How to stop snoring at night

By April 9, 2021

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Snoring refers to noisy breathing while you sleep. It is a common sleep problem that can affect anyone, although it happens more to men and those who are overweight. It is OK if you snore occasionally, but if you are a long-term snorer, you might need to take some actions, as that is not only bad for your health but will also disrupt the sleep patterns of your bed partner.

What causes snoring?

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Firstly, let’s determine the reasons why you snore. For most people, it is normal to snore at night because you get too tired during the day. When you sleep, your muscle tone will easily get floppy, thus reducing and even blocking the air passage through your throat. This blocked airflow then vibrates with the tissues around the throat, causing a harsh and annoying sound that bed partners hear.

For other people, however, long-time snoring can be related to unhealthy lifestyles, bad sleeping habits, obesity, or nasal problems. Take a minute to check which solution best suits you below.

How to stop snoring?

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  • Sleep on your side: Sleeping on the back will make your tongue and jaw move backward, so your throat is more likely to get blocked and the inhalation gets even harder. Sleeping on your side can improve this greatly. To avoid sleeping on the back during midnight, you can also attach a tennis ball to the top of your pajama.
  • Elevate your head: You need to make sure your pillow is high enough (4 inches is the best) so that your tongue and jaw can move forward and make more space for airflow through your throat.
  • Alleviate nasal congestion: Nasal congestion can also lead to snoring. Before bed, rinse your nose fully or use a nasal spray to improve nasal congestion.
  • Apply nasal strips or nasal dilator: A nasal strip can help open your nasal passage, while a nasal dilator is used across the nostrils so that you’ll get less resistance when breathing.
  • Use a humidifier: Dry air may irritate the membranes in your nose and throat, especially when you’ve suffered from nasal congestion. Make sure to use a humidifier to moisten your bedroom.
  • Avoid smoking, alcohol, and medications: Smoking can not only cause health problems but also aggravates snoring. As for alcohol and medications (especially sedatives), both of them can further loosen the muscle tone in your throat and cause snoring.
  • Lose weight: Sometimes you may just be overweight, and there are excessive floppy tissues in your throat. In other cases, excessive fat around the neck and jaw can also squeeze the air passage of your throat.
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