The deafening rants of snores at night are capable of keeping your partner and even the housemates from grabbing a good night’s sleep. Naturally, you end up being the brunt of all jokes in the family.
But it is not just the nuisance that you should be concerned about if you are a snorer. It can also be related with very grave health conditions like sleep apnea. If you suffer from sleep apnea, you stop breathing for a certain time as the airways becomes blocked or narrowed with the relaxation of the throat muscles.
With time sleep apnea puts you at an enhanced risk of stroke, heart attack and increased blood pressure.
It is for this reason that you need to consult a doctor if your snoring can be heard through the entire house, if you are overweight by about 20-30 pounds, you are drowsy during the day or if you have heart disease or high blood pressure.
For the same reason you need to silence your snoring. Here are some tips to do that. Just read on.
- Lose the Extra Pounds – The excessive fatty tissues and the weight can make your throat narrow. If your weight is much more than what it should be, especially if you have double chins, losing the excess weight can also help you to reduce or even eliminate the snoring entirely. If you lose weight, your neck size will also be shrunk by 1 inch which will prevent the snoring from being out of control.
- Change the Position of Your Sleep–Lying on the back can make the base of the soft palette and the tongue to collapse to the throat’s backwall which causes a vibrating sound during the sleep. In this case, a body pillow which is a full-length pillow supporting your whole body can provide you with a solution. It can enable you to sleep on the side and you will feel a great difference. You can also tape tennis balls to the rear side of the pyjamas which can stop you from sleeping on your back. With the head at an elevated position you can also recline the bed that opens up the nasal airway passages and this can help you to reduce snoring. If the snoring continues irrespective of the sleeping position, then the cause of snoring may be sleep apnea and you should see a doctor without any delay under such circumstances.
- Avoid Alcohol Prior to Bedtime – Alcohol is able to suppress the functioning of the muscles of the airway dilator. The airways are kept open with these muscles. That is why if you drink within the 3-4 hours before going to sleep you are more prone to snoring or snoring more loudly.
- Keep the Nasal Passages Clear – Keep the nasal passages clean and clear so that you can breathe in through the nose rather than mouth. If your nose is being blocked by an allergy you should opt for nasal sprays. A hot shower prior to going to bed can assist in opening the nasal passages. Try to keep a saltwater rinse in the shower as well. While showering you can rinse your nose with it for opening up the passages.
- Don’t Opt for Heavy Meals at Night – Snoring is promoted by late-night eating because the process of digestion also relaxes the tongue and the throat muscles. If you have to eat, avoid the high-fat dairy products like ice cream before sleeping.
- Quit Smoking – Smoking or even exposure to passive smoking can relax the throat muscles and cause nasal passage congestion. That is why if you smoke you need to quit it for a number of reasons including the fact that it plays a crucial role in increasing your snoring tendency.
The above are some of the ways in which you can control your snoring to some extent. Snoring and sleep apnea both can have some very serious implications and that is why you should not ignore this habit and consult with your doctor without much delay to lead a healthy and happy life.
