It is estimated that around 90 million people in the United States snore. It can be embarrassing and also annoying as it prevents you and your partner from getting a restful night’s sleep. Often times disrupted sleep causes you to wake up tired and grumpy the next day.
Snoring is a noise that is created by vibrations in the back of your throat. When snoring occurs, your muscles are relaxed which causes your tongue to fall back and create a narrow passageway in your throat. Then, when you breathe in, it causes vibrations and those dreaded snoring sounds.
Be aware that snoring can become a serious problem. Not only can it disrupt someone’s sleeping pattern, which can lead to fatigue and dysfunction throughout the day, but if it is severe you may have sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that causes a person to stop breathing for short periods as they sleep. Sleep apnea has been linked serious health risks, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and earlier death.
Try these tips to prevent snoring:
Change your sleeping position. It is important that if you are prone to snoring that you avoid sleeping on your back, it causing your tongue to collapse to the back of your throat. Try sleeping on your side instead. Using a body pillow can help you make that transition.
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a muscle relaxant and will cause you to snore even if you normally don’t. Try to avoid drinking alcohol 4 to 5 hours before sleeping or be considerate of your partner and sleep in a different room.
Lose weight. Gaining weight around your neck, squeezes the internal diameter in your throat, making it more likely to collapse and cause loud, annoying snoring. This is something to look into if you didn’t snore before you gained weight, but you do now. Exercise has been proven to help your overall quality of sleep as well. You can’t go wrong.
Open your nasal passages. Snoring can occur when your nasal passages are blocked. Try using adhesive nasal dilator strips at night open up your passageways. A hot shower along with squeezing a little saltwater solution in your nose can also help clear your nasal passages.
Change your pillows. Allergens or dust mites on your pillow at night could be the culprit behind your snoring issues. A sign is that you feel fine during the day, but get stuffy at night. Start putting your pillows in the air-fluff cycle once a week and change your pillows every six months.
Stop grinding. Grinding your teeth at night can force your tongue back into your throat and narrow your airway during sleep. Use a mouth guard can realign your bite, cushion your teeth and prevent your tongue from obstructing breathing at night.
Be well rested. Don’t allow yourself to become overtired. When you finally lay down from sleep deprivation, you will fall into a hard, deep sleep, leading to snoring.
If you find that still suffer from snoring, don’t hesitate to consult with your physician about other possible solutions. It is important make sure your sleep is as restful and peaceful as possible.
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