More than half of American adults suffer from snoring problems. It can be an embarrassing and disruptive not just to the person, but to the life/sleep partner and the entire members of the household. If you found that it is ruining your relationship, it is important to cure it by identifying the possible causes for your snoring.
Natural Remedies to Stop Snoring
Snoring is often harmless. Trying the following lifestyle changes and natural remedies to stop snoring provides you with better results.
Keep a healthy weight
Overweight causes you to have extra tissues in your throat that narrows the air passage and that adds snoring. Maintain your weight with proper diet and healthy exercise.
Stay away from alcohol, sedatives, and smoking
While alcohol and sedatives like sleeping pills made muscles in the body, including the throat and jaw to relax, smoking causes inflammation to the tender lining of the throat and narrows the air passages and causes snoring.
It's good to avoid alcohol consumption at least three hours before sleeping and inform your doctor about the snoring problems before taking sedatives or any medications. Quitting smoking can provide you with numerous health benefits.
Try changing sleep positions and pillows
The best sleeping position for snoring people is sided position rather than lying on the back. Lying on the back allows your tongue and soft palate to fall back into your airway and cause you to snore. If you end up sleeping on your back while you are unconscious, the “Tennis Ball Trick” can help you where tennis balls are taped to the back of your pajamas.
Also, change your pillow with a comfortable anti-snore pillow that helps to elevate your head at night and thereby avoids blocking of airways.
Treat chronic allergies
Allergies obstruct your airflow through the nose and cause breathing through the mouth which results in snoring. Treat your allergies to improve health as well as snoring conditions.
Tongue and throat exercises
Though it looks silly, throat or oropharyngeal exercises strengthen your weak, flaccid throat muscles and reduce the probability of frequent snoring. Try some exercises daily for a minimum of three months and get yourself freed from snoring problems.
Medical Treatments for snoring
If you have tried enough natural remedies for snoring and none of them appears to be effective, don’t give up hope. It is good to talk to your doctor or visit sleep clinic as medical options are available that could make a difference. New progress in the medical cures of snoring and devices involved with the treatment are becoming more effective and comfortable rather than before for your terrible snoring problems.
CPAP machines
Snoring out of control indicates that you have sleep apnea, which is the severe form of snoring. The ideal treatment for sleep apnea is Continuous Positive Air Pressure or CPAP device that keeps your airways open during sleep. In this medical approach, the person wears a mask, often called CPAP masks over the nose and/or mouth while sleeping. The mask directs the continuous flow of pressurized air from the CPAP device to your nostrils and face and as a result breathing is not impaired. CPAP masks for side sleepers show greater results and is very popular. In order to suit your comfort level including nasal pillows, nasal masks, full face masks, etc. a wide variety of devices are available.
Oral appliances
One way to treat excessive snoring is the usage of oral appliances, which are form-fitting dental mouthpieces. It helps to improve the position of jaw, tongue and throat muscles from becoming too relaxed and keep your air passage open.
Oral appliances are one of the widely used treatments for sleep apnea and snoring problems. From the numerous options, your orthodontist or dentist can suggest you the best one that suits your particular needs in the safest way.
Chin straps
Chin strap is a helpful solution for people who snore because of their breathing through the mouth. The device which is normally made of flexible fabric is laid under your chin and provides support to the chin. It keeps your mouth shut while sleeping and make you breathe via nasal passages. In this way, it minimizes the chance of obstructed breathing and snoring developed form it.
Surgical procedures
In order to correct the physical problems like deviated nasal spectrum, big tonsils, and adenoids, or another upper airway narrowing, surgery is the best alternative. The surgical procedures include somnoplasty, adenoidectomy, palate surgery, upper airway surgery, etc. An ear, nose and throat specialist can help you in performing surgeries by meeting your demands in the safest way.
Kate Brownell is a well-known lifestyle writer. She has lots of experience and she shares her knowledge with this article for people how are suffering from a sleep disorder. She recommends the use of CPAP masks for side sleepers to get rid of sleep apnea.