How to Stop Snoring: 10 Secrets to Stop Sawing Logs Author: Purple Staff Share Tweet Share

Snoring – it’s ruined many a peaceful night’s sleep in countless households. It’s hard to get sufficient, restful shut-eye when someone next to you is sawing logs all night long. And more importantly, consistent snoring could be a sign of a serious sleep condition like sleep apnea or other health problems. But whether it’s you or your sleeping partner who’s the nocturnal nuisance, you have some options for ways to keep the snoring to a minimum. Keep reading for our top secrets for shutting down nighttime snoring and getting a good night’s sleep. How to Stop Snoring Get plenty of exercise

Change your sleeping position

Stop smoking

Use a humidifier

Establish a consistent sleep routine

Clean nasal passages before bed

Avoid inflammatory foods

Be careful with alcohol and sedatives

Reduce bedroom allergens

Treat sleep apnea Nearly half the U.S. adult population snores – at least occasionally, and a full quarter snore habitually. There’s a big difference between the infrequent bout of snoring and consistent, trumpeting, keep-everyone-else-awake snoring that can lead to poor sleep for both the snorer and his/her sleeping partner. Chronic and habitual snoring can lead to sleep deprivation for both the snorer and anyone within hearing distance. Why do we snore? Well, when we fall asleep, all the muscles in our neck and throat relax. That sounds like a good thing, but sometimes they can get too relaxed. When that happens, the airway through our noses and throats gets narrower, making it difficult for air to pass through as we breathe. When air passes through a constricted airway, the tissues inside it vibrate – creating a most horrible concerto that no one enjoys listening to. The narrower your airway – possibly caused by aggravated by allergies or congestion – the louder the snoring. Is it true that men snore more than women? Fun fact: Thanks to our good old friend biology, men typically have narrower airways than women, so they are statistically more likely to snore. Sorry, guys. Most of the time, snoring is considered a minor issue that can be remedied with some simple techniques and habit changes that help keep that airway more open. It may even be a temporary condition related to a stuffy nose, allergic reaction, congestion, or pillow position. But for other people who snore, snoring may be related to sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, which would need to be treated under a doctor’s supervision. How to Stop Snoring If you’re not sure about the source of your snoring, give a few of these snoring remedies a try – you might see (and hear) some good results!

Get Plenty of Exercise This seems to be the answer for most everything, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, exercise can help improve muscle tone in the neck and throat, which helps keep you from snoring during the night. Regular exercise also can also prevent excessive weight gain. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to stop snoring before it ever starts. Sleepers who are overweight are up to two times more likely to snore than those who aren’t – they may have extra tissues in the throat that narrow their airways and lead to chronic snoring. While you’re exercising, make sure to drink plenty of water. Allowing your body to become dehydrated can cause the natural mucus in your nose and soft palate to become extra sticky, which makes it harder to breathe and can lead to increased snoring. Change Your Sleeping Position Back sleepers are typically the most likely to start snoring. If you try sleeping on your side instead, you and your sleeping partner may notice a dramatic drop in snoring activity. When you sleep on your back, it’s easy for your tongue to fall backwards into your throat, which makes you snore while breathing. If sleeping on your side isn’t comfortable, you can also try elevating your head with more pillows and see if that helps cut down on the log-sawing. Raising your head can help your jaw and tongue open your airways a bit more to make breathing quieter. It might sound extreme, but you can also try sewing a tennis ball into the back of your pajama top. This will prevent you from rolling onto your back during the night. If you sleep on an adjustable bed frame, you can also try raising your mattress by about four inches to change the angle of your head while you sleep. Some sleepers also report success using a body pillow to help make sure they stay situated on their side throughout the night.

Stop Smoking This should go without saying, but if you smoke, quitting that nasty habit is a no-brainer for a lot of reasons. Since smoking irritates the lining of your throat and nose, you’ll likely see a decrease in nighttime snoring when you kick that habit. Inflammation can make it difficult to breathe, so habitual smokers are likely culprits when it comes to chronic snoring. If you think you’ll have trouble quitting, your doctor can recommend a good plan for helping you stop the habit for good. Use a Humidifier Sometimes dry air in your bedroom can cause your throat and nose to dry out and become irritated, which leads to snoring. Using a humidifier can help keep you breathing moist air that’s more soothing and comfortable for a good night’s sleep. The extra humidity in the room also helps air to pass through your nose and throat more easily — and more quietly. Establish a Consistent Sleep Routine Having a regular bedtime schedule and getting a consistent amount of restful sleep every night can go a long way toward cutting down on nighttime snoring. Studies show that sleep deprivation is a common cause of snoring. When you’re overtired, you tend to sleep harder and deeper, which makes the muscles of the neck and throat even less likely to properly support your airway. If you’re an adult, you should be getting at least seven hours of restful sleep per night. Clean Nasal Passages Before Bed A nasal saline rinse is a simple way to help cut down on snoring. If you’re wrestling with allergies or nasal congestion, that often causes mouth breathing while you sleep, which compresses your throat and can lead to – you guessed it – snoring. In addition, narrowed nasal passages just make it difficult for air to move through your nose comfortably and without noise. You can find several over-the-counter options, ranging from simple nasal spray to a neti pot and more complicated sinus or nasal rinse systems. You can also try nasal strips, which many sleepers find helpful for eliminating snoring. Taking a hot shower before bed also helps open nasal passages for many people.