the throat. This partly blocks the airflow through your throat thereby causing the harsh snoring sounds. Therefore, you could correct this by simply sleeping on your side so that the air flows through the throat and helps to reduce or stop your snoring.
3. Raise up the head of your bed
It is often believed that elevating the head of your bed by a couple of inches may help reduce your snoring by keeping your airways open. This reduces the chances of the tongue falling back and decreasing the airflow resistance, making it easier to breathe.
4. Open up nasal passages
More often than not, snoring occurs because of a blocked nose that blocks the airs you breathe, disrupting your breathing process. Nasal strips can be placed on the bridge of the nose to help increase the space in the nasal passage. This can make your breathing more effective as it clears the blocked nasal passage and reduces or eliminate your snoring.
5. Treat chronic allergies
Most people are unaware of the fact that allergies can reduce airflow through your nose, forcing you to breathe through your mouth. Therefore, if you are a patient of chronic allergies, you are more likely to snore. Thus, visit your doctor to seek advice regarding which allergy medications to consume to improve your condition.
6. Limit or avoid alcohol intake before bedtime
Alcohol intake can cause relaxation of throat muscles that cause you to snore. Thus, try to avoid consuming alcohol for at least two hours prior to your bedtime.
7. Stop smoking
Smoking is an unhealthy habit in general. With respect to snoring, smoking causes nasal congestion which is one of the major reasons for snoring. Therefore, to stop snoring, stop smoking.
8. Get enough sleep
By following a regular sleeping pattern, you can reduce the odds of snoring. Therefore, avoid sleeping at odd hours and follow a fixed and regular sleeping routine. Make sure you sleep and wake on time and have a minimum of six to eight hours of sleep each night. This habit will not only stop your snoring but enable you to experience better quantity and quality of sleep.
Also read about: Why a good night's sleep is essential9. Avoid taking sedatives before bed
Taking regular sedatives before bed may hamper your sleep cycle and pattern. And, this may cause you to snore. Therefore, simply stopping sedative use before bed may ease your snoring if not stop it completely.
Also read about: Do Sleeping Pills help with Sleep Disorders?10. Practice Yoga
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Image Source[/caption] Do yoga to stop snoring. There are a number of postures such as Pranayama that help you to increase your control over breathing. By regular practice of pranayama, you can take deep, slow and controlled breaths and reduce or stop snoring.
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