Tips to treat your snoring

Snoring can be problematic for those you share a space with at night - and it can also disrupt the quality of your own sleep. If you’re continuously feeling tired and irritable during the day, or your partner complains about disrupted sleep due to your snoring then it might be time to do something about it. Although there could be a range of different causes for your snoring, the reason it’s happening is that air isn’t able to move freely through your nose and throat while you’re asleep. There are a number of different ways that you can treat this.

Snoring causes

There are many different factors that could contribute to snoring problems. Being overweight or out of shape, for example, may mean you have excess fat around your neck and throat that is the reason for your snoring. If you’re currently suffering from nasal or sinus problems or you take certain medications or have a high alcohol intake then this could also be behind snoring issues. Body changes around middle age mean that the throat becomes narrower and muscle tone in the throat can decrease. Plus, men are more likely to snore as air passages in the throat are narrower in men than women.

Tips to treat your snoring

There are a number of steps that you can take yourself to help reduce snoring at night, including:

• Sleeping in a different position. Try elevating your head four inches or use a specifically designed pillow that will help air to flow more easily.
• Make sure you’re sleeping on your side. If you sleep on your back every night then you’re much more likely to snore. Many people have found that sleeping with a tennis ball sewn into the back of their pyjamas ensures that they don’t roll onto their backs in the night.
• Try clearing your nose before you go to sleep. Blocked nasal packages can be a major cause of snoring so a neti pot or nasal decongestant, used just before bed, can be really helpful.
• Use a humidifier. Dry air can irritate the nose and throat and make snoring worse - a humidifier will ensure your bedroom air remains moist.
• Change the way you eat. Avoid large meals before bed and, if you’re overweight, losing some of the extra fat could make a big difference.
• Change your lifestyle. Giving up smoking, cutting down alcohol, avoiding sleeping pills and getting more exercise can all contribute positively where reducing snoring is concerned.
• Do some throat exercises. For example, repeating vowels (a-e-i-o-u) for three minutes a day has been found to help, as it strengthens the muscles that can cause snoring when they are weak.
• Get medical help with snoring. If you’ve tried to treat snoring yourself and nothing has worked there are a number of medical solutions available. Palatal implants, somnoplasty and custom-fitted dental devices and jaw positioners are just some of the options.

If snoring has become a problem for you - and the people you share your home with - there are a number of ways that you can treat this, click the link to see how we can help your snoring problems.