Can’t Sleep Because They Snore? Here Are 5 Simple Ways to Stop Snoring

What keeps you up at night? Pressures from work, problems with your mother, or your roommates? 

It’s even worse when you have to deal with stresses and problems sleeping next to your all-night-long snoring partner.

Snoring can be annoying at times because of the hideous sounds and the fact that it can keep you awake all night long. But here’s the thing though: everyone snores. 

What are the causes of snoring?

It is the hoarse or harsh sound that is as a result of air flowing past relaxed tissues in the throat during inhalation. 

Those tissues vibrate as it comes into contact with the passing air and that vibration comes out as a snore. 

All this happens because of the decrease in muscles in the throat during sleep especially and this causes airflow limitation. Though it silent for most people, others have their snores so loud that it keeps people awake. It is such a pity.

Snoring is nothing but a symptom. Just as getting cold during the day could be a symptom of a fever, a snore is a symptom of sleep apnea. 

About 40 percent of men snore compared to only 25 percent of women. Two out three couples confess that their partners snore. 

Snoring poses a few health risks that when left unattended, could lead to other complications. 

There is the issue of having interruptions when breathing which lasts between a few seconds to some minutes due to the blockage of the airways. 

Your sleep is also disturbed because you keep waking up and we know what those interruptions could mean to our health. 

Your heart could be in danger from the snores because sleep apnea leads to high blood pressure which increases the chances of a heart attack. 

Daytime dysfunction is one of the effects of snoring according to the National Sleep Foundation. 

But there is some good news for all of this. Snoring is treatable even with home remedies. Here are tips to help stop snoring.

1. Sleep on your side

Sleeping on your back is one of the best and healthy sleeping position. But it might be good for those who snore. 

Sleeping on your back makes the base of the tongue and soft palate fall on the back wall of the throat. This situation causes snoring to occur. 

Sleeping on your side reverses the whole process and prevents snoring. 

If you try sleeping on your side and you end up on your back in the moorings, this might sound silly but try sewing a tennis ball at the back of your top before sleeping.

2. Reduce or avoid alcohol consumption

While alcohol does a great deal to put you to sleep, they reduce the quality of your sleep and reduce your muscle tone as an additional effect. 

With your muscle tone reduced, in simple terms, your air passage becomes smaller because your muscles have collapsed into the passage. 

This means the air you take in has to force its way through making you snore at the end. 

Start small by reducing your alcohol intake and gradually try to avoid it at all costs because at the end of it all, your sleep and your health matters. 

In the case where you still want to keep drinking, try taking it during the day instead of the nights or even three hours before bed.

3. Lose some pounds

Obesity, apart from causing heart-related issues and diabetes, also makes you snore. Remember you’ve been meaning to lose belly fat for years? Now might be the time.

Fatty tissues end up developing around the neck and throat. This can cause some severe blockage in the air passage which makes it very easy to snore. Hit the gym to shed a few pounds.

Not necessarily to sleep well but exercising helps the body in so many ways and helps it to stay in shape. 

You might even get to enjoy sleeping in ways you can never fathom. Don’t forget to avoid exercising tree hours to your bedtime.

4. Watch what you eat before bed

Some heavy or light foods can be destructive when it comes to your sleep at night. A few of them include junk food, wheat, sugary foods, dairy products, alcohol, and coffee. 

What you should take instead of these is soymilk because it helps with preventing allergies that inflame the nasal passageway.

Another option is to drink tea. This helps to clear congestion and phlegm that pile up in your nostrils. The steam from tea does this right and helps to stop snoring. 

You can go on further to add honey to your tea. It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that prevent swelling in the throat and reduce congestions.

5. Clear sinuses

One reason people snore is that they have mucus congestion. This is when mucus clutters and blocks the nasal airways. 

A good way to stop snoring is to relieve your nasal airways. How? Rinse it with saline.

Consider getting rid of dust mites or pet dander if you have allergies. Alternatively, you might want to consider a humidifier if you’re battling If swollen nasal tissues.

6. Avoid wrong medications

Turns out that most medications for relaxing nasal muscles work actually don’t work. In some cases, they are likely to make snoring even worse.

Best if you have persistent nasal congestion is to meet with your doctor. But there some medications which have proven to be effective include antihistamines.

7. Use nasal strips

Another common way to stop storing is by using nasal-dilating strips at bedtime. The nasal strip is not expensive (compared to other products out there). Plus, research has shown that it may indeed reduce snoring.

Before you sleep, put one of the strips on your nose. This will enable free flow breathing by opening up your nasal passage and help stop snoring.